"LizSitka's new Kiribati Page" a Kiribati Travel Page by LizSitka

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There are wonderful people in Kiribati.

Away from Tarawa there are miles and miles of lovely moonlit beaches in Kiribati.

In January 1999 I visited Tarawa and Abemama. It's hard to get there. There were two flights a week from Fiji and one a week from the Solomon Islands (which you have to get to from Hawaii - not really a problem for those of us who like islands). In-country flights are random. A friend from Germany made three attempts before his flight finally for Butaritari. The funniest part about this was that there isn't really a lot of entertainment available so the entire families take you to the airport and see you off.

There is entertainment, though. In places with little electricity the people tend to make their own music and Kiribati is no exception. The i-kiribati harmonize beautifully and any gathering will include singing and speeches and food. Two of those are welcome, to me, but not speaking the language, the speeches seemed a bit long. The food was worth waiting for, though. Ya gotta love that competition that goes on in any potluck, no matter what country you're in.

The picture was taken on Abemama ("Island of the Moonlight") which is a wonderful quiet place with few people and little entertainment. Not being much of a holiday-forced-joviality fan, this was my favorite Christmas. I was staying with a volunteer doctor and nurse. One morning the doctor said, "I think today is Christmas. Merry Christmas!" The nurse replied, "It was yesterday."

I crashed a wedding on New Year's Eve (yes, it was the first millenium country but I was there accidently) but that story is to follow...