Kiribati

Tarawa

From July 26th to July 29th, 2025

July 26

We checked in at the Motel Utirerei around 4pm and were exhausted by the time we got to our room. The check-in process was quick. We discovered that neither of our power adapters would not work with their plugs, so Max set out to get money out of the ATM and to then buy a power adapter in town - it was only about a 5 minute walk. Hailey was too tired and needed to stay out of the heat for a bit. So, without cell reception, Max left around 4:45pm to see what he could find. By 5:30 Hailey was relieved when he returned albeit empty-handed and dripping with sweat.

Apparently the line for the ATM was over 30 people long. Locals are normally prepared for this and they bring their own plastic chairs to sit in line and wait for the ATM. It could seemed to be a social situation, as it was Saturday night and people were basically just hanging out in line. Max waited for a few minutes to see how long it would last, but he ditched the effort and went to a convenience store to buy the power adapter. The store didn’t have a power adapter, and also was cash only - so the excursion was not a fruitful one. We did have US and Euro cash, but they only accept Australian Dollars here.

We decided to fast for dinner, there were no tempting food spots on the island. With our phones and watches at half battery, we powered them down so they would last us through the night and to the morning so we could figure out a new way of getting the resources we needed! The heavy rain shower at night put us both in a deep slumber.

July 27

We woke up around 7am and set out for the ATM (together this time) at the Parliament Building just 5 minutes away. Luckily, there was nobody in line, but somehow the process took at least 5 minutes. A line had started to form after we got there and probably grew throughout the day.

We then proceeded to walk about an hour down the main road and say hi to the locals. It was Sunday morning so many people were getting ready for church. A few rain showers came in and out while we were walking and it kept us nice and cool. Instead of saying hi or hello back, a few of the adults started saying “howdy” to us. We got at least 5-6 “howdys” and a few “good mornings”. A small group of two guys held up their beers (at 9am) and said “come join!” Compared to Max’s excursion the previous evening, Max said that the city walk was very tame to what he experienced the night before (barking & biting dogs, aggressive children, fast cars, beetlenut, young punks).

We got back to the motel from our morning walk and noticed some LDS signs and mormon missionaries coming in and out. Something we had not really picked up on when we checked in the evening before. Perhaps that explains why this motel is the nicest one on the island.

Lunch was at the hotel: vegetable fried rice, a cheese sandwich (we were thinking it would be a grilled cheese, but it came with cole slaw inside), and a chicken soup. Followed by a nap.

Woke up from the nap and did some exercises in the room. We went out for a leisurely run around 4:30pm (it would have been too hot to do it any earlier). While on our 4 mile run/walk we ran past packs of barefoot kids that wanted high fives and to practice their english. By the time we were on our return from the run, the kids started running with us and laughing. It was really a priceless moment and seeing them all laugh and smile was a beautiful thing. Alongside the children in Africa, these kids seem to be radiating happiness with their smiles so big and bright.

We ate dinner around 6pm. Max had the Spicy Sesame Beef with white rice, Hailey had the steamed fish with pasta (the pasta was like mac n cheese - but still pretty good!)

There was a nice Japanese guy in the dining hall with us and we got to speak with him about what he was doing there. He was working on a project that involved all 14 of the countries in the South Pacific.

July 28

Woke up this morning, gave our laundry to the hotel for them to wash & hang dry, and then went for a run around 9am.

After 5 miles, we returned around 10, showered, rested, ate lunch at 12 (an egg sandwich, vegetable fried rice, and spicy fish soup), then went down for a nap at 1.

At 4:30pm we went out for our daily evening walk while sweating the whole time. We passed by groups of kids wanting high fives and more adults saying “howdy”. We walked by a large group of young adults playing soccer and pretty sure we got invited to join them - but we weren’t so sure. In hindsight - maybe we would have stopped to spectate a bit. We passed by a group of 3 kids: 1 collecting hermit crabs from the water, 1 crushing the shells of the hermit crabs to take the crab out, and 1 placing the hermit crabs on a hook and throwing the stick & line fishing rod in the water. Within seconds they caught a fish! It was a spectacle to see.

We returned to the hotel an hour later for our dinner. Max had spaghetti bolognese (chef boy are dee vibes) and Hailey had a blacked tuna with white rice. We shared a chocolate covered macadamia nut from Bikendrik for dessert in our room (we only have 2 more left).

July 29

Max woke up at 7am to get one last run in. Hailey waited back in the room to pack the bags and take a slow easy morning. By 8am the laundry had still not arrived but we were to depart by 9am.