The real Robinson Crusoe

Besides owning Easter Island, Chile also controls another island group in the Pacific known as the Juan Fernández Islands. The islands are not overly spectacular, but their place in history was secured when Scottish sailor Alexander Selkirk spent 4 years and 4 months living alone on one of the islands after being left behind by his ship (on purpose). His story is the inspiration for Daniel Defoe´s Robinson Crusoe. When I read Crusoe I recall reading about this Selkirk guy but it didn´t really sink in until reading some more about it in the Chile guidebooks. One of the islands in the archipelago is now called Isla Robinson Crusoe (where Selkirk stayed) and another is now called Isla Alejandro Selkirk (which he probably never saw). Although Crusoe is written in somewhat old-fashioned English and has a lot to do with sailing and ships (which bores some people), it´s still a pretty fascinating story. If you come to Chile, you can also arrange a visit to the archipelago, but it´s sort of a pain to get there and there´s not terribly much to see. But if you´ve always dreamed of living on a remote island, why not try one of the originals.