Happy Labour Day!

Those poor Americans ... they have to wait until September for Labor Day, but for the rest of the world: MAY DAY! So today is a holiday.

It got me thinking of holiday trips I've taken in the past.

I never blogged much about my holiday to Ailuk Atoll last August. At the time it was a tad stressful (to say the least). The plane that was supposed to pick me up was seven days late, forcing me to spend two weeks on the most isolated place in the world!

But now that I am living in one of the world's busiest and most crowded cities, two weeks on Ailuk doesn't seem so bad.

Look at this Main Street: no traffic whatsoever! I was mystified by the telephone pole that you can see on the right. Without phones, street lights and electricity, what do you need ONE telephone pole for?

When I lived in the USA, I always thought that Duluth must be about the most isolated place in the world. After my time in the Marshall Islands, I now know that Duluth is the SECOND most isolated place in the world.

Although Ailuk is very relaxed and laid-back, the palm trees give the impression of a perpetual fireworks display. And this pandanus tree looks just like a frizzy-haired cheerleader, doesn't it?

I feel fortunate to get to experience an atoll. With sea levels rising due to global warming, they might not be with us much longer. Even if some of the land manages to stay above water, the fresh-water wells will be contaminated by salt-water, making life extremely difficult, if not impossible, in places like Ailuk.

I slept on the veranda of a house and this is what the sunset looked from my "bedroom".

I wonder where this driftwood came from? No trees of this size and shape grow on Ailuk. It must have floated a long distance to reach this beach. A lot of stuff washes up on the beach, most of it is trash. But the people generally pay it no attention. Sorta like me: I was just a white guy who washed up for a while from who-knows-where, and they knew that eventually I'd drift off again. And so I did, back to this stressful world of mine.