Saint Joseph Island - Part 2

After visiting the ruins, our pleasant walk around the island was quite a startling contrast to the heavy silence of the decaying prison cells and hallways. (Click on photos to enlarge.)

There were a few cliffs on Saint Joseph Island as well as large slabs of stone along the path.

In the background, there's the infamous Devil's Island to the right and Royal Island to the left where our hotel is located.

There's also a large cemetery on Saint Joseph which was used exclusively for the prison wardens and their families...

It seemed very peculiar to see all of these graves so close to the ocean.

Unlike the prison guards, convicts were buried out at sea. Their bodies were simply dropped overboard to be eaten by sharks as the pictures below shows. This practice is what made the waters around the Salvation Islands so shark infested... successfully discouraging the convicts from ever trying to escape by swimming off the islands.

The only beach (actually more pulverized shells than sand) on the Salvations Islands is here too. However, at low tide (like on the picture) you have to walk over large black stones to reach the water to swim. Most people prefer to wait for high tide.

Here's a bread fruit tree that grows all over French Guiana. The fruit is edible and can really feed a lot of people. One easy recipe is to just pluck it off the tree when it's big and ripe and wrap it in aluminum foil. Then, place it on the coals of a barbecue for an hour or two. When you eat it, you can smear it with butter or dunk it in sauce or dips-- it's quite nice!

Saint Joseph Island -- Part One

During the school holidays at the end of October, Jack and I were able to set foot on Saint Joseph Island for the first time since our arrival in French Guiana. It is the second largest of the Salvation Islands after Royal Island but is uninhabited today except for a small army team responsible for maintenance. (Click on pictures to enlarge.)

Saint Joseph Island is a real Caribbean gem, but it is very small. In fact, it only took us an hour to go around the entire island.

Here's a picture with Royal Island on the left (where our hotel is located) and the infamous Devil's Island on the right.

During the penal colony period, Saint Joseph was much closer to hell than the island paradise it is today. The convicts had to build all the buildings and roads on Saint Joseph and this one leads to the ruins of the prison cells.

Contrary to Royal Island, Saint Joseph was used for isolated confinement as a means to punish the toughest and most dangerous prisoners... but Napoleon III also used it to exile his political enemies.

Here's one of the confinement cells, today full of wild vegetation. At the time of the penal colony, these cells were kept in darkness by thick walls and roof. There was also no furniture or bed and only two pans-- one for food and the other for going to the bathroom. Silence was imposed and if the prisoners attempted to talk to the guards or other prisoners, their isolation confinement got prolonged.

Malnutrition and disease usually killed the convicts before their time in confinement expired. 

It's hard to imagine the French prison wardens once pacing up and down this corridor. Today the jungle has reclaimed its right to stand guard over this morbid place of memory.

Feeding the monkeys

A lot of monkeys thrive in the rain forest where we live. If you're quiet an patient, you can even have some surprising encounters... (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Incidentally, the monkey is on the left, not on the right...

My tropical vegetable patch

I've decided to try growing some organic vegetables and herbs amongst all the tropical flowers in my backyard.

I took a lot of compost from my compost pile and mixed in a sack of potting soil. I made two mounds and then planted a tropical variety of green beans and corn. Finally, I put lots of mulch on top of the soil to keep it from drying out with all of the hot sun we get at this time of the year. (Click on photos to enlarge.)

The green beans I planted are called "Yard long bean" and are the local variety we find in stores here in French Guiana and in Surinam. These beans grow fast and easily and taste just like normal green beans.

They're not kidding when they call them "yard long" beans.

Look! They take up half the kitchen table!

I've just planted some cherry tomatoes too. I'll see how they turn out. Although I've had a few problems with insects, mostly stink bugs, I'm very proud to eat my own organic homegrown vegetables. It's actually not that hard at all and very rewarding.

Enjoying the pitaya

Thanks to my new life here in French Guiana, I've had the unique opportunity to open my palate and experience tropical fruit that I'd never heard of before back in France. After the ramboutan, the pitaya-- also called the dragon fruit-- is definitely one of my favorites. (Click on photos to enlarge.)

The pitaya actually grows on a cactus like plant which blooms at night. Unfortunately, this fruit doesn't travel very well so you might be disappointed if you buy one in an Asian supermarket somewhere in Europe or the United States.

Here's a closer look at one we bought at the market today and that is produced locally. Thanks, Jack, for showing off the merchandise!

We can buy two varieties of pitaya here, red or white. We find the red fruit somewhat sweeter and more pleasing than the white variety although some people say just the opposite. At any rate, the two varieties do not have the same flavor.

Eating a pitaya is really simple. Store it in the refrigerator so it will have a refreshing chilled taste. Then cut it in half and eat it like a kiwi.

This one is full of sweet juice...

The pitaya is definitely a refreshing moment in the heat of the Guianese dry season!

How to make Karkady juice

The dry season is in full swing at the moment and temperatures turn around 90° F every day. Although the relative humidity is lower now than during the rainy season-- only about 60%-- you still get quickly exhausted from the heat.

