Around South America in 80 Days

March 16, 2019

Devil’s Island (not really), French Guiana

From 1852 until 1953 the Salvation Islands (about 7 miles off the coast of French Guiana) were used as a penal colony. Ile Royale was the general camp, Devil’s Island (Ile du Diable) was for political prisoners, and Ile Saint Joseph was for solitary confinement. Probably the two most famous prisoners held on the islands were Alfred Dreyfus (accused of treason) and Henri Charriere who wrote the book Papillon (although there is some question as to whether he was ever really on Devil’s Island) which later became a movie starring Steve McQueen. Today, you cannot visit Devil’s Island but you can visit the other two. Our visit was to Ile Royale.

Pat, Patty, and I boarded the tender just after 9:00 and reached the island at about 9:20. The walking was up and down steps and the sides of the hills. To be honest, if I had gone alone I would have gone quickly back to the ship.

We walked for about an hour in the heat, checking out various buildings, and finally arrived at the hotel at the top of the hill. We stopped for some expensive soft drinks ($16 for three Cokes) and then visited the equally expensive gift shop.

We finished up our look at the buildings by seeing some of the guard’s homes (which are now rented out by the hotel), the church, and the children’s cemetery (these were the guard’s children). We found a way through the palm fronds to get on the path that led down to the water without having to use the uneven stone steps. Along the way we saw some beautiful flowers as well as many animals.

We were back on the ship shortly after 12:30 and made our way to the Lido for lunch (and two Cokes for me!). Patty had to go to practice for the Choir which performs tomorrow but Pat and I stayed and knitted (she also took a bit of a snooze).

Afternoon trivia was one of our worst with 7 out of 17. Three teams tied with 11.

1) Which Jane Austen novel has a main character named Fanny Price?

2) What mental illness was the subject of A Beautiful Mind?

3) Which country won the 2006 soccer World Cup?

4) What are “neos” to a concerned astronomer?

5) What pop star claims to be a descendant of Herman Melville?

I was really tired after our walk (over a mile and a quarter on uneven terrain) so I decided to eat early with my other table. I had chicken brochette, beef tip stroganoff, and a butterscotch sundae.

Finally we made a comeback in trivia winning with 14 out of 20.

1) What role gave Tom Hanks a chance to star opposite Elvis and John Lennon?

2) Which has had the longest TV run – Hockey Night in Canada, Wide World of Sports, or Monday Night Football?

3) Which sporty car company, based in Northern Ireland, ran out of gas in 1982?

4) What backpack company failed to patent their igloo shaped tent?

5) Which Hogwarts professor sports a left knee scar that looks like the London Underground?

We all went to the show which was another good performance by Graffiti Classics.

Tonight was a theme night – Prisoners Party. The dining rooms were decorated and the waiters had on striped uniforms. At 9 pm there was a dance party in the Ocean Bar.

From my deck