Who ended up on a desert island. How I went to live on a desert island. To hide from the daily bustle, some prefer to go to the country, to warm distant countries, and some are looking for an opportunity to retire on a desert island. Where can I learn

To hide from the daily bustle, some prefer to go to the country, to warm distant countries, and some are looking for an opportunity to retire on a desert island. Where you can feel like a modern Robinson, says Prostoturist.

It is worth noting that the modern understanding of rest on a desert island is different than half a century ago. Naturally, there are still enough uninhabited islands around the world. As a rule, they are not inhabited due to their small size, climatic features or rocky terrain. There are also uninhabited islands, declared nature reserves, where rare or endemic animals and birds live and plants grow.

A desert island, a tour that can be offered by a travel company, is, as a rule, a small island that offers a secluded vacation, where you do not have to worry about a roof over your head and food. A mini-hotel or several bungalows are equipped there and there are a couple of attendants who, however, are very skilled in "invisibility".

The level of comfort on such islands can be both very low (that is, only the most necessary), and very high, accessible exclusively to wealthy tourists.

So where can you go to feel like the new Robinson?

Photo source: http://mir-ostrovov.ru/

One of those places is Torres Strait Islands. The archipelago includes more than 270 islands (of which only 17 are inhabited), which are located between Australia and New Guinea and are washed by the Arafura and Coral Seas. Here, the authentic island culture is almost fully preserved, namely a bizarre mixture of Australian Aboriginal and Melanesian cultures. You can get here by sea or by plane through Horn Island. The islands of the archipelago abound with beautiful deserted beaches, beautiful reefs teeming with marine life, and lush vegetation. Arriving here, you can relax on the wild coast in peace and quiet, swim and dive in the company of turtles, explore the rich natural world. However, it should be said that to visit some islands, you need permission from the local authorities, which you need to apply for at least a month before the trip.

Photo source: http://www.midas-tour.ru

A very original place for a secluded holiday can be island, which is located in the Atlantic Ocean about 11 km from the mainland and is part of French Guiana. Although the island is officially called Salvation Island, it is more popularly known as Devil's Island, since from the 18th century until 2000 there was a penal colony here. Now only ruins remain of it, although there are still enough sharks around the island today. The island is heavily overgrown with coconut palms, and among its inhabitants are colorful macaws and sea turtles. You can get here only by sea from Kourou, and stay in a small club-type hotel "Traktir de Ile".

Photo source: http://www.kuda.ua

Another heavenly place with a "criminal" past - 16 islands Con Dao 200 km from the coast of Vietnam. In the last century, a large penal colony was also located on the archipelago, and today they are declared a national park, which is famous for its impenetrable jungle, azure waters, deserted beaches and rich wildlife. The still poorly developed tourist infrastructure is concentrated in the village of Con Son. There are beach houses and a dive shop. Con Dao is the best place for scuba diving, surfing, kiting, fishing, hiking and, of course, just swimming, relaxing and sunbathing. The temperature on Con Dao stays at around 27 degrees for almost the entire year. The best time to travel here is from September to January, when there is no gusty west wind. You can get to the islands by ferry.

Photo source: http://www.rutraveller.ru

Vacation on a desert island? Is that possible? Nowadays, everywhere is full of tourists, and the opportunity to relax on a tropical island with a personal chef and your own piece of white sand beach is available only to very wealthy people. However, there are still hidden corners in the world where there will be no one on the island except you, the length of your own white beach is measured in kilometers, and a bungalow with a personal chef and all amenities costs less per day than a cup of coffee in a Moscow cafe.

I wrote more about how to get to this island in previous posts (you can find their table of contents at the end of the post). I can only say that getting to Palambak is not easy, and some time ago it was simply impossible because of the civil war in the province of Aceh in northern Sumatra, with which a small, always crowded boat goes to these parts. However, for those who have always dreamed of visiting a real desert island, all obstacles are surmountable.

Palambac Island is located in the Banyac archipelago and has a circumference of about 20 km, and there is only one hotel on it that guarantees a real VIP vacation for a few dollars a day. The hotel includes 4 double bungalows built at the end of 2010, as well as a restaurant with a chef. The hotel is called Banyak Island Bungalows and it even has its own website.

