Grand South America & Antarctica Voyage, Devil's Island, French Guiana...

This morning I went out before sunrise to catch the Zaandam as we sailed into and anchored near Ile du Royale, the largest of the three Salvation Islands.  Of the three islands that make up Îles du Salut, the largest island, Ile du Royale, served as the administrative center of the prison. Ann, Cathy and I were on the first tender headed to Ile du Royale as we wanted to make a quick trip to the island in case the thunderstorms predicted materialized. The islands just off the shore of French Guiana look a lot like paradise…a beautiful tropical island, lush with palm trees and surrounded by surf.  A short trip back in time, to the first half of the 20th century, shows another side of Devil’s Island, and the French penal colony that made the tiny enclave world-renowned. From 1852 to 1953, the inmates of France’s infamous Devil’s Island penal colony in the Caribbean died en masse from malnutrition, disease, and futile escape attempts.  Besides its violent clientele, the prison became well-known for the hellish conditions that had to prisoners endure. These terrible living conditions were eventually exposed to the general public and the colony was finally closed in 1953. Once ashore, we passed the Governors House and climbed the hill and stairs up to the communication building and came upon some peacocks. Although many of the ruins have collapsed under the jungle and elements, some of the colonial structures on the island have since been restored and opened to visitors to explore its dark history. We passed the barracks, guard houses and visited the ruins of the main prison. Next, we visited buildings with cells for prisoners in solitary confinement…Pretty depressing looking cells, tiny and dark. These two buildings were still pretty much intact, in much better shape than the prison walls above. Further up, we came upon the prison chapel and across from the church was the hospital, with a lighthouse looking well restored at least on the outside. We went to the hotel and restaurant that overlooks the sea and Devil’s Island across the water.  We made our way back to the tender pier and the weather gods were with us. Albeit very hot and humid, we enjoyed our tour and relished in the fact this was our last tender of the cruise. I spent the afternoon at the pool enjoying the beautiful hot, sunny weather. We will now leave South America behind and enter the Caribbean.