FRUSTRATION !
It really was very stupid of your Editor to forecast getting home yesterday !
There we were in Apia, rooms fairly cleaned, linen collected for the laundry, Queen Poto buses ready to leave early, everyone of the party packed and on the transport and we were off. Farewells and thanks had been given to the staff in the Dining Hall and the accommodation and there was much waving to the passers-by as we drove steadily to the Faleolo airport. Obviously all were keen to get on their way !
Then we met the Nauruans (it was their charter flight) and were informed that the plane had been delayed out of Brisbane that morning and would not arrive until 4.50 pm. !!! Suddenly we were frustrated about not getting home, and concerned about killing the next seven hours and "feeding the five thousand" ! Among other things, the floor of the terminal was rapidly covered in bodies catching up on sleep. Then the "Duty Free" ice-cream parlour made quite a lot of money ! In the meantime, our Chef de Mission Willy Uan was making arrangements to try to solve the food problem. It necessitated him returning to the Games Village in Apia and negotiating for the sudden supply of 40 packed meals !!! With the co-operation of his assigned driver (who should by then have been off-duty !), he managed it !
THUS TO NAURU !
The plane arriving early helped the situation, but we still took off after 5.00 pm. With flying time to Tarawa of over three hours, even gaining one hour and losing one day we would still have arrived in Tarawa after dark ! With no lights at the airport that was impossible ! So "Our Airline" made the frustrating decision to fly direct to Nauru ! Then on to Solomons (the other main group of passengers on the charter). About 8.50 pm. we arrived at Nauru airport. More confusing information about the possibility of joining in a Civic Reception (aimed obviously at the medal-winning Nauru team) meant that (sensibly) we were taken to the nearly hotel instead ! Once there, the priority (once the water was flowing on the upper floors !) was getting clean and changed ! Again, in the meantime, Chef Willy found a Chinese restaurant across the road, willing to serve all the group. They suddenly had unexpected income and the group eventually (well after midnight) managed to get to bed.
NOW IT IS MORNING !
Having slept well and done the ablutions, food is again a priority ! Your Editor, having been in Nauru three months ago, went searching. Grabbing a sandwich on the way, I found various food outlets and went back to the hotel. Not many signs of life yet (9.00 am.) but those awake were given the necessary information to find some breakfast.
Then we must think about TRAINING !!! This is NOT a holiday !
Last Modified on 12/09/2007 09:01