As we neared the island, the first thing we noticed was a flight of concrete steps that looked detached from their adjacent and hidden structures. This was a sign that we were approaching the abandoned and former leper isle. The island previously housed a laundry, cinema, hotel, convent, hospital and church. The captain moored the boat and we went ashore at Sanders Bay. There is an old derelict building on the pier which may have, at one time, been a check point. And, just like a scene from a horror movie, a few feet away were a bunch of, bones!
A pitch-covered path, partially hidden by old leaves and punctuated with tufts of grass led the way into the densely forested island. We stumbled upon the skeletal remains of a horribly rusted wheel barrow, several antique buckets and even a small enamel basin. A change of colour in the spaces between the vegetation indicated a man-made structure in the distance. There was no door to knock on so we cautiously entered, uninvited. Floor boards were missing, so we stepped carefully where there were support beams. To our disappointment, there was nothing inside besides a rotting pantry, cobwebs and a hazardous fall awaiting the careless.
Further inland, we saw signs of life in what turned out to be a cemetery, overgrown with vines and half-covered in rotting leaves. Bats hanging neatly in a row seemed to be guarding one of the graves. Of course while we tiptoed around the area in silent terror, our tour guide took this opportunity to sneak up behind us and scare us.