Here is the Buada Lagoon I mentioned before. You can see the enclosure that is probably used to raise milkfish. At one time, the entire lagoon was sectioned off, but now I'm told that there are probably only two families that still do this.


This is what much of the areas of the island that were mined a long time ago--this was probably mined in the 50s and 60s--looked like. While a lot of it is overgrown, in between these dense and incredibly jagged limestone towers are pits that can drop five stories in some cases. Any place that has been mined is all but impassable.



And here is a couple of shots of the decrepit phosphate works. All of this is supposed to be fixed up with money from an Australian fertilizer company early next year, at which point the government will begin mining whatever phosphate is left. It is in pretty atrocious shape. But there is akind of beauty in this decay, I think.

No news on flights yet. I contacted the U.S. Embassy, which is in Suva, Fiji. I registered with them before I left, but I don't think anyone looked at that list or tried to contact me to see that I would be able to get out. Their advice? Get out. Now. Thanks. Is 400 miles too far to paddle in an outrigger canoe?

There is a flight to Australia this weekend, but it is full and I would be responsible for getting from there back to Fiji. Air Nauru says they will have a flight next week and I have tried to make clear that I WILL be on it. But there's no real telling where it will go and no guarantee I will have a seat (although I'm not above serving drinks or clinging to the wing at this point). Eh. Tomorrow will take care of itself. I just keep repeating that, but I'm not sure it means what they think it means.