This is what the bungalow looks like from the outside. The house is built on stilts - like all buildings on such islands. This was done in case of rising water levels during high tides or floods.

This is what the bungalow looks like inside. A mosquito net on the bed is a must-have addition to any home in the tropics. Shower and toilet is located in a special house behind the bungalow. Inside you can see electrical wiring and lamps - from 6 to 10 pm the owner of the hotel starts a powerful generator, and at this time you can charge your laptop or camera. There is almost no telephone connection on the island, more precisely, only one operator works, with which Beeline does not have a roaming agreement, MTS should work in theory. Fresh water for the shower is generated using a desalinator.

The window offers a wonderful view of the Indian Ocean, located just a few meters from the threshold.

The bungalow has a cozy outdoor terrace with comfortable wicker chairs.

View from the terrace. The little sprouts are coconut trees planted by the owner of the hotel, which in 5 years will reach a height of five meters.

The restaurant has a varied selection of dishes (some, however, must be ordered in advance), you can also take any book for free, rent a surf, fins, a mask for a modest amount, or book an excursion to any point of the Banyac archipelago. Also, there is always a supply of Bintang beer in a special container-refrigerator. Food, drink and services can be ordered without money - everything ordered is recorded in a special notebook, on which a check is written during the checkout. The average cost of meals is about two dollars per serving. Can of beer - two and a half. You can shush and order royal lobsters - but it's very expensive, almost $20 per kilo.

We are here! Pay attention to the unusual location of the continents on the map.

Coconut palms grow everywhere around the hotel and on its territory, you can pick up coconuts, open them and drink coconut milk until you get bored)

The endless beach stretches the entire circumference of the island, occasionally interrupted by coral reefs or fallen palm trunks.

The ocean can be admired endlessly. And you can take fins, a mask and a snorkel, and swim right next to the hotel, looking at the fish fussing around the coral reefs.

If you can’t sit on the beach, then you can go to explore the island. Here the skeleton of the boat washed up on the shore.

Around the skeleton of the boat and through it such lovely flowers grow - exactly the same as those that enveloped the cars that had served their lives on the outskirts of Berastagi. Mystic!

In this reservoir, connected to the sea by a small river at high tide, very strange creatures are found (but more on that in the next post)

Here the waves washed up on the beach a giant log, reminiscent of the one from which Robinson unsuccessfully hollowed out a pirogue in Daniel Defoe's novel.

The woven roots of an unknown tree resemble a three-dimensional web

Some palm trees are devoid of vegetation - this is a consequence of the 2004 tsunami

fallen palm trees

The beach is so deserted and endless that you can even walk naked, the main thing is not to forget about sunscreen,

and also about the fact that sometimes fishing boats pass by, from which the locals examine white strangers with interest.

In some places on the island there are traces of life - bungalows destroyed many years ago, decayed bridges of the pier.

Sometimes fishermen spend the night at the far end of the island

One evening, fishing enthusiasts from the capital of Sumatra, Medan, sailed to our island.

The fishermen turned out to be Chinese - representatives of the local wealthy class. They came from Medan by car (the journey takes 9 hours) and rented a local boat for fishing, and when they saw our fire, they decided to moor and chat. To start a dialogue, they gave us some huge fish, very expensive by local standards. The fish was immediately skinned with a huge machete. We ate this fish for a few more days with the whole island :)

We lit a giant fire and talked peacefully.

Boats at sunset.

A bit more.

Another sunset on our beach

Dawn in the ocean

Sunset in the same place. At these latitudes, the sun sets at about 5:30 pm.

Your worst nightmare has come true as you are stranded on a deserted island as a victim of circumstances. It seems to you that there is no more hope for salvation. However, it turns out it's very easy to survive on a desert island, thrive on it, or even save yourself, but only on the condition that you know how to act.

Steps

Part 1

Part 2

Find a source of clean drinking water. Most people start looking for food, but evidence indicates that almost all “lost” people are found within hours or days. You can live about 2 weeks without food, but only 3-4 days without water. If you can't find a natural source, find a way to collect rainwater.

