Guess what we did today? We boarded another airplane! We actually boarded the same airplane twice, since they made us get off the airplane at Cocos Island and reboard with a new boarding pass for Christmas Island. Both these locations were on Mom's travel list. Once we stepped foot on each, they became the 292nd and 293rd Traveler's Century Club location that she has been visited (TCC: Alla Campbell). Our destination was Christmas Island, where we will stay until Tuesday afternoon. It was a big deal to reach these places. They are so remote that they don't get a lot of visitors and flights only go twice a week. Fortunately, we were able to line up other travel plans around Virgin Australia's flight schedule to these islands.
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| Checking in for Christmas Island - flies only twice per week |
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| Breakfast at the airport. We finally get to enjoy good old Western carbohydrates in the morning for a change. |
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| We both needed the 8 hours of traveling to catch up on sleep. |
After flying 1.5 hours north to Leamouth, WA, the plane stopped for fuel. The flight plan on Fridays is Perth-Leamouth-Coco-Christmas-Perth. It needs as much fuel as it can carry to get through island loop. On Tuesday, the order of the island stops is reversed: Perth-Leamouth-Christmas-Coco-Perth. This means that we'll take the long way home again on Tuesday. |
| Tiny Cocos Island airport |
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| The Cocos Island airstrip can be see on the far left of the photo. |
Western Christmas Island from the plane
Christmas Island is a volcanic island with a varied history and some phenomenal wildlife. It was initially inhabited by the British, who imported Malaysian and Chinese workers in the 1890s to work in their phosphate mines. These workers became the primary residents, and they still remain the predominant ethnicities and cultures on the island. In 1942, 900 Japanese troops invaded the island, imprisoned the Europeans, and sent half of the remaining populations to prison camps in Indonesia. The British regained it in 1946, then handed administration of it Singapore before selling it Australia in the late 1950s. There are still WWII remnants on the island to see.
What the island is really known for is its biodiversity, both on the land and it the water. Several sources describe it as the "Galapagos of the Indian Ocean," which is fun, since I have been with Mom in the actual Galapagos Islands and the "Galapagos Island of Plants" in Socotra, Yemen. Endemic bird species here include boobook, emerald dove, goshawk, glossy swiftlet, Christmas Island frigatebird, and Abbott's booby. Christmas Island is also famous for the annual migration of its endemic red crab - 50 million strong. We are about 6 weeks to early, but are hoping to see the crabs anyway.
As soon as we landed, our car hire hero, Martin, met us at the airport exit to give us the keys to the 4X4 truck we will be renting. He had the strongest South African accent I have ever heard. He explained using the 4x4, how to get to the "Settlement" from the airport, and how to turn the car back in on Tuesday. We just bring it back to airport and leave the keys on the seat! When we expressed our surprise, he blithely pointed out that we were on a small island...where would some one go if they stole it?
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Australian Border Force at the Christmas Island airport
See C.I. history with migrants arriving by boat |
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| No automated jet bridges |
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| Martin, our Hero! |
Driving was touch and go at first. I was very anxious about driving on the winding roads of the island, especially on the left side of the road, and especially in such a big vehicle. When we finally found The Sunset, our lodging for the weekend, we began looking at the visitor information left in our room. Not only was our car very much needed, a run to the grocery store was too! Restaurants are open only specific days and specific hours and very little is open on Saturdays and Sundays. After a few minutes getting the lay of the land, we set out for a sunset walk and ended up at The Golden Bosun, a western-style restaurant a few steps away from the hotel. We were up much later than intended, but we also had nothing scheduled in the morning other than stopping by the visitor center for information about tours and a stop by the local grocery store. It's so nice to not have an agenda once in a while.
Twilight from The Golden Bosun
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