Fanning Island was a fascinating part of this cruise. The people there are living much like their "cousins" in Hawaii did 300 years ago. No electricity, no flush toilets, food comes from pigs, dogs, chickens, and the sea. Twice a year, the boat arrives from Australia with beer and cooking needs (oil, flour, rice). Norwegian Cruise Lines has built a school, but they need materials. We walked to the school and gave the teachers some colored pens for the children to color with. Hopefully, they will have paper from some other cruisers. They were very appreciative of our gift. We only spent about 2 hours on island, while many passengers spent the day swimming and sunning on a perfect beach. The island itself is almost at the Equator, and is everyone's idea of a "tropical island".
The people of Fanning did not have a cash economy to speak of, before the cruise ship arrived. Now, they have a "marketplace" with handicrafts. Many of the people are helpful to visitors with no expectation of payment, but have begun to receive "tips" for their trouble. There is still no begging, unlike tourist areas of Mexico and the Caribbean. Let's hope these folks have a good transition into the 21st century. To us, the school seems to be a good start.
Around the island, the water is too deep to anchor (1,500 feet deep), so they keep the ship in place with engines and thrusters, assisted by GPS. Tenders take everyone to and from the ship. They even have a 2-level cat that stays at the island all the time. Very comfortable ride into the lagoon through its tricky entrance.
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