Right about now my devoted
followers you’re probably feeling like we here at VFH Central. It’s bitterly
cold and snowing and there’s a pandemic and there’s no football on the TV. We
can’t go anywhere because of the icy roads and the weather and the virus, and I
can’t eat any more of Janet’s pastries and bread, but please don't stop baking Janet! I'll purge I'll rally...don't worry.
I am getting very tired of shopping online buying things I don't really need, and I am loathe to look at old vacation pictures or plan for unattainable destinations! .
Janet's Almond Galette
Bored! BOREDOOMED! Doomed!
Listening to Jeff Sarge’s
Reggae Schoolroom on FMU 91.1, originally from Upsala College, East Orange, NJ, on Sunday mornings via my “Alexa” helps. I have
been listening to the program on and off for decades, depending on the available
reception, but with this device it’s my weekly indulgence.
Quickly though as I
listen to the music that beats to my heart’s rhythm and daydream of warm climes,
my view out the kitchen window reminds me how inaccessible and faraway
everything is for this crippled globe gnome. There’s no travel and no social
activities, no dining, no interaction with friends or family except through
emails or facetime calls.
BORED! BOREDOOMED! But
not doomed.
At least I have the
birds.
ORTHINOLOGY IS US
Janet introduced me to
bird feeders at my old house and we have a feeder and a suet pack just outside
our kitchen window here in the middle-class garret we now call home.
As the birds have
gotten used to our faces ogling back at them through the kitchen window, we
have been rewarded with a myriad of birds to view up close and personal. Goldfinches,
Purple Finches, Bluebirds, Chickadees, several varieties of woodpeckers and sparrows among
others I don’t really want to labor to discover their type, alight on our perch
to feed!
It’s absolutely delightful and offers a salve for this sequestered
existence we are leading. …
That is until the Tree Rats (squirrels) come
munching! I thought they hibernated in the winter…the bastards. Maybe I can find
a squirrel zapper while online shopping...
Here's a sample of our view!
Hang in there we'll all get through this sooner or later.
In these troubling times which are more Kevin
Spacey’s rendition of Bobby Darin’s classic pop hit, Beyond The Sea, there is
seemingly no escape from this COVID pandemic. Just recently it was announced
that EVERY county in the United States has had at least one coronavirus case
when someone was diagnosed on the sparsely populated Hawaiian island of Molokai,
which was a former leper colony.
Pretty bleak. This global pandemic is deadly
and pervasive, but if you, my wonderful readers, are playing along, you figure
there HAS to be some place COVID free. Well, according to the World Health
Organization as of January 28, 2021 there ARE places on Earth that have yet to
record a single COVID diagnosis.
World Health Organization
Now, I know there are some of you who think
WHO dropped the ball on this whole pandemic, and that two countries they have
on their COVID free list are North Korea and Turkmenistan, which may raise
eyebrows on the accuracy of their findings.
Well, for the sake of dreaming of far away
lands of golden sands this article focuses on the 13 island nations or territories
in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans who have benefited from their remoteness and
the strict travel policies they have put in place at the beginning of this
pandemic.
Travel to all of these safe havens is
difficult, but worth the effort because of their natural beauty. So, come fly
with me, and let’s explore. Listed here with tourism information are the remaining COVID free places in the world!
This is the southernmost United
States territory. It is a collection of 5 islands and two coral atolls and they
are just east of the International Date Line. People speak English fluently,
they use the U.S. Dollar as currency and the capitol is Pago Pago.
The Independent State of Samoa is a Polynesian country consisting of 2
main islands and 2 smaller islands. This sovereign state was once part of the
British Empire and is now a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The 54
members of the Commonwealth included Canada, Australia and India.
Samoa
Located west of the
International Date Line, Samoa’s number one tourist must-do is to swim in the
To Sua Ocean Trench, a 30-meter-deep pool that formed when a lava tube
collapsed. The government has prohibited nearly all travel to its islands for fear
of the spread of COVID.
Napoleon was exiled on Saint Helena, and subsequently dies on this British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic. That history is the main reason tourists visit this very remote island, although whale watching and bird watching are also popular activities.
Saint Helena
The 4,000 plus residents of
Saint Helena live on a 10-mile by 5-mile island 2,500 miles east of Rio de
Janiero and 1,200 miles west of the southwestern coast of Africa.
The only British Overseas Territory in the Pacific is Pitcairn Island. The roughly 50 full time residents are all descendants of Tahitians and the infamous British mutineers of the HMS Bounty.
Pitcairn Islands
Currently you are not able to travel to the Pitcairn Islands, because this least populated national jurisdiction in the world has closed its border to all cruise ships, tour vessels or yachts, unless there is an emergency.
Although there are no reported cases of COVID on this 8-mile square island in the South Pacific, you'll probably won't want to go there. Heck no one goes there anyway; it is perhaps the least visited island nation in the world.
Nauru
Although nicknamed the Pleasant Island, Nauru has a dubious history. Rather than getting deep into it, which involves phosphate mining, extreme obesity, no potable water and a center set up by the Australians to house Afghans, Sri Lankans, Pakistanis, Iraqis and Iranians seeking asylum, Nauru is an easy pass...
Great flag though.
If interested here's a couple of sources about Nauru.
Situated between Hawaii and Australia, this nation of 3 reef islands and 6 atolls, at first closed its borders to all travelers and now has mandatory quarantining to combat COVID.
