Just off the coast of French Guiana sit Les Iles du Salut， 3 islands with a dark past.

Despite the beauty and biodiversity of its nature， French Guiana， like much of this stretch of South American coastline， has a brutal past. From colonisation came rampant tropical diseases， slavery， and much suffering of the indigenous peoples. Some of the darkest days were during the time of the penal colonies， from the 1850s to the 1950s.

You dont have to look far to see the scars of the past. There are art installations， museums， and， most noticeably， ruins of the prisons of the past. These prisons， known here as“bagnes”， were located throughout the region and their ruins serve as daily reminders of this brutal past.

French Guiana was not always the tropical holiday destination it is today. In fact， during its penal colony days， being sent “en Guyane” was the ultimate form of punishment， reserved primarily for the worst of Frances criminals.

Ironically， one of the most notorious of French Guianas prison colonies was located on Les Iles du Salut， or Islands of Salvation， three small islands， now serving as nature reserves and day-trip holiday destinations for the French Guianese. During prison times， they were collectively called Iles du Diable， or Devils Islands， a name that remains with the smallest of the three.

I went to visit the largest of these， Ile Royale， to understand what life was like for the prisoners on these Devils Islands. But the journey to the island itself was a mini-adventure.

I love being on the water （and in the water） so I was happy to learn our ferry ride， from the old port of Kourou to Ile Royale， would take about an hour. But this was no ordinary ferry. We were sailing in style on a modern catamaran. Calm seas and a bright sunny morning made for a beautiful trip.

Arriving at Ile Royale， we were met by M. Serge Colin， a retired marine captain， whose knowledge of， and passion for， the history of these islands is beyond compare. We climbed aboard his all-terrain golf-cart and headed to the top of the volcanic island.

We began our tour at the Auberge de lIle Royale， where visitors can stay overnight， or enjoy a meal at the restaurant.

What I noticed right away was the abundance of wildlife on the island： iguanas， sea turtles （feeding along the pier）， a macaw （apparently a pet of the Auberge， with free reign of the island）， peacocks， and， everywhere I turned， agouti.

Yet the theme of our tour was much more sinister than the local wildlife. We followed M. Colin to a large， open square， lined with well-maintained buildings. These residences were once for the prison officers and now house the two gendarmes stationed on the island. Their primary job is to evacuate the Les Iles du Salut whenever there is a space shuttle launch， as the islands are directly under the flight path.

Beside the officers quarters sits one of the highlights of Ile Royale—the prisoner-built chapel， dating from 1855. The most striking features， inside the wooden church， are the murals painted by convicted forger， Francis Lagrange. Lagrange painted scenes of daily life in the prison， as well as postcardlike scenes of escapism for his fellow-prisoners. With the complicity of some of the prison-guards， Lagrange even kept his forgery talents in practice， copying documents and official papers， earning him special privileges within the prison.

Tucked beside the church sits the House of the Sisters. Nuns arrived on the island at the same time as the prisoners. They tended the infirmary until 1904， when French law dictated the separation of church and state.

The largest building on the island is the military hospital. This building， however， was not for the prisoners， but rather military personnel stationed on the island. Wealthy citizens of Cayenne also stayed in the hospital for periods of convalescence away from the city.

The islands lighthouse stands beside the hospital. Now automated， the lighthouse was once operated by a prisoner who was a mechanic.

After our tour of the grounds， we entered the remains of the prison compound itself. Here， any mental image of a tropical island getaway disappeared.

In the early days， prisoners were shackled to a wooden plank， which served as their bed. In 1929， the planks were upgraded to hammocks; slightly more comfortable but still crowded together in impossibly small spaces.

Prisoners could also be sent to solitary confinement in one of 32 cells with small windows or 34 cells which remained totally dark. Prisoners in solitary were only fed soup and bread every 3 days. Some prisoners remained in these conditions for years. However， as many of them were convicted to death， it was marginally better than the alternative. Getting out of solitary meant facing the guillotine constructed in the middle of the prison courtyard.

Its easy to see how most prisoners didnt survive their sentences. Those few who did would rarely ever return to mainland France. In fact， for sentences under 8 years， a system called “le doublage”， came into play. For every year of the sentence， an equivalent time must be served living in French Guiana， effectively doubling the sentence.

In all， between 1852 and 1938， over 50，000 prisoners died. A “lucky” 1400 escaped， to face dense jungle and tropical diseases， and fewer than 300 lived to see eventual freedom in French Guiana. Despite a good deal of political pressure， it wasnt until 1946， the prison was closed for good and the remaining 240 prisoners were released and pardoned.

In 1965， the Centre Spatial Guyanais opened in Kourou and in 1971 the CNES， Centre National dEtudes Spatiales， purchased the islands. As they sit in the flight path of most rocket launches， the islands must be evacuated on launch days.

Visitors are free to tour the island at their leisure and can learn more about prison life at the small Musée du Bagne. However， to get the most out of your visit， its well worth taking a guided tour， which leave daily at 10am from the Auberge.

And next week， Im going to watch 2 brand new satellites be launched into space from French Guiana.

三个有着黑暗历史的岛屿组成了萨吕群岛，坐落在法属圭亚那海岸边。

除了自然景观的美和生物种类丰富以外，法属圭亚那像很多南美沿海地区一样，有着野蛮的历史。殖民给土著居民带来了猖獗的热带疾病、奴隶制度和种种深重苦难。19世纪50年代至20世纪50年代期间作为流放地的时期是其最黑暗的时期之一。

想要找历史的伤痕并不费劲，有装置艺术作品、博物馆，还有最显而易见的旧时监狱的废墟。这些法语里称为“bagnes”的监狱遍布整个岛屿，监狱的废墟时刻提醒人们勿忘那一段野蛮的历史。

法属圭亚那并非一直以来都是如今这样的热带度假胜地。事实上，在它作为流放地的那段时光，被判“在圭亚那”是一种终极刑罚，主要是为法国最恶劣的罪犯而保留的刑罚手段。

讽刺的是，法屬圭亚那最臭名昭著的殖民地监狱位于萨吕群岛，或者叫救赎群岛，其三个小岛现在是自然保护区和法属圭亚那居民的一日游度假胜地。在监狱云集的时期，这三个岛被一并称作“Iles du Diable”，即恶魔群岛，如今最小的那个岛保留了这个名字。

我游览了其中最大的岛，罗亚尔岛，去了解在恶魔群岛上的囚犯曾有过怎样的生活。但前往岛屿的路途本身就是一次小探险。

我喜欢待在水上（和在水中），所以得知从库鲁的老港口到罗亚尔岛要乘大约一个小时的渡船，就很开心。但这不是普通的渡船。我们坐的是时髦的现代双体船。早晨阳光明媚，大海平静，这趟出行很美好。……