"Looking for Papillon"
This is spooky place with a very dark history. There are actually three islands that make up the former French penal colony, 3 miles off the coast of French Guyana. Opened in 1852, it served as a prison until 1952 (most likely a death sentence). The inmates ran the gamut from political prisoners to thieves and murderers. The terrible conditions and spread of disease (malaria & yellow fever) on the island guaranteed that more than 70% of the 80,000 prisoners were never seen again. The remote location with shark filled waters made escape virtually impossible. As I recall, however, Steve McQueen (Papillon) escaped to Venezuela. Actually, after many years on the island Papillon lived a good life as a hotelier in Venezuela. Recently, however, there has been some debate over who Papillon actually was.
We found Devil’s Island to be a very hot, humid tropical jungle with monkeys, macaws, iguanas and small rat like animals. The island is mountainous and as you climb the trails there are reminders of the penal colony everywhere. When you arrive at the top there are eerie ruins of the old barracks, the cells, prison hospital, chapel and former guard’s mess hall that has been converted into a hotel (sort of). Further along is a children’s cemetery. It seems that after the inmates completed their sentences they had to stay on the island for 8 years and work. France sent female convicts to the island to marry these freed prisoners. Their children did not last long.
On the positive side, today there is a small harbor that seems to be a stopping off place for yachts and small boats from South America. The paths leading around the island have beautiful views of the ocean and the other islands. Once on top of the island, we were able to buy a beer and enjoy the company of other shipboard prisoners. Since we were drenched from the heat and humidity by mid afternoon we were happy to head back to the ship after our beer.
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