Running to Adventures around the World
[Read more…] about How we did a $7500 trip to Bora Bora for $1300
Exhausted after four connections, two overnight flights and a whirlwind tour of Manila, we arrived at last, in Australia, our final destination on this RTW trip. We flew to Melbourne (not Sydney, as portrayed in the cover photo), as that is where we had to pick up our dog, Kyuss, from quarantine. While we traveled, we were lucky enough to work out a deal with our tenants to watch our dog, allowing him to stay in our house, his comfort zone. He loved them, which made us feel at ease about leaving him for so long. Two weeks before we arrived in the land of Oz, Kyuss was sent first to LA, then flown to Melbourne. Since Australian quarantine laws are so strict (there’s no Rabies in Australia, and Aussies would like to keep it that way), most animals are required to spend time in a quarantine facility. Thankfully, the rules were changed recently, reducing Kyuss’s stay from three months to 10 days. We arrived on a Thursday, and he was being released Sunday, meaning we had three days in the Victorian capital.
Paul’s sister Lindsay met us once again, as did his middle sister Mel. We also have some friends in the city, so we were able to all meet up and enjoy a dinner at a trendy Melbourne restaurant, followed by drinks at some hipster bars. We also drove to the coast with Lindsay and a friend for one night, but it was way too cold to enjoy the beach.
It’s a huge, secure facility in the middle of nowhere, that looks and feels like a jail. 
Security had to buzz us in, and there were different security checkpoints. Eventually, Kyuss was wheeled out in his large travel crate, and all three of us were incredibly excited. Thus reunited, we began the eight hour drive to Adelaide. 
Yap is one of the states that make up the Federated States of Micronesia (the others are Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae). This country sees fewer than 3,000 tourists annually. One reason for this may be that there are only 3 flights per week. The other may be the extreme inconvenience and cost of getting there. Luckily we were able to use a chunk of our frequent flier miles to reach this far-flung place.
We arrived at the tiny airport, which doesn’t have X-ray capabilities – luggage is searched by hand – and stood outside while waiting to pass through customs into the single room arrivals lounge.
We were greeted and lai’d by a topless local woman. Traditional Yapese women do not wear shirts, but at the same time, consider it rude to expose the knees.
Yapese society is organized in very strict caste systems within each individual village. The elders of the villages run things, and they seem to have more power than the state government.
Each village has a men’s house, located by the water, which women cannot enter, and a meeting house, used for gatherings and traditional dances.
