There aren’t many countries where you can walk around the entire country in less than a day. In fact, Nauru may be the only one. Even in Vatican City it’s not possible to walk all the way around (although it’s likely possible to walk around the walls whilst in Italy). My plan was to wake up at 5 AM but I decided not to turn on my alarm as my sleeping patterns are out of sync and I’m pretty banged up: sunburn, an injured elbow, cut fingers, and hundreds of mosquito bites. I slept in until 9:30 AM but still decided on walking around the island since it was overcast and a bit wet. Nauru’s coast is flat apart from a few small hills on the east coast, so I opted to go clockwise since those hilly stretches would be downhill. The weather wasn't the nicest to start my walk but when it rained I would duck into a shop.
I can count the number of people I know who have been to Nauru on one hand, but my friend Oliver is one of the few. He agrees that it’s not the prettiest Pacific island but there’s a nice vibe and the people are friendly. By Pacific standards the island is secular (as in, you don’t see too many churches) and shops tend to be open a bit later than in other parts of the Pacific. Nauru has 12 districts, and I would pass through 11 of them on my walk today. Last week I met the prime minister of Tuvalu so I called at the Government House for another chance at meeting David Adeang, the president of Nauru. I also called in the day I arrived and I'd be told they would call me if it were possible, and I continued my walk. I then called in at the post office for some postcards and then at Bendigo Bank. I'm disappointed that Nauru has never issued their own coins for circulation; they've always used Australian coins and banknotes. My favourite drink in Nauru is iced tea in a plastic cup; refreshingly, it's not overly sweet and it's perfect on a hot day. Overall there's been a lot of cloud cover during my time here so it hasn't been brutally hot. My phone has a stopwatch, and I paused it each time I called into a shop or had a rest break. I thought of stopping for a lunch break at Capelle and Partners, the largest supermarket and shopping centre on the island. The Capelle family arrived from Germany in the early 1900s and firmly set up shop here in Nauru. About three quarters of the way around Nauru it started to get very hot, and I had a lengthy rest as I've learned to be much more sensible regarding heat. You see so much more when you walk than if you're in a vehicle or even on a bicycle.
When it cooled down I called in for a late lunch of pizza at Bay Restaurant. It's the expat watering hole and possibly the best restaurant in Nauru. It's the first time I've actually bought a meal in Nauru as, every time I've planned to go out for lunch or dinner, I've always been offered food. A short way back to Maruan's home I successfully completed my circumnavigation of Nauru. It took me three hours and 58 minutes although I could possibly have done it a bit faster. After exerting so much sweat, I wanted to don my swimming shorts and throw myself off the boat ramp. Ahhhh, it felt great! Just like how I've walked up a mountain, I can officially say I've walked around an entire country.
