Tuvalu

Tuvalu – Funafuti Atoll – lagoon – view from Vaiaku Lagi Hotel_2012_P1230265

Tuvalu – Funafuti Atoll – Government Building_2012_P1230219

Tuvalu – Funafuti Atoll – view from Vaiaku Lagi Hotel_2012_P1230205

Tuvalu – Funafuti Atoll_2012_P1230215

Tuvalu – Funafuti Atoll – lagoon – view from Vaiaku Lagi Hotel_2012_P1230221

SP-12 South Pacific (FIJI, AUSTRALIA, NAURU, SAMOA, American Samoa, TUVALU)
Date of travel: Nov 1 – Nov 22, 2012

ITINERARY:
On Nov 1 in the afternoon I drive a rented car from Vista, CA to Los Angeles airport. From there I take a plane to Nandi, FIJI. Thanks to the Date Line the plane lands early in the morning on Nov 3 there. Spending the day on the airport I fly in the evening from Nandi to Brisbane, AUSTRALIA where one night in a hotel. On Nov 4 I visit the Brisbane downtown.
Just after midnight on Nov 5 I fly to NAURU Island, where in the morning. I am taken to my hotel. I spent 2 days on Nauru. One of the days I take a tour through the island where the Australians have a detention camp for immigrants. In the afternoon on Nov 7 I fly back to Brisbane and my hotel there. Next 3 days I spent sightseeing the city. In the evening on Nov 10 I fly to Nandi, Fiji.
Early in the morning I am driven from Nandi to Sonaisali Resort. Last part is a boat ride to the island with the resort. I spend next 3 days in this tropical paradise. Late on Nov 13 I fly from Nandi, Fiji to Apia, SAMOA. Next 3.5 days I explore Samoa and one day I fly to Pango Pango in AMERICAN SAMOA. On Nov 17 I take a plane from Apia via Nandi to Suva, Fiji. Here I stay 2 days and do sightseeing of the Fiji capital, Suva and its surroundings.
On Nov 20 I fly to Funafuti Atoll in the island country TUVALU. I land there before noon. Local man drives me to my rather primitive hotel. In the net 2 days there I walk through the village, take pictures of the Tuvalu government house, buy some Tuvalu stamps and spend more time in a nice hotel, which seems to be a gathering place for foreigners who are here on business. I should have had room in this hotel. In case the ocean level rises in the future, Tuvalu Atolls will be impacted first, because they are only few stops above the sea level.
On Nov 22 afternoon I leave Funafuti Atoll for Suva, Fiji and then take another plane to Nandi on the other side of Viti Levu Island. In Nandi I board a plane and an hour before midnight it takes off for Los Angeles where I land at noon still Nov 22 due to the Date Line. I get a car from Hertz and drive home to Vista.

Travel office: I arranged the flights and hotels by myself.
Who took part: I traveled alone.