We have been enjoying Funafuti. The country of Tuvalu had their federal elections on the 16. Dignitaries arrived from all the other atolls along with two Navy ships. The town was definitely in holiday mode. People were in their Sunday finest. We hopped on the local bus and received the grand tour to the end of the road and back. One can rent a motor bike for $10 a day, but we found the bus entertaining. The narrow island is a rural atmosphere, with urban overpopulation issues. Pig farming is done with small pens lined along the beaches. Pigs, chickens and of course seafood is the mainstay. Every scrap of land is in use with pigs, gardens, small homes, rain catchment systems, and graves. Oh, and we can't forget the runway! Garbage disposal is a real issue especially in what I call the "low rent" districts where is is piled high and deep. The people are friendly, with most speaking great English. Tourism nonexistent, which has been a nice change for us after the hustle and bustle of Nadi, Fiji. With this rural atmosphere, it is no surprise that supplies from groceries to hardware is in short supply. Knowing this, we provisioned adequately in Fiji. We are having fresh produce withdrawal however, after the lush farmer's markets in Fiji. Tuvalu does have a bank, but does not have the capability to handle any kind of credit/ATM card type banking. They are happy to exchange Fiji and US dollars for the local currency which is Australian dollars. There is some Tuvaluan coins still in circulation, which we are happily saving for souvenirs. The town sports a splattering of merchants often with their house divided between home and retail space. It's a lot of fun looking around. There are several places to eat sporting only a couple of tables, which is just fine. There are even a couple of internet cafes. Unfortunately I haven't been able to connect with my laptop. There is a weak public wifi signal that I can just barely receive from the boat. I will post photos in the future when we can get a better signal. Independence day is October 1. I expect we will be gone for this holiday. The weather is looking good for us to continue our northbound trek. We have been visiting with Sunstone, a couple who have been cruising for many years and are heading to Japan and across to the Aleutian Islands. We are only vessel number 12 to visit Funafuti this year. Last year there were a total of 19. So this is a great place to explore off the beaten path.