Today was the day we were all waiting for…. entering the sprawling town of Illakaka, as seen in the photo below. There is a stream that crosses from left to right, at the juncture of the now paved RN7 roadway. This is the location of the 65 original inhabitants who were here when it all began in the early 90's.
Of course, this all changed due to the Sapphire rush. The town swelled to 65,000 at its peak, but is now somewhere in the 35,000 range according to government estimates.
The photo below is typical of the 'housing' in the town.
Illakaka has the appearance of a "wild-west-town" as seen in movies made about America's frontier times of the mid-1800's.
And then, right next door, we are reminded of the great value laying beneath the earth.
The 'Banque Suisse' moniker was in reference to its value to the region - as it brought in buyers from around the world.
We've now entered the famed 'Banque Suisse' property with Jean Noel-proprietor as our guide.
This is a vast dig covering several acres as seen in these photos.
Some view?
In the photo below is Jean Noel with Jim Fiebig.
Even today, there is a significant dig just getting started only 250 metres away from the original pit on his property.
This is a small operation with husband and wife working together just a few metres away from the original site.
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