• Any source of water will be helpful. As long as you have at least some water, you can purify or desalinate it.
• If you find fresh water, it would be better to boil it for 2-3 minutes just in case.
• If you have a water desalination device, great! If not, there are several ways to make water drinkable.
• The first way is distillation. Build a solar or fire-powered distiller.
• A solar watermaker can be constructed by filling a large flat container with salt water or even urine, which can be reused if needed. Place the smaller container in the center with a stone inside for stillness. Cover it all with a thin sheet of plastic or whatever material you have and place the stone in the center over the bowl. In direct sunlight, the water should begin to evaporate and condense onto the plastic, flowing down and dripping into a smaller container.
• For the fire method, evaporate the water and cool the steam using a piece of metal or glass that will allow the already desalinated water to drain into another container.

1. Build a shelter. You will need protection from the elements and predatory animals. This can be either a natural shelter, such as a cave, or a shelter built by yourself.

   • Once you have found a natural shelter, the next step is to build a stronger one. It will be your main base, a warm and shady place to sleep, where you can store your supplies and hide from animals. Try to position the shelter above the ground so that insects do not crawl on you.

2. Look for food sources. The ocean is full of life. At low tide, try to build a low V-shaped wall of stones so that the sharp end of it faces the sea. At high tide, the fish will swim in, but will be trapped when the water is gone.

   • You can find many edible root vegetables and berries, but be careful! Some of them may be poisonous. Use them only when you are completely sure of their safety. The best and most reliable source of food are beetles. Yes, yes, bugs. They are everywhere, and they contain a lot of protein. If instead you decide to fish for bugs, you can make a hook by cutting it out of a stick and attaching a thorn to the top. Tie a string to it and your rod is ready to go.

3. Assess your resources. Do you have a supply of fresh water? Do you have a long range walkie-talkie, satellite phone or other means of communication? Are there other people there? They, if properly managed, can bring the greatest benefit.

   Make a fire. It may seem like a commonplace thing on a desert island, but fire has many uses. At least it raises morale. The first task, which is key to morale, has been completed. Fire can also be used to distill water (more on that later), to cook food, and to provide you and your resources with light. If you can't start a fire, don't worry, move on to the next task and keep trying.

   Stay away from dangerous animals. If there are dangerous animals nearby, use fire at night to keep them at bay. If you have a fire extinguisher, it can come in handy to keep animals away in an emergency. Traps and warning signals (such as the crunching of branches) can be used to prevent animals from entering your hideout or alert you to their presence.

Part 3

Part 4

Position rocks or other large objects in a certain way to signal for help. In William Golding's novel Martin the Thief, a beached man laid out stones so that they could be seen by passing ships. Generally recognized distress calls are based on groups of three (6 in the UK). Distress signals can be three fires or three piles of stones laid out in a triangle, three strong whistles, or three flashes of light that follow one after the other at one minute intervals and repeat until a response is received. The appropriate response is three whistles or flashes. If you can be seen clearly from the ship, try making a big red X.

Try to make contact. Build large unnatural looking shapes using bright colors and shiny things. If available, use the radio to contact possible rescuers. Use signal mirrors, fire and flashes of light, or anything that might draw attention to you. Do all of this while you are waiting for help.

Never give up. Despair can lead you to death. Willpower is what helps people survive without food for several weeks. Without a lust for life, you cannot survive. Always imagine the wonderful life that you will have if you do not give up, otherwise it will be the end for you.

• Collect large piles of firewood and set fire to them to give a smoke signal; dry wood works best for this.
• Try to make a fishing rod out of branches and vines. For bait, use worms or something similar.
• Before starting a fire, make sure you have ignition material, fuel, and tinder. It is best to lay out the tree for the fire in a conical / triangular shape.
• Make a hat to protect yourself from the sun and not get burned.
• Each individual situation is unique and requires appropriate analysis. Take time to think about what you have, who is with you, what you need, and so on.

Warnings

• Do not eat jellyfish or fish with spines, fish that swell, or those that have something like a beak.
• Do not eat white berries, most of them are poisonous.
• Don't drink salt water, even if you think it's a life saver. Salt water dehydrates the body and makes it worse unless you have other water available. An English professor proved this by swimming for 58 days and drinking only salt water.
• As a last resort, drink your own urine, but only if no other source of water is available. Do not store urine in bottles, as only fresh urine is sterile. It should also be noted that you can drink only the first urine, since urine of a high concentration can cause kidney failure. To do this, you need to make a desalinator. You need to get water by getting rid of salt and other impurities. Otherwise it's even worse than salt water.
• Don't touch plants with a cluster of three leaves, it could be poison ivy.

