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a8 local
Tuesday 3 sepTember 2024
Aruban legends:
Frenchman’s Pass
(Oranjestad)—If you ever man’s pass—and how it got to smoke them out of the
plan on taking a group tour its name—dates back to the caves, but the indigenous
of the island, you may pass colonization era, when the settlers ended up inhaling
through the Frenchman’s French tried to colonize the too much smoke and most
Pass in Balashi. The French- island, but were met with an died in those caves. From
man’s pass (known to locals angry mob of indigenous set- then on, this passage was
as “Franse Pas”) remains a tlers, refusing to give up their known as Frenchman’s Pass,
mysterious—and spooky— land. However, as the French and there have been many involves a lonely hitchhiker, ran to Santa Cruz.
road of which its legend is were heavily equipped with accounts of spirits roaming trying to find a ride back
told from generation to gen- fire arms, the indigenous set- the area of Spanish Lagoon. home in the dark rainy night. Arriving at a nearby bar, he
eration. tlers began to retreat, and There are many ghost stories ordered a drink and began
hid away in nearby caves. surrounding this area, but Sometime after trying to to tell everyone about his
The history of the French- The French colonizers tried one of the most famous one hitchhike, the man saw a experience. Everyone grew
car approaching, appearing quiet, because they realized
almost ghost-like in the rain. he wasn’t some drunk mess-
However, since he needed ing around; he was telling
a ride real bad, he didn’t the truth.
think twice and jumped in.
But to his horror, he noticed Sometime later, two men
that the there was no driver walked into the bar and one
in the front. Paralyzed with of them noticed the hitchhik-
fear, he didn’t dare to get er. He called out to his buddy
out, and the car started to and said: “Look, there’s the
move. idiot who sat in our car when
we were pushing it!”
When approaching a sharp
turn, the hitch hiker braced French man’s pass is one of
for impact, but just when the few sites on the island
he though the car might that keeps the locals on their
drive straight off the road toes. While most ghost stories
and crash, he saw a hand may not have real grounds—
appear out the window or some may even be a set
and turn the wheel. For the up story for a joke, this pass
next few turns, the hand ap- contributes a lot to our cul-
peared again. After having ture of folkloric story-telling.q
had enough, the man de-
cided to jump out and he Source: visitaruba.com
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