Two Flights a Week

On Monday and Thursday, the Air Pacific flight from Fiji arrives at Bonriki International Airport. Anyone who has ever been to Tarawa will smile at the mention  of the Airport. While it has a long runway  and a newish traffic tower,  it has no lights, no fence, it doubles as a road, is the path between two villages, a walking track and a place for 'socialising' at night.

Air Kiribati in Abemama

Kiribati Air, which services the Gilbert Islands flies daily, and relies on buzzing the airport prior to landing. A truck drives up and down the runway warning other users and generally it is everyone's understanding that you get off the runway if a plane is landing. I assume dogs and pigs are airport savvy, but I do wonder as they frequently ignore cars on the road to Betio.

Runway open to traffic

For those who live at the Airport end of Tarawa, you become aware of the routines; Air Pacific Flight is due at 8:00am and you don't go to the airport to collect passengers until you hear it; Air Kiribati leaves as soon as it is light and wends its way home at 6:30pm. If you are lucky enough to be in the air for one of these sunset landings, you have had a glimpse of heaven.

•  Is the plane coming? They sometimes don't, although recently they have been reliable.
•  What time is it coming? There are frequent changes, including the day, without notice.
•  Is it on time?

When all this has been confirmed, you need to decide whether to check in at the airport or Tobaraoi. Tobaraoi provides an excellent service of check-in and coffee, plus a ride to the airport - all in comfortable surrounds and for the bargain price of $7. For those of us who live 5 minutes drive from the airport, it is best to check in very early, (the aim being to snaffle a forward seat), then go home for a coffee, and return to the airport when you  hear the plane arrive.

Recently the airport has been undergoing an upgrade of sorts but the crowd control in the arrivals area doesn't include baggage collection or collection of duty free. Despite the difference in the cost and range of alcohol between Fiji and Tarawa, my advice is resist the urge to buy duty free; the wait to collect it, is not worth it. The redeeming feature of the baggage collection exercise is that you are confronted with happy, smiling and helpful I-Kiribati; the baggage handlers and  travellers. The 'shit-fight' is only a problem for I-matung; best get over it, and preferably before you leave Arrivals.

Car Park shopping includes Clavin Klein undies

If you are meeting someone, the recent advent of security guards in the car park has meant they direct you to a puddle of their choice, whereas before you could pick your own puddle. I am not sure if the guards have a role other than traffic control, as I leave my car unlocked everywhere.

Being at the airport, whether arriving, leaving or collecting others, is an excellent opportunity to meet new people, do business, and generally catch up. It is accepted, indeed expected that you talk to everyone and find out their business. I-Kiribati who have no connection to you, will want to talk and find out your story. Likewise I-Matung will also ask what you are doing in Kiribati. There is no such thing as being 'alone'.   

Christmas is a time when I-Matung start every conversation with "Are you going home for Christmas?" and "What flight?" Right now we have cyclone Evan bearing down on Fiji and  Monday's flight is cancelled putting pressure on Thursday's flight which I am booked on. It may mean devastation for Fiji and loss of life which is more concerning - so we are all working at keeping the possibility of not being home for Christmas in perspective; i.e. 'not that important in the circumstances.'

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 

    

Living in Kiribati

Kia kia

Kiribati is remote. There are 2.5 flights a week - 2 each week via Fiji and fortnightly via Nauru. The remoteness impacts everything - food, social life, communication, outlook on the world, resources and living generally.

Most people sleep in kia-kia's, cook in the open, and socialise in mwaneaba's. They get water from a well, and wash and toilet in the sea. There is little privacy. They eat fish and other seafood which they catch daily or have it dried or smoked.

Mwaneaba built recently at Temaiku

40% of the population live in Tarawa, many still live traditionally, although there are more solid houses (cement block) which the middle class have built and I-matung (white people) live in. 

I live on a property with 2 cabins by the ocean. I have an air-conditioned bedroom, lounge with fan, kitchen, bathroom/toilet, and sleep-out/veranda. From my lounge I have a fabulous view of the reef and ocean. There is the constant noise of the sea which I love. Included in the rent is cleaning, washing, internet and the since I have been here, I have a new stove, fridge and lounge which have made the place very comfortable. I have well water for showers and rain water which I boil or filter for consumption. The shower is cold and that is the the main cause of jealousy! "Do you have hot water?" Yes/no. "Do you?"

My Cabin on the right.

It is very hard not to live by the sea, but some do manage it. Why, I don't know! You have the option of Lagoon side, which is always beautiful to look at, but not to swim in; and ocean side in which you can swim, despite the litter of babies nappies, plastic bags and other sundry items. Often the water is just too hot to swim in.

