Penal Colony ... Escape!

Yes, it's true! We escaped "potential" capture and incarceration in the French Penal Colony. But it's not what it seems.

First, a litle history ...
Devil's Island, was a French penal colony that operated for 100 years, from 1852 to 1952, and officially closed in 1953. It's located in the Salvation Islands of French Guiana. The main part of the penal colony was a labor camp that stretched along the border with Dutch Guiana. This penal colony developed a reputation for harshness and brutality, and generated periodic calls for reform. Prisoner-on-prisoner violence was common; tropical diseases were rife. The vast majority of the over 80,000 prisoners sent there never returned to France. Only a small minority of less than 5,000 broken survivors made it back to tell how horrible it was; they sometimes scared other potential criminals to go straight. Many prisoners attempted to escape from Devil's Island, with some success.

The stories of these escapes and the brutal life within the colony were later chronicled in books like "Papillon" by Henri Charrière. I started to read the book prior to our voyage but it was too gruesome for me. The movie "Papillon" has been made twice, in 1973 and 2017, and is based on the life of Henri Charrière, a French convict. The 1973 film stars Steve McQueen as Charrière, also known as Papillon, and Dustin Hoffman as Louis Dega. The story revolves around Charrière's imprisonment and multiple escape attempts from the notorious Devil's Island. The film depicts the harsh conditions, forced labor, and the enduring friendship between Papillon and Dega during their time at the penal colony. It is based on Charrière's autobiographical books "Papillon" and "Banco," which detail his experiences in the penal colony and his numerous escape attempts.

So back to "our escape"..
Well, it really wasn't intentional. We planned to take a tender from our ship to shore and then participate in another culinary adventure, this time inside the infamous penal colony of French Guiana. The largest of the three islands, Isle Royale, features a director's house that has been converted into a hotel and restaurant, allowing visitors to enjoy a meal while immersing themselves in the history of the island's unique past. While dining in a setting with a rich and storied history, we had hoped to try some of the local favorites, such as Awara broth made from palm pulp, grilled fish, Colombos, which is a meat-based stew with vegetables and curry, and seafood prepared with the vegetables and spices of Guiana. But, the rolling wave swells were such that it would be difficult to board the tender, let alone make our way safely to Devil's Island so our Captain determined we would not be able to go ashore today. Such a narrow, and disappointing "escape." Perhaps another time!