Wednesday, January 12, 2011

HALF MOON CAY

Our first stop was Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas. This is a private island owned by Holland America Line. What was planned as a beach day turned out to be marred by rough seas and rainy weather.

After several days at sea, we stopped in Bridgetown which is the capital of the island of Barbados in the West Indies. Founded by the English in 1627, Barbados gained its independence in 1966. Main industries are sugar refining, rum production and tourism. The African heritage and folk culture are evident in the dances a d music of the steel drums; however, cricket is widely played reminding one of Barbados’ British roots.

DEVIL’S ISLAND, FRENCH GU IANA

We continued south in the Atlantic Ocean through 7 to 12 foot swells, rain and high force winds to Iles du Salut, consisting of 3 islands off the coast of French Guiana: Ile du Diable (Devil’s Island), Ile Royale and Ile St. Joseph. They were part of the French penal settlement from 1852 to 1946. It was almost impossible to escape from Devil’s Island. The famous novel and film “Papillon” by Henri Charriere depicts the horrors of the life of the prisoners. We walked around the island taking pictures of the eerie remains of the convict community: the solitary cells, the insane asylum, hospital, convent, chapel and children’s cemetery. It was difficult to resolve the dichotomy between the breathless beauty of the islands and its extreme history.

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