What will you need

• Knife (The knife is the most versatile tool ever invented. There is nothing you can't do with it. If you don't have a knife, you can make one. A piece of stone is a good place to start.)
• Dental floss (for homemade clothesline, shoelaces, to strengthen frayed ropes, patches on a defective place, and also for brushing teeth).
• Rope
• Pots and pans or metal cans (for cooking, storing water, and so on)
• Tarp (effective wind and rain protection, can be used as a blanket or shelter, such as a makeshift tent).

Who hasn't heard of the famous Robinson Crusoe? A man who lived on a desert island for almost 20 years and still started a fairly good household. As for me, I would probably sit on the ocean and sob. And in 20 years, people would have found my bones in this place. But everything happens in life. And I decided to ask what to do in such extreme conditions.

How to survive on a desert island

If you wake up near the water on the island - do not panic. If you run along the shore and tear your throat, it will not work. But to interest predatory animals or some tribes of cannibals is as easy as shelling pears. And preferably go somewhere in the shade. Then the sun will not burn the skin. What else should be done first:

• calm down;
• determine your location;
• find fresh water and food;
• build temporary housing;
• stock up on signals.

If you succeeded find a river or stream, You can also try go with the flow. Perhaps it lead to the locals. If not, then you will have to survive on your own. Construction of a hut depends on your building skills. Happy He must protect from the scorching sun, A at night from cold and rain. Also need make a fire. If you have a lighter, you are lucky! And if not, then you need to try yourself in the role of a primitive man and make fire from stone or dry wood.

Fire is very important. At night, he will drive away wild animals, and also help cook food and warm. On the island for food may fit berries or roots. But try unfamiliar plants is not worth it. You need to look for something familiar, such as bananas or coconuts. You can also eat insects. But this is an extreme case. If there is no fresh water reservoir nearby, then you can collect water using the leaves of tropical plants. And if you don't want to spend 20 years on the island like Crusoe, prepare dry leaf torches. Or you can put a big word HELP on the beach.

People who survived

Defoe did not write his Robinson out of his head. There was a real person - pirate Alexander Selkirk, who, due to a quarrel with the captain of the ship, was forced stay on a desert island. He lived there for 4 years. He tamed wild goats, ate fish, fruits and turtles, sewed his own clothes from goat skins and almost forgot how to speak.

A Spanish sailor Pedro spent on the island for almost 10 years, of which 3 years was alone. There was no fresh water on the island. But he was saved by turtles, from whose shells he made bowls for himself to collect rainwater. He made fire from stones that he found on the seabed.

Almost everyone knows the story of a man named Robinson Crusoe. This is a fictional story, but based on an absolutely real incident that happened to Alexander Selkirk. In fact, history knows many examples when people ended up on uninhabited islands, this could happen as a result of a shipwreck, some were taken out on purpose, and someone decided to take such a step consciously.

Islands of the world

Modern researchers claim that there are about 500 thousand islands on our planet, but only 2% of them are inhabited. Most of the islands of land among the "big" water are located off the coast of Japan, Canada, Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Philippines, Indonesia and Greece.

The largest island in the world is Greenland. Its area is more than 2 million km2. It is located between two oceans: the Atlantic and the Arctic, in the area of ​​the Canadian archipelago. Greenland is part of Denmark and has very broad powers. Only 57.6 thousand people live on the island, mostly Greenlandic Eskimos (90%), since 80% of the territory is covered with ice.

Alexander Selkirk

There are many legends about life on a desert island, but there are also real stories. In 1703 he participated in an expedition that set off from the British coast to South America. This man was famous for his very scandalous character, and for 1 year of travel he was rather tired of the whole team. When Alexander announced his desire to go out on some island, the team breathed a sigh of relief.

It is clear that Selkirk regretted his decision, but no one wanted to listen to him, and he ended up on a desert island, where he lived for 4 years and 4 months. Alexander was lucky, before him settlers lived on this piece of land, after which goats and even a cat remained. He also found edible berries, thickets of turnips.

