Today we visited Fanning Island, Kiribati. We crossed the International Dateline sometime after midnight so goodbye Saturday, hello Sunday. It is not so noticeable when you fly but to step over the line, so to speak, and wake up a whole day later smacks a little of Looking Glass-land. It all works out in the end, much as it did for Alice but I dont think Johnny Depp is on this cruise. Is that too many bizarre references? Okay, more cruise tales. Fanning Island, more properly atoll, has history tied to WWI but its current population of less than 2000 subsists on the revenue from seaweed farming and the few cruise ships that stop here. If you need or want more information, Wikipedia will be your friend. It is rustic by any terms. No electricity, no running water, no plumbing… but some of the most beautiful waters Ive seen. It would not be hard to spend a week or two here. It would be no worse than camping in the wilderness and the residents seem friendly and helpful. We docked on the South Pacific side. Well, docked is not correct. We were station keeping in the South Pacific while the tenders ferried us into the lagoon through the English Channel... really. The process went smoothly as near as I could tell. Many of the passengers had visited this port before so most of them stayed on the ship. There were a lot of us who got off, however. I dont know when I will return this way so I was not going to miss the opportunity. We were greeted at the dock by a group of local singers. They were wonderful to listen to and they rested their voices between tenders. A donation bucket was available and I noticed that pretty much every gathering of residents either performing or in costume for photo ops had a donation bucket nearby. The children are especially precious and with only a few exceptions were eager to pose for pictures, and a dollar. I found my own group of children and took a wonderful picture of them playing cards in the shade. I dont know what game they were playing but they seemed to be having fun. I also left my plumeria hair clips with two of the girls. They looked much better on them than they did on me. Pigs, dogs and chickens are everywhere on the island. The pigs are tethered in what I assume is their version of a pig sty. There are very few vehicles on land. I saw a few open bed trucks, some motor scooters and bicycles. Otherwise it is foot traffic and the road was busy with ship passengers any residents. I wonder what this island is like when no ships are in town. Kayaks and outriggers are used in the water and the seaweed farms are right off the shore so they are easy to see and film. It seemed like everyone on the island was focused on the tourists. Most of them speak English but it is still challenging to communicate. Mostly you smile and keep the sentences short and direct. Oddly enough, from one of the shacks there was taped music blaring and at one point I heard Dolly Parton. My guess is their taste is eclectic. We heard there was a generator on the island somewhere. I think that over the years the people have acquired some survival type equipment for living off the land. This would be a good place for it. The island is at risk of submerging in the future. The elevation is less than 3 meters above sea level. What will happen to the population is uncertain, as is the timetable for this probable evacuation. Most likely they will be relocated to another island in the area. I think that is how Fanning Island was populated at one time in the past. In any case, enjoy some of the pictures. By the way, the water really is this color. They do not do this place justice but may give you some idea of how beautiful it is. Next stop, Bora Nora and New Years Eve.
Posted on: Sun, 28 Dec 2014 08:45:10 +0000
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