Trip to Nikumaroro

[Chris Johnson]

TIGHAR plan educational trip to island

[C.W. Herndon]

Very interesting. Thanks Chris!

[Ric Gillespie]

Yes.  Here's your chance to visit Nikumaroro in style.  The trip is still in the planning stage and no price has been set, but I've been told it will definitely be less than $5,000.  The trip is in no way contingent upon the results of this summer's  expedition but you can bet that if Niku VIII hits the jackpot the 2015 trip will fill in a hurry.  So go to http://www.betchartexpeditions.com/contact.htm and let the Betchart folks know you're interested.

[Monty Fowler]

*ponders several weeks in a small confined space with Gillespie and King*

*shudders*

On the other hand, this could be the trip of a lifetime!

LTM, who will go as long as they promise not to serve mellon balls for dessert,
Monty Fowler, TIGHAR No. 2189 CER

[C.W. Herndon]

LTM, who will go as long as they promise not to serve mellon balls for dessert,
Monty Fowler, TIGHAR No. 2189 CER

Hi Monty. Could this be a play on words??

[Bessel P Sybesma]

Yes.  Here's your chance to visit Nikumaroro in style.  The trip is still in the planning stage and no price has been set, but I've been told it will definitely be less than $5,000.  The trip is in no way contingent upon the results of this summer's  expedition but you can bet that if Niku VIII hits the jackpot the 2015 trip will fill in a hurry.  So go to http://www.betchartexpeditions.com/contact.htm and let the Betchart folks know you're interested.

Would that be $5,000 departing from mainland USA - or from Fiji (as shown on the map in the link)?

[Ric Gillespie]

Would that be $5,000 departing from mainland USA - or from Fiji (as shown on the map in the link)?

I'm guessing that the price would be excluding airfare.  Air Pacific fares r/t from LAX usually run about $1,000.

[Tim Mellon]

LTM, who will go as long as they promise not to serve mellon balls for dessert,
Monty Fowler, TIGHAR No. 2189 CER

Hi Monty. Could this be a play on words??

Somewhat puerile, what, Woody? Not really worthy of TiGHAR.

[JNev]

LTM, who will go as long as they promise not to serve mellon balls for dessert,
Monty Fowler, TIGHAR No. 2189 CER

Hi Monty. Could this be a play on words??

Somewhat puerile, what, Woody? Not really worthy of TiGHAR.

Considering many things before us, one man's sense of puerility might easily be another's sense of propriety, but let us not get testy...

Could be a typo but I admit that the spelling suddenly appears to be rather less than ambiguous - so to my friend Monty I say "be kind, assume the lotus, and chant... ummm... ummm... " - remember your friend the Zen...

Woody, you sure don't miss much on the uptake.  8)

[C.W. Herndon]

Woody, you sure don't miss much on the uptake.  8)

Thanks...I think ???

[JNev]

Yep.  ;)

[George Lam]

LTM, who will go as long as they promise not to serve mellon balls for dessert,
Monty Fowler, TIGHAR No. 2189 CER

Hi Monty. Could this be a play on words??

Somewhat puerile, what, Woody? Not really worthy of TiGHAR.

Considering many things before us, one man's sense of puerility might easily be another's sense of propriety, but let us not get testy...

Could be a typo but I admit that the spelling suddenly appears to be rather less than ambiguous - so to my friend Monty I say "be kind, assume the lotus, and chant... ummm... ummm... " - remember your friend the Zen...

Woody, you sure don't miss much on the uptake.  8)

Why respond to him?  I was hoping no one would much anymore.

[JNev]

Why respond to him?  I was hoping no one would much anymore.

It's gotten to be rather like coming up on a garishly awful auto accident - some just have to gawk as we creep by...

[Ric Gillespie]

Moving right along .....

We've heard back from the folks at Betchart Expeditions who are putting together the 2015 cruise to Nikumaroro.  As you may recall, they were asking for expressions of interest from the public to see if there was enough demand to justify the excursion.  They are flabbergasted.  The response has been greater than they have ever gotten for any proposed trip.  Needless to say, they are moving forward with setting up the logistics and getting ready to start accepting bookings.

They are looking at several ships, all very nice, ranging from 60 to 130 in the number of passengers they can accommodate.  At this point they're projecting 3 full days and two half days at Nikumaroro. Tom King and I are now trying to figure out how in the name of Nei Manganibuka we're going to give upwards of a hundred people a meaningful and rewarding experience at Niku.  Just getting people ashore safely will be a challenge.  The landing channel can be treacherous, especially at low tide with surf running - and our guests will not be carefully selected and hardened TIGHARs.  This is going to take some careful planning.

[Ric Gillespie]

Maybe if its subscribed by 'over' portly people you could float them in  :P

The shark population is in unanimous agreement that that's a great idea.