Islands of the Caribbean
Almost Home
After leaving Devil’s Island we had a two day sail to the Caribbean and the islands of Trinidad, Barbados and St. Barts which were our last Ports of Call before reaching the end of our trip in Fort Lauderdale. It’s been 114 days, 39 Ports and 35 countries and we’ve met so many people along the way that it’s hard to remember them all. However, we’ll discuss the more interesting and annoying characters in a follow up post that should be amusing. The trip has naturally changed our perspective on the many cities, countries and regions that we visited and we’ll be able to put a face on news reports, the travel channel, national Geographic and the animal planet, rather than looking at them as something foreign a long way off. We’re looking forward to getting home, catching up with our friends and family and enjoying our little corner of the world in Vero Beach. We’ll enjoy staying put for awhile but the trip did wet our appetites for more travel and with luck and a recovering stock market we’ll want to return to some of the places we visited for a little more in depth look at the areas.
I have not added much commentary to the 3 islands in the Carribean. Hopefully the pictures will show the beauty and character of each. However, there are decided differences in the island. Trinidad is a mix of Indian and African influences while Barbado’s is distinctly African. St. Barts, on the other hand, is French including all the arrogance you would expect to find in France.St. Barts
Devil’s Island, French Guyana
"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.
Trinidad
