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Thursday 27 March 2025 locAl
                                      A10

                                                                                                   Aruban legends:

                                                                                                   Frenchman’s Pass



                                                                                                   and there have been many  wheel. For the next few turns,
                                                                                                   accounts of spirits roaming  the hand appeared again.
                                                                                                   the area of Spanish Lagoon.  After  having  had  enough,
                                                                                                                                the  man  decided  to  jump
                                                                                                   There are many ghost stories  out and he ran to Santa Cruz.
                                                                                                   surrounding  this  area,  but
                                                                                                   one of the most famous one  Arriving at a nearby bar, he
                                                                                                   involves a lonely hitchhiker,  ordered a drink and began
                                                                                                   trying  to  find  a  ride  back  to  tell  everyone  about  his
                                                                                                   home in the dark rainy night.  experience. Everyone grew
                                                                                                                                quiet, because they realized
                                                                                                   Sometime  after  trying  to  he wasn’t some drunk mess-
                                                                                                   hitchhike,  the  man  saw  a  ing around; he was telling the
                                                                                                   car approaching, appearing  truth.
                                                                                                   almost ghost-like in the rain.
                                                                                                   However, since he needed  Sometime  later,  two  men
                                                                                                   a  ride  real  bad,  he  didn’t  walked into the bar and one
                                                                                                   think twice and jumped in.  of them noticed the hitchhik-
                                                                                                   But to his horror, he noticed  er. He called out to his buddy
                                                                                                   that the there was no driver  and said: “Look, there’s the
                                                                                                   in the front. Paralyzed with  idiot who sat in our car when
            (Oranjestad)—If  you  ever                                fire arms, the indigenous set-  fear, he didn’t dare to get  we were pushing it!”
            plan on taking a group tour  The  history  of  the  French-  tlers began to retreat, and  out, and the car started to
            of the island, you may pass  man’s pass—and how it got  hid away in nearby caves.  move.                            French man’s pass is one of
            through  the  Frenchman’s  its name—dates back to the  The  French  colonizers  tried                               the  few  sites  on  the  island
            Pass in Balashi. The French-  colonization era, when the  to  smoke  them  out  of  the  When approaching a sharp  that keeps the locals on their
            man’s pass (known to locals  French tried to colonize the  caves,  but  the  indigenous  turn, the hitch hiker braced  toes. While most ghost stories
            as “Franse Pas”) remains a  island, but were met with an  settlers  ended  up  inhaling  for impact, but just when he  may not have real grounds—
            mysterious—and  spooky—      angry mob of indigenous set-  too much smoke and most  though the car might drive  or some may even be a set
            road of which its legend is  tlers, refusing to give up their  died  in  those  caves.  From  straight  off  the  road  and  up story for a joke, this pass
            told from generation to gen-  land. However, as the French  then  on,  this  passage  was  crash, he saw a hand appear  contributes a lot to our cul-
            eration.                     were heavily equipped with  known as Frenchman’s Pass,  out the window and turn the  ture of folkloric story-telling.q

            Planning on snorkeling? Get to know our Candelchi!



            (Oranjestad)—If you’re ever  illustrate some fish and their
            planning on snorkeling dur-  names in Papiamento.
            ing your vacation on Aruba,
            you may spot fish that you   Candelchi, Squirrelfish, Ho-
            can’t  recognize.  One  of     locentrus adscensionis:
            these may be the “Candel-    Candelchi actually refers to
            chi”  (Squirrelfish),  a  com-  the entire squirrelfish family
            mon, yet shy fish that swims  or,  as  some  say,  when  we
            all  year  long  in  the  waters  say  candelchi,  we  mean
            of Aruba.                    several different species but
                                         without distinguishing them
            Let's talk about the names  by  species.  In  this  picture,
            of  fish.  Do  you  know  your  we  are  showing  the  most
            fish?  The  Department  of  common one in our waters,
            Department of Agriculture,  which  is  called  squirrelfish
            Livestock,  and  Fisheries,  in  English  or  scientifically
            known as Santa Rosa, offers  known  as  Holocentrus  ad-
            this  informative article that  scensionis.


                                                                      Under  candelchi,  we  in  fins and are always armed.              In Aruba:
                                                                      Aruba generally refer to all  Over at our sister island Cu-  Candelchi  are  found  on
                                                                      the different species of squir-  raçao, they are called "bari  reefs or areas with structure
                                                                      relfish. They all look alike and  di  clabo"  (nail  barrel)  for  in the water where they can
                                                                      it's  really  difficult  to  distin-  that reason.        hide. Although they prefer to
                                                                      guish between them.                                       hunt for food at night, they
                                                                                                   In our waters, there are 7 to 8  are  also  active  during  the
                                                                      The squirrelfish family is dis-  types or species present and  day.  They  are  edible  and
                                                                      tinguished by the following  they are sometimes caught  delicious  when  prepared
                                                                      characteristics.  They  are  and seen occasionally. They  dry  and  crispy  with  lime.  It
                                                                      heart-shaped  with  pink  or  can be distinguished by dif-  is particularly challenging to
                                                                      red  hues  and  often  show  ferent  marks  such  as  color  scale the fish, which is why
                                                                      heart-shaped  streaks  be-   on the dorsal spine or marks  it is not one of the favorites
                                                                      tween  the  scales  along  on the body.                   among fishermen. They of-
                                                                      the  body.  They  have  hard                              ten live in groups.q
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