Today's port of Devil's Island is a familiar one to us, as we have been here numerous times over the years. Actually there are three small islands that comprise the Salvation Islands…Ile Royal, St. Joseph, and Isle du Diable, situated about 9 miles from the coast of French Guiana. These islands were once used as a leper colony for French Guiana. The French sent the worst of their criminals here to serve their sentences in 1852. The 35 acres of penal colony housed as many as 80,000 prisoners, although, only 5,000 of those survived after the prison was closed in 1953. Due to the harsh conditions and the presence of tropical diseases, many died. These men would get a burial at sea by being fed to the sharks that inhabit these waters.
Being a guard here was also like a death sentence. Many of the higher officials had their families with them, and they too succumbed to disease. These unfortunate folks and their young children were buried on Ile Royal, where the actual prison buildings were located. There were only two escapes from here, but the most famous one was Henri Charriere, whose story was told in the book Papillion, eventually followed by the movie made famous by Steve McQueen.
By 1965, these islands were handed over to the Guiana Space Centre, which continues its operation now. It is estimated that over 50,000 tourists visit here every year. And that was what we intended to do today.
The estimated arrival time was noon, but the ship dropped anchor around 11:30am. Naturally, this was a tender port, and we had received our instructions last night about the process. Since we did not have to wait in line for tender tickets, we lined up by the stairway on deck one forward. Turned out there was a small group waiting there for about ½ hour, so we were among the first to go over to shore. The swells in the surrounding waters were high enough to make boarding the tender boat a bit dicey. But there were plenty of crew members to help everyone board safely. Both Henk and Christel over-saw the process. We were all glad the ride was short, since it was bumpy.
Once we were on the island, we took a right turn, and followed the road which eventually goes all the way around. Four of our friends were in the process of geo-cashing which looked like a fun project. It wasn't long before we saw the first of several dark red agoutis, a very large rodent in the guinea pig family we think. Passing the protected cove directly across from Devil's Island, we spotted another friend preparing to take a swim in the water. There are no beaches here, but there are a few spots that are netted off to keep out sharks and prevent one from being sucked away in the extreme currents. Right on this point is the remains of a telegraphic pylon that had a rope from this island to the smaller Devil's Island. Food and water were sent across this suspended rope to the utmost worst of the prisoners who lived on that smaller island.
Halfway around while walking the wide dirt road through the trees, we spotted the island's famous little spider and capuchin monkeys. The capuchins are a peculiar species, that are unpredictable. One large male zeroed in on the big camera Bill uses, and decided he was a threat. The monkey stood up as tall as he could, threw his arms up high, then proceeded to charge like a boogy-man. No kidding…he was even sticking his tongue out. Had to be the funniest thing we ever saw. And it happened so fast, he could not snap a photo. We backed away, and gladly let him disappear into the forest of palms.
Taking an inland road, we made our way to the center of the island where the majority of the buildings are located. The Hotel and reservoir are in the center, so we decided it would be a fine time to buy a couple of beers, and sit on their patio for a while. Needless to say, it was hot and humid today, so the $7 local beer, Jeune Gueule, sure was good. Equally as fun, was watching the numerous peacocks that live there. Sure reminded us of home. None of them are caged, so they roam at will and beg food from the visitors. There used to be several parrots here, but they are gone now.
It was beginning to get crowded with more customers, so we continued on to tour the grounds, taking many photos of course. As many times as we have seen these reminders of the past, it still reeks with an eerie feeling of unhappiness and atrocities. Even though many of these structures such as the solitary and condemned cells, the main prisoner and warden quarters, and the hospital, or chapel reflect the life of the past. The lighthouse, helicopter pad, and nearby ESA tracking station are well-maintained.
Taking the road back down towards the pier, we ran into more monkeys cavorting about. Many of these were youngsters that performed for the growing crowd. Captain Jonathon and is wife Karen were also taking photos for his blog. It is always nice to see that they enjoy these ports as well.
The line was long for the tender boat, but we amused ourselves with the green turtles that are always swimming among the rocks here. We're not sure anyone else took the time to look on the opposite side of the pier. Crew members were bringing the hot folks ice cold wash cloths and cups of lemonade while they waited. Guess it was taking longer to get the passengers back on the ship due to the rolling seas. We got back by 4:30pm, and headed right for the Lido for a really late lunch….and a lot of lemonade.
The real sail away party was in the Crow's Nest today, so we went to deck six forward, where only a handful of folks were watching our departure. The sun was on its way down by now, and the breezes were quite welcomed. There were a few birds diving for fish in the distance, and one frigate circling overhead. The Captain followed the same path we had taken earlier in order to avoid the shallow areas. He headed southeast for our next port of Belem, Brazil in a few days.
There were only six of us this evening at dinner, since Barb had gone to the Pinnacle Grill. Our entrees were one tri-tip and one hake fish, which had to be the superior choice. A light slice of chocolate cake, and one blueberry sorbet finished our meal. We adjourned by 9:30pm, and called it a night. The rest of our group went to the show featuring another performance of the comedian, Tim Kaminski. He must have said something humorous, because we could hear laughing all the way to the elevator.
A day at sea tomorrow will be most welcomed. And we will be crossing the Equator.
Bill & Mary Ann
PS In order to be able to send the larger number of photos, they have to be reduced, and may not hold up as well when expanded.
