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local Thursday 18 sepTember 2025
Aruban legends: Frenchman’s Pass
(Oranjestad)—If you ever man decided to jump out
plan on taking a group and he ran to Santa Cruz.
tour of the island, you may
pass through the French- Arriving at a nearby bar, he
man’s Pass in Balashi. The ordered a drink and began
Frenchman’s pass (known to tell everyone about his
to locals as “Franse Pas”) experience. Everyone grew
remains a mysterious—and quiet, because they real-
spooky—road of which its ized he wasn’t some drunk
legend is told from genera- messing around; he was
tion to generation. telling the truth.
The history of the French- Some time later, two men
man’s pass—and how it got walked into the bar and
its name—dates back to one of them noticed the
the colonization era, when hitchhiker. He called out to
the French tried to colo- his buddy and said: “Look,
nize the island, but were there’s the idiot who sat
met with an angry mob of in our car when we were
indigenous settlers, refusing pushing it!”
to give up their land. How- was known as Frenchman’s the car started to move.
ever, as the French were Pass, and there have been Some time after trying to French man’s pass is one
heavily equipped with fire many accounts of spirits hitchhike, the man saw a When approaching a of the few sites on the is-
arms, the indigenous set- roaming the area of Span- car approaching, appear- sharp turn, the hitch hiker land that keeps the locals
tlers began to retreat, and ish Lagoon. ing almost ghost-like in the braced for impact, but just on their toes. While most
hid away in nearby caves. rain. However, since he when he though the car ghost stories may not have
The French colonizers tried There are many ghost sto- needed a ride real bad, might drive straight off the real grounds—or some may
to smoke them out of the ries surrounding this area, he didn’t think twice and road and crash, he saw a even be a set up story for a
caves, but the indigenous but one of the most famous jumped in. But to his horror, hand appear out the win- joke, this pass contributes a
settlers ended up inhal- one involves a lonely hitch- he noticed that the there dow and turn the wheel. lot to our culture of folkloric
ing too much smoke and hiker, trying to find a ride was no driver in the front. For the next few turns, the story-telling.q
most died in those caves. back home in the dark Paralyzed with fear, he hand appeared again. Af-
From then on, this passage rainy night. didn’t dare to get out, and ter having had enough, the Source: visitaruba.com