Let's go somewhere. Somewhere far from here. Somewhere I would have loved to visit in person but now expect that that will never happen. It is Pitcairn Island in the far South Pacific Ocean - a tiny blob on a map, a speck, a particle, a smidgen. You will find it at 25° 4′ 0″ S, 130° 6′ 0″ W.
Most of us know the story of the mutiny aboard the British naval vessel "The Bounty" back in 1790. Afterwards, nine mutineers along with several Tahitians headed for uninhabited Pitcairn led by Fletcher Christian. They were looking for a new home, a bolthole where they might never be found by the British authorities. Upon arrival, they soon set fire to "The Bounty" which sank in Bounty Bay.
Even today, descendants of those first settlers reside on the remote island speaking a strange language that is a mixture of eighteenth century English and Tahitian known as Pitkern. The population size reached its peak in 1936 with two hundred and fifty inhabitants but now it's down to forty seven. Some think that the island will reach an unsustainable tipping point but limited tourism is currently helping remaining islanders to stay afloat.
Sadly, Pitcairn has a dark secret that has seemingly been a constant feature of island life in the past and that is the sexual abuse of children. In former times, girls would invariably give birth to their first babies between the ages of twelve and fifteen. It appears that the almost endemic paedophilia is much reduced today and several adult male islanders have spent time in jail for their crimes. We may have travelled to somewhere far from here but I am afraid we couldn't get away from the bad stuff.
I found this fascinating video of a trip that two young American men made to Pitcairn in recent times. It's twenty minutes long so you might not wish to watch all of it. I felt quite envious and their experience increased my desire to go there. It's a longing that I accept I should probably suppress.
from Yorkshire Pudding https://ift.tt/IzMinDy