Robinson Crusoe had a unique way to stop himself from going whacko during his four and something years marooned on a South Pacific island: he taught feral cats to dance on two legs, parrots to sing questionable sea shanties, and himself to slay wild goats on the run for food and clothing.
And while there’s conjecture about his supposed pal Man Friday, its possible today to take a holiday on his remote island home to try to figure it out: you need simply be quite adventurous, somewhat patient, healthy, and cashed-up.
Originally named Juan Fernandez, Chile which owns the tiny dot 700km out in the South Pacific, changed the name some years ago to Robinson Crusoe Island in a grand bid to encourage tourists.
It hardly brought-in the hordes, as getting there is as problematic today as in 1704 for the arrival of Robinson Crusoe, an argumentative fellow aboard the British privateer Cinque Ports that had been enjoying some plundering around South America until developing an unhealthy leak.
Crusoe, whose real name was Alexander Selkirk, demanded that the Captain beach the galleon for repairs, and when rebuffed asked to be let off at the next sighting of land. When he realized this was to be the uninhabited Juan Fernandez he pleaded remorse, but nonetheless found himself alone on a beach with a hammock, hatchet, knife, kettle, matches, and Bible.
His chortling Captain then sailed off for Cape Horn—but wasn’t heard of again, as his Cinque sank along the way from the leaks Selkirk complained about.
Today little 6-passenger planes fly to Robinson Crusoe Island from Santiago, with no guarantee that you would get there either on the advertised hour, or even on the day itself. It depends on the weather over 700km of open ocean, how wet the grass airstrip is, and how rough the sea is for the 1.5hr ‘water taxi’ transfer to town.
Rain, bellowing sea lions and rats nibbling at him kept Selkirk awake most nights before he found a dry cave he could call home. He kept a fire going there 24-hours a day for cooking and to keep the rats away when his matches ran out, made clothes from the skins of the goats he ran-down and slew with his knife, and built a hilltop look-out with a goat-skin cover to watch for passing ships. And he supplemented his goat meat diet with fish and lobsters he caught with his bare hands.
For amusement he taught the local wildlife tricks including cats to dance on their hind legs, and parrots to sing those rude songs, and told a London newspaper reporter after his rescue that he would often “spend hours singing and dancing with them…”
For today’s visitors there are five small hotels, and while most are somewhat lovingly star-rated as “rustic,” they have clean and comfortable rooms and plenty of the freshest of seafood including Selkirk’s favorite plump lobsters.
But don’t expect CBD facilities in town: there’re no banks, no credit card facilities, and not even a hospital.
Tours include trekking to camp in Selkirk’s cave, walking the rainforests, swimming with sea lions (if that’s your go,) and climbing to the hilltop that Selkirk spied the arrival of the British privateer Duke, aboard which William Dampier helped rescue him in 1709.
You can also walk the volcanic cliffs, study the 146 species of native plants endemic to the island, and from the 500 locals get 500 versions of Man Friday. Mostly they’ll agree that Daniel Defoe, who wrote the book after listening to Selkirk’s talks in British pubs to earn drinking money, penned Friday into the yarn from a separate incident in which a black seaman named Wills found himself on Juan Fernandez after his ship sank.
To find out if you have what it takes to do a Robinson Crusoe, simply enter Robinson Crusoe island in websites for a selection of Santiago travel companies.
FOOTNOTE: Alexander Selkirk never settled down, and even when he went home could not live indoors for long periods, preferring a rough backyard hut in which to sleep. He went back to sea after several years giving talks in British pubs to pay for his drinking and loose-living ways, and died of fever at sea in 1712 aged just 47 years.