Iles du Salut

Saturday 30th January

Today I was forced ...more later

We arrived this morning at around 07:00 and anchored off the three islands which form the Iles du Salut (Salvation Islands) off French Guiana. Ile Royale, Ile St Joseph and Ile du Diable.
The islands are under the trajectory of space rockets (Ariana) launched from the mainland, ten miles away to the west at Kouro, and are under the control of the Guiana Space Centre. At launch times the islands are evacuated.
We better know the islands for the part they played in the hit novel and film Papallon.
They were part of a penal colony from 1892 to 1948 run by the French.
After breakfast, well about 10.00, we took the tender to the island of Royale, which was the actual Devil’s Island featured in the novel and indeed real life. 
The aim, an exploration of the wildlife and the ruins of the old penal colony, this formed a complete walk up and around the island and was said to take about an hour!
Two and a half hours later we are back on board completely knackered and soaked through with sweat. 
Devil’s Island was like a cauldron with a temperature of around 29c on a low cloudy very muggy day, it was a hell hole.
That aside, the island is quite beautiful, forested, full of bird life including macaws, and animals such as the commonly sighted Agoutis or palm rat, and monkeys of which we saw two varieties.
I won’t tell you any of the details of the penal colony, if you want to, you can find everything on-line.
Oh yes.
I was forced, I had no choice in the matter, it was much needed, honest guv! 
I had to drink a whole bottle of Heineken, this was taken at the bar, with sweat running down my forehead and out of my arms, at the island’s only resuscitation point, a hotel up on the top.
I felt like David Attenborough, or was it David Niven in that film where they built a plane out of a wreck, somewhere in the deserts of Africa.
I even had to refuse Pauline’s offer to finish her bottle off, when I trotted off to get another bottle to share. 
I felt it wasn’t something I should admit to queuing twice for, so I didn‘t get on the queue.

Anyway it’s now 16:30 I‘ve had just one large pilsner and a salad, and we’re on our way for a day at sea to St Georges Granada. 
We arrive on Monday at around 13:00, to have an excursion of four and a half hours to “Discover Grenada”

I hope they have a decent pub.