Awake at dawn I was again to see the majestic red crabs migrating to and from the sea. Crabs with eggs attached are moving toward the sea whilst those without are moving away from it and back toward their burrows.
I feel like I've been here forever even though I've only been here for six days. David Attenborough is a famous travel documentarian, and he made the red crab migration famous. As the "crab sweepers" from the national park were out with rakes, I got Christmas Island's iconic photo.
These crabs have already dropped their eggs and are moving inland. A lot of people are scared of crabs for some reason. According to one longtime friend, they give her the "heebie-jeebies." Maybe it's because of their bug-like appearance.
After all, crabs are arthropods just like insects and arachnids. After dozens of photos and standing amidst a moving sea of red crabs, I made the decision that I was going to get out to the Blowholes today. Getting around Christmas Island is extremely tricky if you don't have a vehicle but I was determined to get out there today. I don't want to spend all of my time in the Settlement. The other day I hired a personal locator beacon (PLB) from the police station and I informed Regine of my plans. After a delicious lunch of sweet and sour chicken, I made my way up the hill. Getting a lift to the airport turnoff was easy but from there I had to wait for a bit.
With many roads closed entirely or access heavily restricted, I knew I was going to have to walk for a bit. A national park ranger picked me up and dropped me only 3 km from the Blowholes. From there it was a steaming hot walk whilst having to dodge thousands of red crabs. It's important to look down as you walk, otherwise you'll step on a crab. The walk down to the Blowholes is downhill most of the way, so it'd be all uphill coming back. Today is the first day I've truly gotten out and seen another part of the island, although Joanna took me on a tour to South Point and Margaret Knoll yesterday. A comforting sea spray greeted me as I reached the Blowholes at high tide. What a sight!
Christmas Island is in the shape of a dog. The Settlement is in the nose, South Point is at the bottom of the front leg, and the Blowholes would be on the stomach. For the first time on the island I soared Juliett into to the air...
...and like always, she didn't disappoint. I haven't flown Juliett much of late but she's been my trusty drone in the likes of the Maldives, Bali, Ireland, Pitcairn Island, Mo'orea, Taiwan, New Zealand, and many other places.
Christmas Island is the summit of an ancient undersea volcano, therefore sheer cliffs drop toward the sea.
It was all uphill walking back, and I did so relentlessly. Safe and sound on the road, I got a lift quickly by a couple of phosphate miners. With all the walking I did I wanted a glass of wine at Tracks Tavern, one of only two pubs on the island. They dropped me a short distance away but it was along that road that my mood really changed. Thousands of red crabs were crossing the road and two vehicles came roaring past, crushing at least two dozen crabs within a span of a few seconds. The sound is horrific, like an egg being crushed. I was in tears after what I saw, and I was ready to call the national park office and say "you'd better get a team out here to sweep the crabs off the road." Tanya is the head of the national park office and she passed by and noticed how upset I was. She said she was quickly organizing a team to get out here. Really upset I made a B-line for Tracks Tavern. It's so sad that I specifically came to Christmas Island to see these creatures and they're getting crushed right before my eyes! Even the barman said the sound of a crab being crushed is one that doesn't leave you. I really just wanted to drink as much wine as possible tonight after seeing all those crabs getting crushed. I had one, drank it quickly, and then had another. I called Regine to inform her that I was back safe and sound; she said that if I wasn't back by nightfall that she was going to inform the police and have them look for me. Darren, nicknamed "Jock" is one of the local "firies." He and I sat for awhile whilst we chatted with his friend Luke, who is also on the spectrum. For the first time ever, I got to ride in the cab of a fire truck. Luke and I would be "crab sweepers" as Jock drove down the hill. From there, Jock made some fish for dinner and we all just chatted the night away as the call to prayer sounded and the crabs migrated. My hope is that I don't have any nightmares about crabs being crushed.
More crabs tomorrow...
