Monday, September 10, 2007

Christmas Island

Yesterday we stopped at Christmas Island, part of the nation of Kiribati. Something that I found fascinating: the islands of Kirabati, with a total land mass of 280 square miles, are spread over 2 million square miles of the Pacific. Christmas Island is so-named because Captain Cook discovered it on Christmas Eve, 1777. Due to its remote location, it has yet to be developed into a tourist destination. We heard about 10 cruise ships stop here each year, but other than those, visitors are few.

We hopped into the back of a truck to be driven around the island. There are 2 benches along the sides and the top was covered, so it was comfortable riding. The buildings we saw were constructed of either natural materials (bamboo, palm fronds, etc.) or cinder blocks, very basic. Not much English is spoken here, but the people are full of smiles and very friendly.

1 comment:

The Roberts Family said...

I was wondering why it was called Christmas Island.... :)
Sounds like you guys are having a great time. Any snorkeling yet??