...more recent posts
French Guiana trip is closing in and as with my preposed Fiji trip seems like a little unstability is in the air--need a Yellow Fever shot!!
thanks linda for info below--parts first paragraph sound great and its not too expensive to me and i hear the insect thing is overrated-- about the note: is true and there has been some resent bubbling but not serious--i will be in capital 3 nights, than the river trips than i escape to suriname if need be:>)
We cant say that French Guiana, site of one of the worlds most notorious prisons for more than a century, has been rehabilitated into a top destination for travelers. Its still hot, steamy and insect-riddenand its quite expensive, without the quality of restaurants and hotels to justify the high prices. But it has certainly undergone some major transformations. Devils Island, where many famous prisoners were held in solitary confinement, has become a coconut-palmed getaway for rocket scientists who work at the French aerospace complex on the mainland. And Hmong villagers, exiled from Laos, have established villages and farms in the countrys thick interior jungle. For certain intrepid travelers interested in exploring jungle rivers in motorized canoes and staying in South American tribal villages, this may be just the destination. We would stress, however, that this is not mainstream ecotourism: This is adventure, and only those who are willing to put up with a lot of inconvenience and the most basic conditions imaginable need apply.
Note: There have been occasions of civil unrest in the capital, Cayenne, which resulted in rioting in the citys streets. Student groups and labor unions have been involved in these disturbances, as have a small but vocal group of French Guianese that favor independence from mainland France. At times, Air France has suspended flights to the airport at Cayenne.