Just when you think it can't get any hotter, it does. We had absolutely no expectations for this island and were pleasantly surprised as the history which is dark and intriguing of these three tiny islands gave us a lot to think about. These tiny islands, were used as a notorious French penal colony until 1952. Opened by Napoleon in 1852, it became one of the most infamous prisons in history. The inmates ran the gamut from political prisoners to thieves and murderers. The harsh conditions and rampant spread of disease guaranteed that more than 50,000 of the 80,000 prisoners were never seen again. The remote location, rocky coastline and treacherous shark filled waters made escape virtually impossible. in 1938 France stopped sending prisoners here, and closed it in 1952. Papillion, a best-selling book by ex-Devel's Island convict Henri Charriere tells of his numerous alleged escape attempts. The movie stars Steve McQueen and was shown this evening, but I skipped out to catch up on this blog.
It was so humid that all of us looked like we had stepped out of a shower while we were ashore. It was a tender port. The 45 minute walk around the largest island was so interesting and we were saved by the massive jungle overgrowth that shaded the path around the island. Two species of monkeys delighted us as we climbed up the gentle sloped trail, past the Cemetery des Enfants (children of the service people). Prisoners were not buried, just tossed into the sea. We also saw a small rodent called a XXXX.
The crumbling prison is haunting. One cannot visit and not be mindful of all the terrors that were visited upon the hapless people sent here. The prison could house 2000 men at a time, and the cells were horribly small, and impossibly claustrophobic. The supervisors lived in cement homes across from the prison, and the Jesuits worked here for many years attending to the prisoners.
Today there is a hotel just down from the prison, and we bought a beer which tasted like heaven. Outside we saw iguanas, peacocks, hummingbirds, and giant macaws, all indigenous to this area. In the lagoons were several large catamarans from the mainland as it is now a tourist destination, although one can still not swim in these waters.
We were back on the ship, soaking wet by 12:30.
One of the highlights of the world cruise is the "swap and shop" which happened on the back of the Lido Deck today where people sell all the things they don't want to take home. It was a feeding frenzy. Max and I just sat and watched in amazement.
We were delayed leaving the port by several hours as the hydraulic lifts on the aft tender area malfunctioned and repairs had to be undertaken. We had a sparkling dinner conversation, and most of the table went to the movie.
Tomorrow we are at sea with a busy agenda.
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