OK, let’s start with something humorous. To our knowledge, there is no copy of Robinson Crusoe on board the ship (certainly not in the Library) and we saw none for sale on Isla Robinson Crusoe (the former Juan Fernandez). Doesn’t that seem a bit ironic?
At the same time, Crusoe, Alexander Selkirk and the buccaneers are what dominate your thoughts as you see this isle (the largest of a group of three) rising out of the sea. It’s much bigger than you expect – hard to imagine Selkirk beginning to chase down goats on its slopes – but it’s exactly the sort of place you’d associate with pirates (correctly) and buried treasure (well, not so much, but the jury’s still out …).
This was the Amsterdam's first visit here and, rumor asserted, the ship was expected the next week. We’re not sure what that will mean for tons of unsold tourist bumph sitting around (apparently the island averages 14,000 visitors a year), but it underlines 
one of our strongly held beliefs – if you want pamphlets or books, get there early (Sam got one of the last two copies of a book on the island – not the greatest, but certainly better than nothing.) You also have to watch out about what is for sale – they had some whale teeth – great souvenirs and very tempting if you didn’t know they’d be confiscated by customs when you reenter the U.S.
But hey, you’ve got only part of a day and you’re on the island! Why hang around San Juan
Bautista? We quickly gotin line and bought passes to the national park (which nobody checked – we were later told that the custodian closed his office when he ran out of passes) and headed up past the caves where early Chilean patriots were imprisoned by the Spanish, to the upper reaches of the island. Away from the few streets, fewer autos and barking dogs.
This is where you really experience Juan Fernandez – past the huge eucalyptus trees and into the island’s endemic flora, and that’s where the small surprises begin. A sign took us off the path to an “inscribed rock” (mentioned in none of the guidebooks) – an impressive 1866 sketch of one fish eating another and a palm tree. Then it was onward and upwards on rough mountain paths, which may well have been trod by the buccaneers. 
Not far enough to reach the peaks, but we did get a bit of Selkirk’s perspective, and were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of (but not, unfortunately, to photograph) the rare Juan Fernandez hummingbird found only here.
The hills beckoned further, but we had a ship to catch and so slowly returned to the village below. Right now, Isla Robison Crusoe is in that gawky teenage phase between undiscovered paradise and tourist destination when anything can happen. It is well worth a visit – who knows whatever wonders we may have missed – but get there quickly before it changes!
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