Fortunately, there is an inexpensive and refreshing drink that you can make yourself here in French Guiana. It comes from a small shrub called the Roselle or Red Bissap Koor. This tropical plant is entirely edible and its flowers are an intense ruby red. (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Making red Karkady juice (or bissap juice) is not only easy but also very good for your health (full of vitamine C and antioxidants). Place the plucked flowers in a pot.

Then, fill with boiling water, cover, and let it sit overnight to infuse. You can also add mint or cinnamon or vanilla or nutmet or whatever else you've got on hand to increase the taste.

Some people also add sugar, but I don't. I enjoy the tangy flavor just how it is. Just put your infused karkady juice in the refrigerator and serve chilled with ice. I guarantee a refreshing moment!

Popular weekend activity for French Guianese

With a year-long temperature in French Guiana situated between 85-95° F, most people look for a cool place to relax on weekends. What's more, there's little shopping here and just a few cinemas-- so you can't count on strolling around in some air-conditioned mall.

For many people, cooling off means heading for the "creek" in the forest. Strangely, there are very few mosquitos around all the creeks we've been to which makes them all the more popular. A lot of "creeks"  even have a sandy beach-like bank with picnic areas built around them. Everyone in Guiana has their own favorite creek. Here's one in Montsinéry (about 42 kms from Cayenne) that is a big delectation for a lot of people around Cayenne: it's called Crique Coco.

Take a look at the short two-minute video below. In it, you'll hear the French Guianese accent plus a little Creole. A lot of my students at school have the same accent which makes it sometimes difficult for me to understand them.



Fin de vacances à Crique Coco Village à Montsinéry

So, are you ready for a swim?

Who was Felix Eboué?

One of the great men who marked French history came from French Guiana and was called Felix Eboué. The home where he was born, in downtown Cayenne, has been turned into a museum to celebrate the life of this courageous humanist, writer, and administrator. Jack and I visited his birth house and took a number of pictures (click on images to enlarge).

Felix Eboué was born in Cayenne in 1884 and died in Cairo, Egypt some 60 years later. At school, he was a brilliant student and obtained a precious scholarship to study in several prestigious schools in France-- a very rare privilege for black students at that time in French colonial history.

Through his merit and determination, he became the governor of several French overseas colonies or territories such as Chad, the Martinique or the Guadeloupe-- the first black Frenchman to achieve such authority within the government.

Through his wise administration, he strived to improve conditions for colonized populations and decrease the flagrant inequalites between blacks and whites.

One of his most famous speeches was given in 1937 and is entitled "Jouer le jeu" which I would translate by "Playing the game".

« Jouer le jeu, c'est être désintéressé

Jouer le jeu, c'est piétiner les préjugés, tous les préjugés et apprendre à baser l'échelle des valeurs sur les critères de l'esprit.

Jouer le jeu, c'est mépriser les intrigues et les cabales, ne jamais abdiquer, malgré les clameurs ou menaces, c'est poursuivre la route droite qu'on s'est tracée.

Jouer le jeu, c'est savoir tirer son chapeau devant les authentiques valeurs qui s'imposent et faire un pied-de-nez aux pédants et aux attardés.

Jouer le jeu, c'est aimer les hommes, tous les hommes et se dire qu'ils sont tous bâtis sur une commune mesure humaine qui est faite de qualités et de défauts.

Jouer le jeu, c'est mériter notre libération et signifier la sainteté, la pureté de notre esprit... »

 Here's my rough translation :
     "Playing the game means being selfless.
       Playing the game means trampling prejudice, all forms of prejudice, and learning to base the scale of values on criteria of the mind.
       Playing the game means scorning intrigues and lobbying, never abdicating despite the outcries or threats, it means following the straight road that we have set out for ourselves.
       Playing the game means saluting the true values which are vital and thumbing your nose to those who are pedant and retrogressive.
       Playing the game means loving people, all people, and telling oneself that they are all built on a common human measure which is composed of qualities and defects.
       Playing the game means earning our freedom and signifying to others the sanctity and purity of our minds..."

Visiting Felix Eboué's birth home was a voyage of discovery into the struggles of an age that my generation has mostly forgotten. Jack and I were strongly impressed and understand better why Felix Eboué is so highly celebrated in French Guianese history.

Rainy season blues

The summer vacation is almost over and school will start in just two weeks. We had a wonderful visit in France and were happy to see as many of our friends and family as possible.

Before I start any new articles, I wanted to share with you a couple of photos taken back in June at the end of the rainy season. Our backyard is frequently flooded in the rainy season but fortunately the water usually gets evacuated a couple of hours after the rain stops. (Click on photos to enlarge)

From July to December is the dry season with a hot peak at the end of October. These photos already seem so far away...!

l'anniversaire de Jacques

Comme chaque année, j'essaie de chouchouter mon cher époux, voire le gâter, le jour de son anniversaire. (Mais bien sûr, je m'occupe bien de lui les autres jours de l'année aussi !) Outre les petits cadeaux, le champagne, et oui et oui, les petits mots cachés dans ses affaires, les SMS et coups de fil sirupeux,  j'ai aussi emmené Jacques dans un des rares restaurants gastronomiques de la Guyane. Alors, selon vous, quel âge a Jacques ? (Cliquer sur les photos pour les agrandir.)

Réponse : 48 ans !