Blogs from French Guiana, South America

Our port of call on Friday, March 10, 2023 was “Devil’s Island,” French Guiana. The prison, often referred to as “Devil's Island,” operated from 1852 to 1952 and is, in fact, three islands called Îles du Salut (Salvation's Islands), as well as a larger penal colony on the mainland. The island group’s name was given by missionaries who encamped there to escape an outbreak of plague. In 1852, the government of Emperor Napoleon III established the islands and part of French Guiana as a penal colony. The main part of the penal colony was a labor camp that stretched along the border with Dutch Guiana (present-day Suriname). Most prisoners were first sent to St-Laurent-du-Maroni on the mainland coast, where they would be assigned to work gangs to clear forests and build roads. Political, dangerous, and incorrigible ... read more

12-11-17 After breakfast we flew from Paris to French Guiana arriving late afternoon, in time for a swim at our Hotel Ker Alberte. The temperature was a pleasant 31degrees a contrast to autumn in Paris. Dinner was outside by the pool with our fellow travelers, a small group of twelve including our guide. French Guiana borders Brazil and Suriname with a population of 250,000 with just three inhabitants per square kilometre, one of the lowest densities in the world. 13-11-17 We found Cayenne an interesting mix of cultures, South American, European and we felt mostly Caribbean. We walked the narrow streets which were lined with buildings with colonial wrought iron balconies and louvered shutters painted in pinks, yellows and turquoise. After our city tour we left Cayenne driving to Kourou to visit the Ariane Space Centre. ... read more

Day 424 Saturday 8th December Had to move on today but we had no idea how we were going to do it. Shelley cooked up some eggs for breakfast and we then packed our bags. Headed out the door to look for a tourist information office we were told was nearby but never found it and so we then went to plan B and hire a car. Found the hire car firm but they had nothing left so we returned to our room to look up other companies on the internet. Discovered a couple more but they were miles away and without taxis we had no way of getting there before they closed at midday. We were then left with plan C which was stay where we were till Monday and get an early morning collective ... read more

Geo: 5.00339, -51.8665Today the ship moored off Devil's Island, which belongs to French Guiana. For those of you who have read the book or seen the film "Papillon", you will know that this was once a French penal colony. There are 3 islands in the archipelago, since renamed the Iles du Salut or Islands of Salvation. We were tendered to the largest island and from the landing stage there is a pathway first made by the original prisoners. It goes all the way around the island and there are paths and steps up to the summit which now houses a small hotel with restaurant and bar. The building was once the administrative quarters of the prison. On the lowest path we came across some lovely little monkeys. There are capuchins and squirrel monkeys on the island ... read more

Because of the strong current, the long trip up the Amazon, halfway across Brazil, took about three days. The speedy trip back to the ocean was only two days. At one point Captain Patruno proudly announced our speed at 25knots (29mph) which is really flying on this ship. While cruising in this part of South America we watched the movie “At Play in the Fields of the Lord.” It is a pretty good depiction of the atmosphere here in the Amazon. I also read the book “Fordlandia.” This chronicles Henry Ford’s attempt to build a utopian workers city in the heart of the jungle. It was a monumental failure but I learned a lot about rubber plantations and how good intentions can go awry especially when attempting to cross cultural, social and geographical boundaries. On our ... read more