Once a British Protectorate, then a colony, Tuvalu and (relatively) near by Kiribati were once known as the Gilbert and Ellice Islands. Tuvalu split with England in 1978 and Kiribati in 1979 to become separate countries.
Apart from the breathtaking beauty of the islands of Tuvalu, there is also an opportunity to see remnants of WWII era planes. During the war large numbers of American troops were stationed on Tuvalu.
Tuvalu
Today the enemy is climate change. If the oceans rise enough, countries like Tuvalu will become submerged.
The Republic of Kiribati will also suffer the same fate as Tuvalu with rising ocean levels.
Kiribati
This collection of 32 atolls and one coral island is spready over 1.4 million square miles of the Pacific. The International Date Line curves to encompass all of Kiribati into one day, but the country straddles the equator, making it the only country in the world that is in all four hemispheres.
Kiribati was the first country to welcome the new millennium in 2000!
One can tour remnants of World War II artifacts in a living museum, where the bloody Battle of Tarawa was fought, but diving, surfing, fishing, bird watching and touring the islands and experiencing some of the culture are fine pastimes.
This archipelago nation that is comprised of 170 islands, of which 36 are inhabited, suffered greatly during the Spanish Flu pandemic in 1918. Over 1,500 Tongans died when a ship from New Zealand brought the disease, an 8% mortality rate at the time. So, it makes perfect sense that Tonga has kept COVID out of their country by restricting cruise ships and closing the airport during very early stages of the pandemic.
Tonga
Tonga even initiated a national lockdown and thus far there have been no recorded cases of COVID....and no visitors.
Although Tong's tourism site shows a glimpse of the country's breathtaking beauty; it remains only a dream destination.
This dependent territory of New Zealand consists of three coral atolls with 1,500 souls, making it one of the smallest populations of a sovereign nation on the planet.
According to the Tokelau website, more Tokelauans live outside the country, with nearly 7,000 living in New Zealand.
Tokelau
There is no airport and the islands are accessible only by ship.
Tokelau prides itself as the first country powered 100% with renewable energy.
If you decide to visit Tokelau when this pandemic is over, brush up on your Tokelauan, as nearly everyone speaks it as a first language before English.
Part of the three nation Compact of Free Association or COFU with the United States, (the other two are the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands) Palau uses the U.S. Dollar as its currency.
Palau
This 340-island independent nation is east of the Philippines and west of Micronesia.
Early in the pandemic Palau stopped all commercial air travel from landing there and now has a mandatory quarantining regimen in place.
Palau's tourism site offers updates on pandemic safety regulations.
On a personal note, one of my favorite Olympic pins that I've collected/traded for over the years is from Palau. I traded with a Palauan wrester while working the Sydney Olympics in 2000!
I have had a fascination for Micronesia ever since my father told me about Yap, one of the four states in this 607 island group, that used large stone discs for its currency. Pocket change notwithstanding, the remoteness of this island group that stretches end-to-end for over 1,600 miles in the Western Pacific, has always been a dream destination for this humble traveler.
Micronesia
There are four states in the FSM: Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae and despite the array of islands the total combined land mass is small.
Although the alluring remoteness of Micronesia works well in combating the pandemic, it works against tourism.
The Old Continental Airlines used to have a special Micronesia ticket that as long a you traveled west, you can do as much island hopping as possible to whatever islands they serviced. Departing from Hawaii you eventually make your way to Guam. Though I had looked at the brochures many, many times, I never pulled the trigger.
Diving is a very popular activity in Micronesia and since I got my PADI certification this has been a plausible destination, if only I had some Yap coinage!
FSM relies heavily on financial assistance from the U.S. as part of COFU, and according to the World Health Organization, Micronesia also received aid from China and Japan during this pandemic.
This self-governing country of 15 islands is in free association with New Zealand, and tourism is its main industry. Usually there are several direct weekly flights to the airport on Rarotonga from Sydney, Auckland and Los Angeles, but there is a mandatory quarantining period and all cruise and recreational ships have been temporarily banned from its ports.
Like the Cook Islands, Niue is in a free association with New Zealand and relied on them for help dealing with the pandemic. Although it's just a 3-hour flight from Auckland to Hanan International Airport, because Niue is on the eastern side of the International Date Line, one arrives the previous day. Currently travel to Niue is extremely restricted and all arrivals are "ferried immediately to a strict 14-day quarantine," according to that country's official website. So, plan your trip accordingly!
Niue
Nonetheless, Niue is one of just a handful of places in the world where it's legal to swim with humpback whales. From July to October the whales mate and nurse their young in the deep waters off Niue. Diving, freediving and snorkeling trips can be arranged, or you can dine at the Matavai Resort to watch these gentle giants slap their flukes against the water and listen to their calls.
The Magellanic Clouds
Also, the entire island is designated as a Dark Sky Nation and perfect for star gazing. Guided Astro-tours can be arranged for those interested in viewing the wonders of the night sky, including the Milky Way, the Magellanic Clouds and the Southern Cross. The latter two can only be seen in the southern hemisphere.
So far they're safe, and sadly so very far away. Even without the menace of COVID these distant destinations are beyond the sea and attainable for this humble traveler...Unless of course you'd like to donate to my research? All currency is accepted, even YAP buckaroos.
Thanks for reading. Be safe and kind with each other.