View from my lounge

My accommodation is at Temaiku, a 10 minute drive from work in Bikenibeu. Bikenibeu has I - Mart which stocks a lot of what Australians want/need. For most other grocery shopping you need to drive to Betio at the other end of Tarawa which is about a three hour round trip including shopping. Also at Bikenibeu is Toboraoi which is a travel business, DHL agency and coffee shop - Chatterbox.

Chatterbox

A different pattern each day

Dinner at Paradise

The social life  revolves around sharing of meals for any possible occasion, or no reason at all, at one another's place or at

a restaurant.

        

Tamana

Welcome to the Minister at Tamana Aiport

Moi moi slushies for breakfast. Ice cold coconuts!

Tamana is the second most southern island in the Gilbert group and is unusual for Kiribati, in that it doesn't have a lagoon.

I visited there several weeks ago with a delegation from the government to open the refurbished Margaret Field Primary School. The flight was about 2 hours including a stop there and back to refuel.

 

The island is wholly protestant and has a very large and impressive church which is a monument to the missionaries and the difficulty of maintaining western style buildings. There are neither the materials or the skills to maintain buildings, which is why locals revert to traditional buildings.

If you have to be buried somewhere, this is the place! Ministers who lived and died here in the 1800's are buried between the Church and the sea.







  


The kids turned up for the opening on Saturday.

Many classrooms don't have desks. Students sit on the floor and work on the floor. There is normally work on the walls but they were kept clean for the opening. The floors are polished cement.

 

This computer room is most unusual in a Primary School, but is an example of where one thing leads to another. 

Your taxes at work! The Minister is in the flowery meri blouse, His Excellency, George Fraser, Australian High Commissioner is in the red shirt, and local Tamanans in the white shirts. Currently Australia (or AusAID to be more precise) insists on 'badging' Aid. I am philosophically opposed to ensuring that the giver of the gift is acknowledged with a sign. In my opinion the giving doesn't need to be labelled. It is un-Australian. Another practical reason for not badging Aid, is that in this environment, the building it is most likely to fall into disrepair - the deal being that the Government of Kiribati is responsible for maintenance. They have neither the funds or capacity to maintain a building such as this. Currents efforts to get acceptance of locally built classrooms - which they can maintain, is being rejected by some local politicians who want 'permanent buildings', which are in fact not permanent. It also lessens the investment the community makes in Education, which is critical to maintaining the partnership between government and Islands in all things, but especially education. AusAID favours traditional buildings, but this school was part of a pilot program.    

Check-in and departure lounge! All cargo - human included, must be weighed. The trip back is much heavier with fish (dried and fresh) and gifts, which on this trip were woven mats.

Revision on Kiribati

Kiribati is comprised of three main Island groups;

• The Gilberts (in the west - 17 islands - straddling the equator)
• The Phoenix Islands (centre - 8 islands - south of the equator) 
• The Line Islands (in the east - 8 islands - straddling the equator)

The Gilberts include the Capital, Tarawa. the Phoenix Islands are where it is suspected Amelia Erhardt went down, and the Line Islands, including Kiritimati (Christmas Island) are the first to see the new day. The Line Islands also have Millenium Island which changed its name from Caroline Island in 2000.
 

From east to west the country is wider than Australia and covers 3.5 million square kilometres of the Pacific. I-Kiribati are great sailors and it is thought the common language was established through their frequent travel between Islands.

Taborio Community Mwaneaba collects water

No water collection 

South Tarawa is densely populated and comparisons are often made with Bangladesh. The lagoon is heavily polluted as are sections of the artesian water supply. Recent concerns about fresh water availability seem strange given the continual rain since Christmas. It is a catchment issue! Roofs are thatch and tanks are limited; nothing which could not be solved. Many of the large Mwaneabas (meeting places) in Tarawa have iron roofs.

Betio is the Port at the western end of South Tarawa, government offices are spread over South Tarawa but most are at Bairiki near Betio. Health (admin and the hospital) and Education are at the eastern end as is the Bonriki International Airport.

Kiribati has a 42 seat Assembly, with the President elected by popular vote from 3-4 candidates proposed by the parliament. There is no tradition of party politics, rather interest groups or factions. The constitution is a blend of the Westminster system and traditional values. The Minister for Education is currently a woman, but they are rare in politics. Currently 3 of the 42 are women. Parliament House is representative of the traditional mwaneaba. They should have stuck with the real thing which is architecturally very pleasing.