Feb 23, 2013 - Devils island

We docked today off the French Guiana islands, Isles du Salut. They are 3 very small islands, Devil’s island, St Joseph Island and Royal Island. All were prison colonies (many political prisoners) for the French in the 19th Century, Devil’s Island being the most notorious. We were tendered to Royal Island as it is very difficult to land on the others. We had a lovely walk round it and enjoyed the views from the top. The prison is now in ruins of course but the warders houses are still there and are used as accommodation for the hotel. We...

Jun 2, 2011 - jour 10- Kourou espace centre

Aujourd'hui, je vais au centre spatial de Kourou. Il est un endroit étonnant et très pédagogique, haha. Quand je suis arrivé, j’ai réalisé que je n’étais pas exactement autorises à aller à l’intérieur et tout autour, qui a changé mes plans. Je voulais vraiment allerais, mais je suis allé l’ile de salut. Comme je suis maintenant la réalisé ce fut la meilleure chose à faire. Les sites à voir sont incroyables, comme vous pouvez le voir dans mes photos. Ma partie préférée était en visite à la dame avec les perroquets. Elle était belle, et les...

Jun 2, 2011 - jour 11- En conclusion

Il est triste de penser que je suis sur mon chemin maintenant en attente de mon voyage en avion. Tous les endroits visites par je, je tous les sites ont vu, sera dans ma mémoire pour toujours. J’ai eu un grand temps, je serais ravie de le faire encore, si j’ai le temps. Allant de Montréal, au Nicaragua, puis a la Guyane française a été incroyable, fatigant et écrasante. Si j’y vais encore une fois, je vais prendre des photos pour tout voir, et vous pouvez entendre parler de la beauté du monde. Jusque-là, adieu.

Jan 10, 2011 - The Amazon

Sunday, January 9, 2011 Today I was on the schedule to give a presentation on Travel Blogging. Was I nervous talking before my group, many of whom knew a lot more about computers than I do? A little. But, I think it went quite well. A number of people approached me and are encouraged to either start their own blogs or have their family log onto mine to find out what we are doing. At about 1:30 pm it was evident we were entering the Amazon as the ship is churning up mud from the bottom of the river leaving a brown wake. There is no land...

Jan 8, 2011 - Ile Royale

Saturday, January 8, 2011 I couldn't seem to get the map co0ordinates for this small island, but this is very close. It’s going to take a long time for me to get dried out after the trek on Ile Royale. Ile Royale is part of a group of islands off the coast of French Guiana known as Iles du Salut (Salvation Islands) The other islands in this group are Ile du Diable (Devil’s Island) and Ile Saint-Joseph. All of these islands housed murderers, thieves and traitors. The most famous of the islands is Devil’s Island which the movie “Papillon” was...

Sep 26, 2010 - St Luarent, Fr. Guiana

To Fr. Guiana and Philip & Shunee Since we exchged more than absolutely necessary, we figure we can afford the minivan to the border. No one seems to know what time the ferry crosses to Fr. Guiana (LP says 3:30), so rather than take a chance on missing one we go in a fast (2 hr) minivan - 40sd ea ($12 US) and only 2 hrs vs bus at 8.50sd ($2.50 US) and miss the ferry - cheap way to Fr Guiana. We arr at 10:30 and walk/fight our way away from touts trying to get us in their boats to Fr. Guiana. Six blocks away we walk back to police station...

Dec 8, 2008 - Devil's Island, French Guiana

Devil’s Island, French Guiana (The Salvation Islands: Isle Royale, Isle Joseph and Isle du Diable) December 8, 2008 After 2 days at sea we have reached The Salvation Islands 6.8 miles off the coast of French Guiana. These 3 tiny (34.6 acres), stunningly beautiful islands are: Isle Royale, Isle Joseph and Isle du Diable. As a group they are better known, world wide, as Devil’s Island. Not one of them is as large as our Buck Island and one is about the size of Protestant Cay. They are very close together and look as though you could easily...

Aug 30, 2005 - French Guiana - St Laurent

This used to be where the convicts arrived before being dispatched off to various penal colonies including the infamous devil's island - Papillon stayed here at the Camp de la Transportation in what can only have been appalling conditions. We spend a couple of lazy days here - the thermometer records 35 degrees - the problem being it is situated in the shade and directly under a fan! So we are pleased to have the use of a swimming pool in our hotel - which is the restored administrative block of the prison! Once again we are obliged to...

Aug 28, 2005 - French Guiana - Cacao

We head out to the pretty village of Cacao which is populated by Hmong refugees from Laos for the Sunday market. It is very surreal to be on the South American continent, in France and being in a Laotian community. After yet more yummy food, we visit an entomologists dream - butterflies, scorpions and beetles and spiders the size of our hands!

Aug 26, 2005 - French Guiana - Cayenne

French Guiana is the smallest of the collective Guianas and is now administered as an overseas department of France and officially part of France and the EU - how strange is that?! It gets even stranger when we are piggin' out on moules et frits, snails and drinking our favorite Belgian beers! Cayenne, the capital is a quirky place with some nice rural France type architecture, excellent restaurants and a sizeable Asian population resulting in delicious Vietnamese food. Dodley nearly ends up in trouble when he unsettles a homeless person...

Aug 25, 2005 - French Guiana - St. Georges

A small pirogue (dug out canoe) takes us up river to French Guiana - St Georges de l'Oyapok, where we are shockingly confronted with European prices - 40 euros each to do a two hour journey to Cayenne! No wonder the Brazilian side was full of French doing their shopping...a booze cruise in reverse!

Aug 24, 2005 - Brazil - Oiapoque

Our last full day in Brazil (sounds familiar?!) is spent getting up to the French Guiana border...a little matter of 595kms! Wouldn't have been so bad had only the first 140km been paved and there had been a toilet on the bus! What is also concerning is that the journey time is scheduled as anything from 12-24hours! It is strange how a journey of 2 or 3 hours at home seems arduous, yet it is nothing to get a bus here and not be sure if you will even arrive in the same day! Ten hours in and there is some exciting coach rage between the...