One of my day in the Marshall Islands
Today we will go to the Marshall Islands in the archipelago of Chuuk, Micronesia.
5:30 Tra-ta-da-dan! Tra-ta-da-dan! Tra-ta-da-dan! Tra-ta-da-dan! It triggered the first alarm. This is the most crucial moment in the ritual of awakening. Now more than ever the temptation to make a deal with the brain, and "sleep for another 10 minutes."
5:45 Tra-ta-da-dan! Tra-ta-da-dan! Tra-ta-da-dan! Tra-ta-da-dan! Triggers the second alarm. Well, ok, I get up, I get up.
5:50 Outside the window is still dark. Today slept for 3 hours. The day begins with a shower. In my heart I expect cockroaches. Today, only 2 Yesterday was 5 pieces, but I scared them. Insects I have long been accustomed to, everywhere crawling ants, some bugs and other animals.
5:51 no hot water. Normal soap too ... and this is the best hotel on the island. He called Marshall Island Resort. General recently called any bug-infested Plaza Resort, or at least a boutique hotel. Do not get fooled by the name. But the Marshall Islands no special choice.
5:55 Well, I'm from the past of the hotel dragged normal shower gel, but it would have right now to wash some old remnant from someone else's hair.
5:57 in the bathroom 2 towels. First in some yellow-brown spots. The second black spots and hair. Actually, I'm not a squeamish, I no longer confuse others' hair on the pillow, dirty towels, cockroaches, incomprehensible food. I console myself with the thought of strengthening the immune system and the international exchange of bacteria.
6:00 Chose towel with yellow-brown spots. Surely at the rusty washing machine - hence the spot.
6:10 Departure at 9:19, go to the airport 30 minutes, which means that it is necessary to leave at 7:30. I go out to the Internet, Tvitlenta tightens and I lose precious time.
6:20 Outside, the dawn begins ...
6:30 Breakfast. The selection is small, we take coffee (some dishwater coffee smell), toast with jam and fruit. Waiter obscenely slow, I want to beat him.
6:45 I grab the camera and go take pictures. I walked around the neighborhood - nothing interesting. Still asleep. Suddenly I noticed dog guarding a house. It is filled with barking, it joined furry friends. Dogs I do not like, especially when they surround you and want to eat. Since childhood, I was taught that it is necessary to pretend that you lift a stone and the dog immediately be frightened and run away. Decided to check, it does not work! Dogs are very nepugannyh. Apparently, on the atoll stones at them no one has never threw. It saves me came out of the house on his barking blohovoza man. On that we parted. Goodbye reminded the man, that in some countries the dogs eat, and advised to buy the chain stronger. A guy said that some of the islands of white tourists eat and advised not to go more on other people's sites.
The only difference between local homes - a huge tank to collect rainwater around each house.
the local police
7:00 to order a taxi and go to collect things.
7:05 I have another 30 minutes. A difficult choice - either go for a walk around the city, or come early to the airport. The fact that the tickets I have is the place to 23C. I do not quite fit, because I like to sit by the window and shoot. Through the Internet to change the place did not work, so there is a chance that if you come to the registration of the first, good seats will be available. I opt for early arrival at the airport, as in nothing to see.
7:10 to pay for a hotel and I leave. Score - 137 USD 10 - Internet, 31 - for dinner, 90 for the room, and 6 - for breakfast. If anything, I was the best hotel in the country!
At 7:12 a taxi driver the whole machine rusted. In the trunk of a huge hole. Well, that has not dropped my suitcase. A taxi costs $ 5.
The road of the atoll
In the morning, everyone sits
Sit adults and children. Someone on the ground, someone on a chair, someone on the stone. Here you go straight and surprised - the whole town sits.
Houses
My taxi driver
7:30 I arrive at the airport. Before signing up for all checked luggage.
7:35 are registered on the flight. After lengthy negotiations, they give me a place 7F. For him, usually need to pay extra $ 40, so this is the first series of the steward, but to me, as a frequent flyer with the camera, gave him free. A great success. I hope to shoot well from above. After registering to pay tax of $ 20 is not clear why.
7:50 Learning assortment of local souvenir shops. Nothing interesting. I decided to buy chocolate milk. I took a sip and threw - very sweet. A year ago, I gave up sugar in general, and now almost all it seems to me indecent sweet. I almost do not eat chocolate, I can not drink juices and soda. Pleasures in life is getting smaller every day. I remember the delicious chocolates were a child, as soon as I put 4 tablespoons of sugar in a cup of tea as I could eat half a cake at a time, and in the day to drink the juice pack 2. And where now is a happy time? Kaleidoscope small bright joy was replaced by gray emptiness compromises. And who came up with this healthy lifestyle? And so in all.
Souvenirs
8:00 pass passport control
8:05 And here I am in the waiting room. Surprisingly, a local kiosk has a good white wine. Here, it's really a pleasant surprise. $ 4.50 per cup.
8:10 In this format, I dictate all of the events on the recorder, and then transcribe. Now it is exactly the time when I was sitting in the waiting room, typing this post. 8:25 My plane arrived, cheers, then, soon landing.
9:00 Landing. My place in the front row with lots of leg room and great views. I hope you are lucky with a neighbor. Another trip to Mormon missionaries, I can not stand.
to take off. Here it is our atoll. In the photo - the state capital, Majuro, located on one of the atolls. Total Marshall Islands consists of 29 atolls and 5 islands archipelago.
