**Fanning Island

Fanning Island is one of the most remote places on earth, an isolated speck in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.



It is a coral atoll about 7 miles in diameter, 1500 feet wide, 185 miles north of the equator, 1,000 miles South of Hawaii. At sea two and a half days to spend 6 hours here. Only 4 cruise ships a year stop here.


The only way to get to Fanning Island is to come by sea. There is no power grid, indoor plumbing, running water, hotels, airstrips, hospitals, no telephones, electric, TV!, no movie theater... It is untouched. 2,000 residents. Trails take you back to the residential areas. This little island is shown in the beginning credits of Gilligan's Island.

 








The traditional dress is a sarong, but most children were dressed in western clothing. They live off the land and sea. You only eat what you can grow or catch. Being so far from the rest of the world they also count on goods arriving 3 times a year from supply ships. People here live in grass shacks made from coconut fronds and pandanus leaves. There also are many lean-tos. All buildings are open air, many one room.

 Up until a few years ago barter was the only form of commerce. Now, many families participate in selling handicrafts to the 3 cruise ships which come to visit. They sell their crafts, baskets, seashells they find, and carvings. In my short time there I only saw a few bicycles as a means of transportation. The one dirt road on the island is not very wide and very crude. Johnnys is the new and only general store on the island. I could not find it.

 

The residents of Fanning Island welcomed us with their craft tables set up by the dock. What I found was mostly seashell necklaces. There were wonderful baskets handcrafted with seashells. No t-shirts, no magnets, no Fanning Island hats... :) Just handmade with love handicrafts.

 




















Local residents also performed during the time we were there. One little girl was too adorable for words...watching and dancing along on the side of her grandparents. Only tour is a self tour. I left the main area where everyone was milling around and headed down the puddle ridden dirt road...not sure where it led. Children were being let out of school so they were all running down the road, probably coming to see the tourists. Many people set up white buckets so you could pay them for photos. I think there are more children on this island then adults :).

 

These girls were dressed in traditional dress. They had a white bucket in front of them so of course, I gave them a dollar for the photo.. Super sweet little ones.

 





This is part of the school house..... The sad thing is that this island is at sea level. If the water rises, as some predict, the island will be submerged. LOVED FANNING ISLAND...... can you tell?