We've been traveling over open ocean for the last two days, no land in sight. I got up early and looked out our balcony to watch our approach to what I anticipated would be a cold, harsh, dry, desert-like island. It was quite a dismal day with a sky that was completely gray, dark ocean water churning with whitecaps and a strong current. It increased the feeling of isolation and dread as we approached this lonely place which served for many decades as a penal colony for extremely dangerous or political prisoners. The heavy air created a feeling of impending doom and rain that could start at any moment. We anchored offshore and the tenders were lowered in preparation for our visit to the island.
We landed on one of the three islands which served as the setting for the movie "Papillon" with Dustin Hoffman. The prisoner's actual name was Henry Charriere, and he is the only known individual to successfully escape from Devil's Island, or the "green hell" as it was called. He swam across shark infested waters and arrived safely on the shores of South America and remained there for most of his life. As we neared the shore I was surprised to see dense overgrown forests complete with gorgeous palm and other tropical trees and vibrant flowering plants.
As soon as we stepped off the tender it began to rain. At first it was a gentle rain and my umbrella was sufficient to keep me fairly dry and comfortable. However, as we proceeded a few more steps up the path it started to POUR and I ducked underneath a nearby shelter to put on the poncho I had brought with me. It helped but it wasn't quite long enough to keep me dry. However, we journeyed on, determined not to allow the rain to deter us from exploring this fascinating place.
Dirt paths meandered around the island and over the green hills. The haunting history of this island was brought to life when we climbed the primitive rock stairs which lead to the overgrown ruins of prison cells, administrative buildings and outbuildings. The cells were extremely small and decayed with thick wrought iron bars. We didn't see any toilet facilities in the cells, only at the end of a hall. As you can imagine, they were quite primitive, consisting of only a hole in the floor. There were separate isolation cells with no windows or light. Men sometimes spent years in these cells with only very brief periods of time allowed in a courtyard, one by one. They were not allowed to socialize with other prisoners.
In recent years a small hotel and gift shop have been added to allow tourists to spend extended time here and to purchase souvenirs, such as books, that discuss the history of the island in more depth. As Bob was walking around he spotted a few young people camping out, with hammocks spread out and attached to the walls of one of the decaying buildings. I was surprised to see many families with very young children getting off at the dock to visit the island. This is quite a harsh environment which is difficult to navigate, and the sites and their history are tragic. However, as we stood on the dock and waited for our tender, two large catamarans unloaded many visitors which included a few young babies and lots of young children.
I can't begin to imagine how many brutalities were committed here. In at least one case, a famous political prisoners was sent to the island but eventually proven to be innocent. Still, he spent five long years on the island for a crime he didn't commit. So very sad to think of him wasting away in this harsh and lonely environment.
After a time of walking through the old prison grounds, then having time for contemplation and reflection about the people who spent time on this island we started our trek through the gravel, rocks and paths back to the tender. The rain continued to fall and by the time we returned to the ship we were quite wet. However, I felt fortunate to have had the opportunity to learn a little bit about this island and its place in history.
Now, after a long journey of amazing experiences and learning about fascinating people and cultures, it's time to set sail for the spectacular, beautiful Caribbean!! First up, Barbados where many passengers will disembark and new ones will join us. It's always a little sad when people leave with whom we have made friends and enjoyed their company. However, we're looking forward to meeting more wonderful and fascinating people and having more fun adventures before our wonderful journey ends in a couple of weeks.
No comments:
Post a Comment