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a8 local
Friday 19 January 2024

The Bushiribana Gold Mill Ruins and its history

(Oranjestad)—The Bushiri- India Company. Under the
bana Gold Mill Ruins is one leadership of Mr. Paulus At the same time, the Aru-
of the most visited places Printz, a three-year search ban government took
by tourists on the island, was conducted on Aruba, immediate actions, and
as it lies along the north- to no avail. Though they informed Curacao that
ern coast line near the mini found some gold, it was gold was found. At first,
pool and on the way to the enough to motivate a fur- everyone could look for
Natural Bridge. Despite its ther search, and the assign- gold, as long as they sold
seemingly plain appear- ment was discontinued by it to the government. How-
ance, this ruin represents Printz himself. ever, after some time, the
one of the most important government decided to
histories of the island: The It wasn’t until 100 years lat- implement stricter rules and
Aruban Gold Rush. er, in 1824, when a young banned local search par-
boy found a lump of gold ties.
Built in 1872 by English com- while out herding his fa-
pany Aruba Island Gold ther’s sheep. His father took Over the years, conces-
Mining Company Ltd, the it to a local merchant who sion-holding had seen dif- and letting the dust be
gold mill at Bushiribana then sold the lump for $70. ferent companies from blown away by the strong The gold mill itself had a
was constructed in the Unbeknownst to the boy around the world, all of northeast wind, leaving short life-span: only 10 years
area where most gold was and his father, they quite which used primitive meth- clumps of gold behind. The in service, but its structure
found by locals. The story literally struck gold, and ods to dig and carve out next step was melting the remained relatively solid till
of gold on Aruba actually as word got out, a gold gold from the rocks. Aruba gold and letting it attach this day, and is now a his-
dates back to 1725, when fever spread among the Island Gold Mining Compa- to quicksilver in order to torical remnant. q
a first exploration for gold locals who started search- ny Ltd. was no different, but obtain pure gold. All these
on the island was commis- ing for more gold. About 25 used a unique method that processes were done at Sources: Etnia Nativa & gold-
sioned by the Dutch West pounds worth was found. involved grinding the rocks the Bushiribana Gold Mill. mineranch.com.

Helpful tips for your stay on Aruba

(Oranjestad)—When traveling to another country, especially for the first Supermarket hours
time, it is always better to be over-prepared than under-prepared. That Supermarket hours may vary depending on where you are staying on the
is why we have a list of basic—but important—information that we think island. Generally though, most supermarkets are open from 8am to 9 or
may come in handy to Aruba’s visitors. 10pm, Monday through Saturday. On Sundays, supermarkets generally
close earlier; mostly around 2pm.
Emergency services
Even though most people don’t even want to think about having to con- Taxis
tact emergency services—especially not while on their vacation, it is still Prices for taxi fair are set by the Department of Public Traffic and are
important to know what number to dial in case of the unlikely event of an based on destination rather than mileage. Most taxis can take up to five
accident or severe incident. passengers, but this may vary depending on the vehicle. Taxis are pretty
much always available and you can ever hire one for $45 an hour.
Police: 100
Police Tipline: 11141 Safety
Ambulance: 911 Aruba is one of the safest islands in the Caribbean, and many tourist that
Fire Dept: 115 visit have often told us how they feel safe to explore the island or walk
Oranjestad: HOH hospital: +297-527-4000 around at night. However, rare incidents do occurs, so keep yourself and
San Nicolas: ImSan: +297-527-8833 your belongings safe. q

Electrical power
Aruba generally operates on 110V to 127V supply voltage and 60Hz.
There are also three types of outlets used on the island: type A with two
flat prongs; type B with two flat and one grounding prong, and on oc-
casion, type F with two round prong and two earth clips on the side.
However, Type A is most commonly found in homes and establishments.

Drinking water
The water that flows through the sinks of every house, hotels and other es-
tablishments is distilled and perfectly safe to drink. Aruba’s drinking water
exceeds WHO’s international standards for water quality, so there is no
need to buy bottled water from the store.