Sunday 7th June. Postcard pictures from North Tarawa.

We had a day off today but had to set off early to try and avoid the heat of the day. We were grateful for a lift from Ambo village by an Australian couple who I had never met but had interacted with over the internet, prior to their placement on Tarawa. So it was nice to meet up and even nicer to avoid the local buses and LONG walk at the other end before we could reach the channel, catch a canoe over then walk partway up North Tarawa.

It was a 2 hour walk through rain and hot sun along much more traditionally settled areas. No cars, just bicycles and a few motorbikes. At the end of the walk we reached "Broken Bridge" which was even more broken than I remember it. But we had a lovely swim in the channel underneath the bridge, as the water is not heavily contaminated this far up the atoll due to the sparser population.

Moi motos (drinking coconuts) on the walk back given to us from a friendly acquaintance from living here in 2012 (Amon Tiiman and his family), and a visit to our puppy Bethany from 2012 (still huge, happy and getting fatter) to give her worming tablets, and then we were able to walk the Buota channel back to the car as the tide was still out on the way back.

So please enjoy some of the pictures of the day. Oh and we think there was some sort of unexploded torpedo bomb thing we saw at one place. Any ammunitions experts please comment! [...no I am wrong, I later learned it was a type of buoy used to mark sea passages for ships coming into or leaving Betio port. So not explosive at all!!]

Work sheet stuck on the wall in a small primary school at
Abatao. It would be good to add a few extras like "Be kind to
your dog"!

This is the first time I have seen raised gardens in coconut palm trunks!

Is this some sort of torpedo thing from WW II??? No, thankfully, I emailed Amon later

 (pictured below)  and he said it is an old metal buoy used as a marker in the sea passage

 in Betio. Relieved!

Amon and his (desexed) dog at Tabiteuea village.

Happy piggy eating coconut mush.

Yes it is quite pretty up here at Tabuki by the bridge. Tropical paradise?

Creatures in the water - a brittle star.

Plenty of kids along the track want to shake your hand and to practice their "Hello" s.

Once the tide was out it exposes alot of sand in the lagoon.

Having a moi moto (drinking coconut) toast!

Leesa was feeling a bit weary. Working on relaxing. At Tabon te Keke.

Bethany our tiny puppy now huge, at the maneaba!