THE JOURNEY OF AURORA - COCO KEELINGS ISLAND: Part 1, by @marc-allaria (translated from French)

in #story5 years ago (edited)

This is an authorized translation in English of a post in French by @marc-allaria: LE VOYAGE D'AURORA - STOP#10 - COCO KEELINGS ISLAND, présentation...!

As my primary language is not English, there are probably some mistakes in my translation.

Remember that the person who speaks here is NOT me, Vincent Celier (@vcelier), but Marc Allaria (@marc-allaria), a French guy.

THE JOURNEY OF AURORA - COCO KEELINGS ISLAND
Part 1

Jacques Brel has certainly found the most beautiful words to sing his "island". "An island off of hope ... an island off of love ... an island hot like tenderness," he said. No doubt, the Marquesas Islands of the Pacific were in the thoughts of the poet when he composed these few verses. But on the other side of the globe, in the eastern part of the Indian Ocean, there is a string of islands that deserve to play their rhyme in this now universal melody. Because it's there that everything starts too, on the other side of the ocean, the Cocos Keeling Islands are now where Aurora is going.



A GRAIN OF DUST IN THE OCEAN

A tiny point. This is what Cocos Keeling Atoll looks like on the Indian Ocean map. Located more than 3000 km west of the Australian coast and 1000 km south of Java, the group of islands extends its land on only 14 square kilometers and contains a lagoon, much of which dries up completely during the high low tides. .



The first marine indications positioning the atoll on the maps of the European settlers date from 1609. It will then take more than two centuries for the first traces of housing to take place. In 1825, it was French, survivors of shipwrecks, who built the first huts while waiting for help. There followed a turbulent history shared between English colonization by Alexander Hare and the Clunies Ross family, sultans, devastating cyclones, reconstruction, exploitation of copra, Malay emigration, Japanese bombing, and ending in 1978 with the purchase of the atoll by the Australian government for $ 6.25 million.



Since then, the "Cocos", as they are nicknamed, are part of the Australian territories of the Indian Ocean. Around 700 souls inhabit the two main islands of the atoll. The Malays live mainly on Home Island, Australians, mostly expatriates, are located opposite the lagoon on West Island, the island also hosting the airport. The economic activity of the island is almost nil since the cessation of the exploitation of copra in the early 80s. Only tourism remains somewhat, but cannot seem to attract an Australian clientele that prefers more affordable destinations in Southeast Asia. The rhythm of life remains the one that one attributes to all the island clichés, displaying calm and nonchalance on the bottom of one of the most beautiful postcards that one can imagine.



Continue to Part 2

* * * * *



01: DISCOVER THE PHILIPPINES: Funny situations ...! at sea..., by @marc-allaria
02: DISCOVER THE PHILIPPINES: The fishing file ...!, by @marc-allaria
03: DISCOVER THE PHILIPPINES: The Cagayan Islands, by @marc-allaria
04: DISCOVER THE PHILIPPINES: Seaweed...!, by @marc-allaria
05: DISCOVER THE PHILIPPINES: The Bacuit Archipelago, by @marc-allaria
06: BORNEO: Kudat and the technical stop, by @marc-allaria
07: BORNEO: Kinabatangan River, by @marc-allaria
08: BORNEO: Maratua, part 1, by @marc-allaria
09: BORNEO: Big Fish School, by @marc-allaria
10: BORNEO: Diving in Maratua ...!, by @marc-allaria
11: BORNEO: The jellyfish lake ...!, by @marc-allaria
12: SULAWESI: Sewia...!, by @marc-allaria
13: SULAWESI: Story of a dive at Pasoso Island...!, by @marc-allaria
14: SULAWESI: Tanjun Kai...!, by @marc-allaria
15: SULAWESI: Kopoposang...!, by @marc-allaria
16: SULAWESI: PA-RA-SI-TE...!, by @marc-allaria
17: SULAWESI: BIRA...!, by @marc-allariaThe long mishap - Part 1
18: SULAWESI: Diving under my house ...!
19: SULAWESI: Stright ahead ...!, by @marc-allaria
20: The long mishap - Part 1, by @marc-allaria
21: The long mishap - Part 2, by @marc-allaria
22: The long mishap - Part 3, by @marc-allaria
23: The long mishap - Part 4, by @marc-allaria
24: The long mishap - Part 5, by @marc-allaria
25: THE JOURNEY OF AURORA - Christmas Island - Part 1, by @marc-allaria
26: THE JOURNEY OF AURORA - Christmas Island - Part 2, by @marc-allaria
27: THE JOURNEY OF AURORA - Christmas Island - Part 3, by @marc-allaria
28: THE JOURNEY OF AURORA - Christmas Island - Part 4: Crabs, by @marc-allaria
29: THE JOURNEY OF AURORA - Christmas Island - Part 5, by @marc-allaria
30: THE JOURNEY OF AURORA - Christmas Island - Part 6: Land of asylum, by @marc-allaria

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Very beautiful island. I wish to go there.

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Yes, nice place. You can get it only via Australia. West coast I think

Thanks for information dear

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wow you seem to know alot about those islands that first photo is so majestic cant wait to see the rest of your story looks like a lot of history.....thanks for sharing

Next week ! I will tell more about the nature around these islands.

A very nice and beautiful place indeed!

Thank you @ronel and thank you for your resteem.

You'e very much welcome!!
Need some !popcorn or !pancakes ?


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