Half way between Hawaii and Australia, the Republic of Kiribati is a scattering of 32 coral atolls, each defined by a ring shape and interior lagoon (most uninhabited). There are 3 island groups – Line, Phoenix and Gilbert. Christmas Island is the most famous of the group. They are spread over a large area across (equal to the distance from NY to LA but if you put all land together it’s an area ¼ Rhode Island) and have moved the international Dateline to ensure they are all on the same day! We were now on GMT+14 hours!! The same time as Hawaii but now a day later.
Tabuaeran, also know as Fanning Island (named after Captain Edmund Fanning, who discovered the uninhabited island in 1798) is one of the Line Islands, 250nm north of the equator. Its land area is approximately 13 sq. miles with an enclosed lagoon. The land is thickly covered with coconut palms and native bush. The highest point on the island is 10 feet above sea level, with most being 2-3 feet. It is forecast that Fanning Island will not exist anymore in 50 years.
Outside the lagoon, the seas dropped off significantly - it was too deep to anchor and so the ship “drifted” for the day, while the tenders took us ashore. 2,500 people live on the island, with no native population. The island is primitive, with no electricity or running water and only a handful of people have generators. Kiribati families generally live in a fale, a house consisting a single room. Lifestyles is best described as “shared”. Floors typically consist of bear earth, covered with mats to provide cushioning. There is no hospital and few vehicles. I had at one point explored the option of Jimmy flying into this island…… I must have been mad!! – plus there is no airport.
We went ashore, ladened down with all the school supplies we had bought from Wal-Mart in San Diego (pads of paper, pencils, crayons, pens etc….) We had bought about 400 pencils, but a few days back, realised that they probably didn’t have pencil sharpeners, so proceeded to sharpen all the pencils!!! (thanks to the electric sharpener from the front desk!). We used some of the computer paper and a stapler to make about 100 little booklets.
At the dock there were lots of tables set up with people selling their hand made shell necklaces, straw handbags, bowls etc and also people dressed up, that you could take a picture of, for a donation.
It reminded us a bit of Boca do Valoria, the little village that we had visited on the banks of the Amazon earlier in the year.
As we walked to the primary school, Charlotte was handing out the booklets we had made, with pencils and pens to the children. First we passed the Kindergarten – they sang songs to us and we gave them pencils and paper. Then we found the Primary School and Charlotte soon made some friends. It seemed like a lot of the classes had stopped for the day due to the “tourists” in town. They only get about 4 ships plus about 3 provisioning ships a year. They were very grateful for the donations. Soon Charlotte was hanging out with some of the girls, all doing hand stands and cartwheels, and then she sat painting the girls’ toe nails!
We went around some of the classrooms and had children sing to us. The classrooms were huts.
After school was over, we were invited into the “staff room” hut to join the teachers for lunch. We were very thirsty as it was very hot – they offered some of their local drink which I was very grateful for, until I tried it…… thank goodness I had only accepted about an inch of it! – (which I had trouble finishing). They gave Charlotte a Pandanut fruit – quite hard and you just chew at it – they said it’s good to clean their teeth!! – a bit like eating hard floss!
We politely declined most stuff (breadfruit and such like), despite being quite hungry as we had given some of the kids all our apples and sandwiches!! – the island ran out of rice a while back and lives on coconuts, bread fruit and fish – their eyes lip up at a cheese and ham sandwich!! They took the apples home, I think to share with their family.
After that we took a walk further round the island, with the girls Charlotte had met. On our way back, I asked to take a picture of a lady outside her house. She invited us to sit down, adorned charlotte with shell necklaces and her husband climbed a tree got 3 coconuts and stripped the outer coating for us to drink! Very welcomed!
They then cut them up for us to eat the inside. Then her daughter came out who had been at the kindergarten so had one of the pads of paper we had been distributing. We gave them more pencils and pens. Then she brought out the breadfruit, but I politely said thank you very much but we were full…. The woman didn’t speak any English so most of this was sign language!
Despite lessons being taught in English, the children (and many of the adults) did not seem to speak much English. However, everybody was very friendly but shy.
Despite the last tender not leaving for another hour, we seemed to be the only people left on the island!! It seemed people on the ship either loved the island, or didn’t….. but for most, a couple of hours was enough.
Our last stop was at the “Post Office” – a table where you could buy a postcard and a stamp – and see how long it takes to reach its destination!
Then, half an hour before the last tender was due to leave, the security guy from the ship came and found us (Charlotte painting some other children’s nails!!) and asked if we would be ready to leave as we were the last 2 on the island!! For the second time in a row, we had our own private tender back to the ship!!
It was a great experience, especially for Charlotte. It reminded me a bit of the Tuamuto islands that we had sailed though back in 1999.