In 1709, a British ship moored to the island, whose crew saved Selkirk. Upon returning to Britain, this case was written about for a very long time. It was the story of life on a desert island of this man that formed the basis of the book "Robinson Crusoe".

Islands of Russia

Some citizens of Russia also have something to tell about life on the island. The largest pieces of land are in the Arctic Ocean, and the smallest - in the Black and Azov Seas.

Most of the Russian islands are very sparsely populated, and some can only be reached with special passes or with an expedition.

Some of the islands on the territory of the Russian Federation:

Kuriles

These are islands with a mountainous relief (56 pieces), where there are about 160 volcanoes (40 active). It is located in the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of ​​Okhotsk. Earthquakes and severe storms often occur here. Nevertheless, the climate can be described as mild, with overcast summers and long winters. In general, the islands have either snow or dense fog with rain. Most of the islands are inhabited by people.

Life on the Kuril Islands is not as simple as it might seem at first sight. The most inhabited islands are Iturup and Kunashir. You can get to them only by helicopter or plane and by boat (travel time - about 18-24 hours, departure from the city of Korsakov). However, daily communication is not established, and in order to get here, tourists will have to purchase tickets several months before the planned date of the trip. Another problem may arise, due to unfavorable weather, ships that run only 2 times a week may not depart at all. In addition, an outsider will have to obtain a special permit, because this is a border zone.

According to reviews about life on the island, it is very easy to meet a brown bear on your way or find Japanese-made bottles. There are many remains of old Japanese factories and cemeteries on the island. On the other hand, practically every inhabitant of the islands has his own vehicle, and these are mostly Japanese jeeps, although there is not a single gas station. According to reviews, in principle, there are no problems with fuel, it is imported in barrels.

Due to the high seismic hazard, houses above three floors are not built. But the vacation of the local population is 62 days. And residents of the southern islands even have a visa-free regime with Japan.

canaries

Almost every inhabitant of the northern regions dreams of life in the Canary Islands. They are located in the Atlantic Ocean, not far from Western Sahara and Morocco. The total area of ​​all the islands is 7,447 km2. All of them belong to Spain.

It has a tropical climate, the islands are mostly mountainous. But August to October is hurricane season. It may seem that life on an island in the Caribbean is a paradise, but is it really so?

First of all, you need to understand that there is unbearable heat and high humidity here almost all year round. Secondly, there are a huge number of insects on the islands, and most of them bite. Thirdly, the change of seasons is practically not noticeable on the islands, they are too similar to each other.

It cannot be said that everything is fine on the islands with infrastructure, okay, there are holes on the roads, but electricity disappears very often, the Internet is not only expensive, but also very slow. You should not hope that you will be able to live in a tent and eat fruits from trees. You still have to deal with personal hygiene, washing clothes, and in order for fruits to grow on a tree, you need to take care of it.

On the islands, there is often a natural phenomenon called "kalima". This is a fine sandy dust that comes along with the wind from the African Sahara. At such moments, it is most difficult for asthmatics.

Uninhabited islands of the planet

Perhaps you should think about life on a desert island? After all, there are still about 490 thousand left on the planet.

If we discard the options with the islands, where there are scarce water supplies, then there is an opportunity to fulfill your dream without leaving the European continent.

Information appeared in the press last year that the French government was inviting the family to live on a desert island. The authorities offer to settle on the small island of Kemenes (off the coast of Brittany), where the family used to live (10 years), but decided to move to the mainland.

This is a piece of land with sand, grass and stones. There are many seals, dwarf sheep, sea birds live here.

According to some reports, people lived on the island for 1 thousand years, but 25 years ago everyone finally moved to the mainland. Only in 2007, they found a man who agreed with his family to live here and look after the island. Then David and Suazik dreamed of dreams, but, as they say, now they would not have done so in any case. The family was engaged in the cultivation of sheep, potatoes and received tourists. The main condition of the contract is to earn your own living. The family somehow managed to cope with this, but there were many other problems.

First of all, electricity could only be obtained from solar panels and a windmill. Rain water had to be collected. Although the family did not completely deny themselves modern gadgets, they even had electric buggies in which they explored the island. But the main reason for leaving was that children still need to study.

