It is so hard to believe these beautiful islands
could be the scene of so much horror.
When you read about what happened here, it makes you wonder how the
guards could come to treat their own countrymen so badly. But it happened, as did the holocacaust. Scary what we are capable of really.
The islands are now a paradise of wildlife, sun and
surf. Not many places to go for a swim
round here, and if you do, watch out, if the current doesn’t take you away, the
sharks probably will. But all the passengers agreed, they would
happily spend a week or two on the island.
It’s just wonderful.
There are three islands, Royal Island, St Joseph’s Island and Devil’s Island. The three together are known as Devil’s Island, infamous for the penal colony described in the book and film Papillion. Due to the fact that Devil’s Island and St Joseph’s Island are very difficult to get to, (and escape from), we could only visit Royal Island, which was where the majority of prisoners were held.
We also saw the administrative and domestic buildings needed by the guards and their families, including the church, the hospital and the children’s cemetery. It’s a fascinating place. We know how horrifically the prisoners were treated, sometimes for minor or non-existent crimes (one ex soldier got 15 years for setting fire to his mattress when he was in the army), and we saw where these awful things happened.
Perversely, it is alsl overgrown with beautiful flowers and
gardens, humming birds, monkeys, mccaws and iguanas. Agouti and turtles, frigates and
peacocks. Amazing!
We spent all morning photographing the beautiful and the shocking. Herewith some pictures.
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| Devil's Island from Royal Island |
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| Little Monkey |
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| Egrets |
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| Big Monkey |
Isle De Salut 2012
Isle De Salut 2013 - 2nd Post
Isle De Salut 2014
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