A little bit about the expense of what Marshall Islands so good live. After independence, signed the Treaty of Free Association with the United States. According to him, the Republic of the Marshall Islands would pursue an independent foreign policy, while for the country's finances were in charge of the USA, which also retained the exclusive right to the presence on the atoll of Kwajalein US armed forces. In exchange for these concessions the United States took over the defense of the Islands, the Marshall Islands are guaranteed access to the US federal programs marshalltsam granted the right to live and work in the territory of States. Meanwhile, the US recovered Islands substantial funds, the state budget of the Marshall Islands is 70% of the funds received from the US.
9: 30Cudba again showed me his fangs. My neighbor turned out to be some Gopnik. He immediately took pivasik and started talking to me from the heart. Communicate with him I did not have any desire. On the plane I was looking for peace and solitude.
- Where are you from?
- From Russia
- ABOUT! From Russia! - 90 percent of the source begins to remember all that he knows about Russia. - That you there cold? And this is where you have the same Putin?
On the second bottle of beer, I realized that Gopnik was sent to me as an answer to the question: "What could be worse than a preacher, a Mormon?" Thank you, now I know.
Under the wing meanwhile beauty.
10:14 landed on the atoll Kwajalein. Here is the Air Force and the US naval bases, missile range and the famous Baikonur Reagan. I happily go to sleep and do not shoot anything. The plane - the best place to sleep.
11:16 to take off. US military bases are the main employers in the country.
11:30 They brought food
We fly to the island of biting
11:29 (-1 timezone) to land on the bite. Gopnik with pivasikom somewhere disappears.
at each airport we were met by fire trucks.
We fly 12:11
Another useless paradise island. Remember, in the garden is very boring, do not be fooled.
12:30 My next neighbor is a woman with the hair on her arms. All is good, but it is somehow very badly located, seizing my armrest. I feel some kind of spy. Constantly imperceptibly all shoot very difficult.
Pohnpei
13:16 landing in Pohnpei. Here, as usual rain. The plane refueled. At the stops, I do not go out, I sit working - process photos, write new posts, reply to letters.
13: 30Crednyaya stop the aircraft 30-40 minutes. Some of the passengers out for a smoke, someone remains in the passenger compartment.
13:53 We fly
Under turbine aircraft about something sings blue river atoll ...
A few words about the stop. Planes are flying as buses - with stops at all the islands. Therefore, to get with the Marshall Islands to Guam, you have 5 stops. US airlines fly here. At stops no one will wake, it is necessary to watch, where you go out. I wonder if woke her stop doing that? Each airport aircraft worth about 30-40 minutes, at which time you can go outside to smoke, to buy from the locals pies with cabbage, smoked chicken and potatoes with dill. Om-Nom-nom!
My last stop - the island of Chuuk, Micronesia. Previously, they were called Truk. Chuuk is famous for its underwater treasures. During the Second World War on the island has the largest naval military base in Japan (there were about 40 thousand soldiers and civilians), as well as the airport. The island was strategically important for the empire: it acted on a communications headquarters from which fed the radio command, guided the operations of all naval forces of Japan in Micronesia. In 1944, in Truk Lagoon were ships of the 4th Fleet and the Imperial command of the 6th submarine fleet. February 17, 1944, Americans have launched "Hilston" military operation, as a result of which it was sunk by more than 30 large and many small Japanese ships. Now, all these ships lie at the bottom to the delight of divers. Here with shells and ships, planes and tanks.
In fact, all the islands in Chuuk group are very similar to each other: small villages, beaches, rain forest thickets.
My island. From left to see the airport.
14:01 (-1 timezone) to land on the island of Chuuk
14:10 Fast pass inspection. At the exit selling garlands of flowers.
14:15 Let's go to the hotel. Locals walk around with towels on their heads - all the fault of broken roads and clubs of dust raised by the vehicles.
The island itself is more like some kind of Pripyat than paradise branch on the ground. Everything is destroyed, abandoned cars everywhere.
The roads on the island are about.
14:50 come back to their hotel, LagunaBluRezort. He was very good. The first decent hotel for a week. OK.
15: 00Cegodnya decide not to go anywhere. We have to do a lot of things to work, to prepare positions. Go to the beach - here is my workplace in the coming days.
15:36 I notice a group of German tourists. The life of a German on vacation striped like a zebra - "before the opening of the bar" and "shit". In this respect, they differ little from the Russian tourists. Although, compared with Israeli tourists and we and the Germans just angels.
16:00 I wanted to swim, which not only are not afraid of man, but I was confused jellyfish and some wild fish, but also trying to bite his leg. Wild Island, the wild fish. Generally, when a fish bites - terribly tickled.
16:15 Suddenly he met with the local Gopnik. I obviously did not like them.
17:00 Restaurant in the hotel only opens at 7 pm, so we had to dine chips with beer. Beer, by the way, is $ 10 per bottle. Noticed a parked scooter, fine, I'll go tomorrow to ride around the island. Scooter costs $ 25 per day.
here all year round constant temperature of 28. Very comfortably.
19:00 evening dinner. I ordered a steak for $ 20 and wine at 5. The steak was very good, despite the hideous appearance.
20:00 In the evening, Internet, writing posts, photo editing and other pleasant chores.
I went to sleep only at 2am. That's passed the next day. Tomorrow I will go to explore the island.