World famous stories: Pavel Vavilov

Pavel Vavilov once talked about survival on the island in real life. He was the fireman of the team of the icebreaker "Alexander Sibiryakov". On August 25, 1942, the icebreaker entered into battle with the German cruiser. The battle took place in the area of ​​Domashny Island (Kara Sea). As a result, all members of the team died, except for Pavel. He managed to get on a rescue whaleboat and get to Belukha Island.

However, the stoker did not have to rejoice, only polar bears lived here. He stretched the remaining food supply on the whaleboat as best he could. Vavilov settled at the lighthouse, where it was relatively safe. Water was obtained from melted snow. After 34 days on the island, the stoker managed to transmit a distress signal to a sailing ship, which saved him.

Ada Blackjack

Not only men end up on uninhabited islands, but also an Inuit girl named Ada. Her life was not successful, her children and young husband died, and the youngest son had to be sent to an orphanage, there was no money for subsistence. But one day she received an offer to go on an expedition to Wrangel Island. The team went on a trip in 1921, but everything went wrong right away, food quickly ended, hunting did not make it possible to eat normally. In January, part of the team decided to leave the wintering place for the mainland. Ada and the wounded Knights remained on the island, who soon died.

The polar explorers who went back were never found, and Ada managed to live on the island for 2 years, learning how to hunt. As a result, in 1923 she was rescued. Upon returning home, she took her son from the orphanage and moved to Seattle, where she began a new life with the money she earned.

Conscious choice

But not all people have to accidentally end up on a desert island. Some make a conscious choice. In the early 80s of the last century, a British journalist decided to conduct a social experiment and continue his life on the island. However, none of his acquaintances wanted to support his desire, and he advertised in the newspaper. After some time, a young girl responded - Lucy Irwin. To simplify the process of moving, they got married.

In 1982, young people went to the island of Tain, located between Australia and New Guinea. It was an uninhabited island suitable for life. But upon arrival at Tain, the couple realized that they had absolutely nothing in common, therefore, in addition to solving everyday problems, they also had to learn to get along together. According to the couple, it was ignorance and misunderstanding of each other that became the main problem of staying on the island.

In 1983, a terrible drought occurred on the island, people ran out of fresh water. However, they were lucky, and they were rescued by natives from Badu Island. Returning to their homeland, the couple divorced, and each of them wrote his own book.

How to survive on a desert island?

Most people crave romance, it seems to them that life on the island is paradise. But is it really so, especially if, apart from you, there was no one there? It's one thing when you go on vacation, you don't have to think about finding food and building housing, everything is ready for the rest. It is a completely different matter when there is not even a knife and matches in the hands. And when there comes an understanding that a tragedy has occurred, panic immediately begins, blue water and snow-white sand are no longer happy.

water extraction

If it so happened that you ended up on a desert island, then you should immediately start looking for water. If without food you can still somehow live for a certain time, then without water - in any way.

You should look, perhaps there are old wells on the island. If there are rocks, then there is a high probability that there is rainwater in the crevices. Look for coconut fruits, they have milk inside. Take a good look around, collect any container that will allow you to draw water.

asylum

If at least somehow it was possible to solve the water issue, start building a shelter. If this is a tropical island, then the main thing is to make a canopy that will save you from the sun and rain. Coconut leaves are perfect.

Try to make the bed a little higher than the ground level so that insects are less disturbed.

Do not build a shelter in the jungle, there are more insects and there may be animals. In addition, from the beach you can quickly see the ship.

food and fire

Almost everyone can eat in the tropics. It can be coconuts, bananas and larvae, clams and snails. Build something like a spear and catch fish, a stingray will do, which often sails in shallow water. The main thing is that the process of obtaining food is not too complicated, so as not to spend a lot of calories.

In the tropics, despite the heat, it is quite difficult to make a fire, as the humidity is very high, so you have to try. If you managed to kindle a fire, then do everything so that it does not go out.

The life of people on the islands - both inhabited and uninhabited - is very difficult. After all, this is isolation from the world, the inability to call for help as quickly as possible and other problems. Therefore, not every modern inhabitant of the metropolis is able to survive on the island, especially when it comes to the conditions of the Far North.