Wednesday

Although we are scheduled to arrive off the coast of Devil's Island (really Ile du Salut--but more about that later) at noon--the captain has sped through the night and we drop anchor just after 7am.  It is the best weather day since leaving Key West--low humidity and cool breezes (at least on board ship; the island has its own weather).  We are close enough to shore for me to take some decent photos from my veranda.  I'm not going on the island because this is the one port that requires a yellow fever vaccination, and on the advice of my physician, I have not had the shot (side effects can be worse than the disease).  On my cruise last year from Chile to Fort Lauderdale the same issue arose with one port in Ecuador and I elected to forego the shot on that trip too,
 
The former French penal colony occupies three small islands off the coast of Frnech Guiana.  The largest, Ile du Salut, housed the major component of the prison and today is the only part open to the public, with one small hotel and restaurant.  Ile du Diable is the smallest of the three and was used only for solitary confinement of the worst prisoners.  There are two showings of the film, "Papillion," on board today, so perhaps I'll check up on its acccuracy.  Those folks who ventured onto the island reported really intense heat and humidity, and the sighting of a few local monekys and tapirs.
 
Later in the afternoon, the waves picked up and some of the tenders had a difficult time maneuvering back to the ship.  A special surprise at dinner tonight has all the dining room personnel in old-fashioned striped prisoners' uniforms and the managers dessed as French policemen.  Some very interesting scenery!
 
Thursday is a day at sea as we cross the Equator and on Friday we reach our first port in Brazil, the Amazonian port city of Belem.
 
More from there later.