Pappillon Prison

4-25-13   Devil’s Island, French Guiana

Today we were at the site of the prison that was the basis for the movie Papillon.  We tendered to shore and wandered around the island for a few hours.  Besides the remains of the prison buildings, there were lots of flora and fauna to photograph.  

grounds of French prison

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We saw 2 different types of monkeys, we think one was a spider monkey.  They also have an animal that is like a rat without a tail.  It was a really pretty orangey red color.  There were lots of types of lizards we spotted.  The prettiest of which was a bright green one with a long tail.

spider monkey

local rat

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were a large number of roosters and chickens here.  We even saw a baby chick.  There were peacocks including one that was strutting his feathers for the females.  The highlight was definitely the 3 macaws that were there.  We saw them flying first and then later we were able to photograph them on the ground.  It was almost like they were posing, they really didn’t seem afraid of humans. 

3 macaws in flight

 

hummingbird at rest

We also saw lots of hummingbirds and were fortunate enough to take a photo or two of them in the lilacs. 

fluttering hummingbird

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

hibiscus

The flower life was also wonderful.  In addition to the beautiful lilacs, there were some interesting hibiscuses.  It was a fun day to photograph nature.



bumble bee in the lilacs

i think a plumeria

We got a bit of a late start after the port due to a problem with the hydraulics on one of the tender platforms.  They ended up closing it manually but it delayed us by over 3 hours.  The Captain has said he will sail faster to try to arrive at the final port, St. Lucia, on time in 2 days.