Day 1
Our first day out with the torch (the torch being any of the 10,000 individual torches as apposed to the Flame – of which there is only one – actually that’s not strictly true, there are 3 flames but I’ll get to that later) after leaving Sydney to start the Torch Relay in Guam was on the tiny Manus Island (now infamous as as location of Australian governments off-shore immigration processing). It was a stop to re-fuel the plane and our first encounter with some locals.
We weren’t there for official Torch Relay business – but there was a crowd (I guess a jet landing on their tiny runway was news!) so we got out a torch and passed it around. And my first real Torch Relay photo!
Our plane for the Oceania leg of the relay was provided via Flight West. They went bankrupt shortly after the Games…