As I was saying…

Pohnpei is a Micronesian paradise.  It has a barrier reef encircling the island that, in calm weather, keeps the lagoon as flat as glass.

The island doesn’t have long, sandy beaches. Mangroves own this piece of land.  It is a mountainous island, covered in green, with the prominent Sokehs Rock and Sokehs Ridge dominating the northwestern landscape.

Over a 100-year period, the island saw Spanish, German, Japanese, and American occupation, only regaining its independence in 1986.  Remnants of these foreign invaders can still be seen on the island, from the Spanish wall to the bell tower of the old German church to the Japanese guns on the ridge (and the rusty tank in Kolonia). And, of course, the fact that they use the US dollar). 

After landing and taking our turn in customs, we were taken by van to The Village.

It was built by the Arthurs in the 1970s when they decided to up and move from southern California with their four boys.  They still live at the hotel and we saw them every day at meal times.  One of their sons, Jamie, manages the hotel for them now, having remained on the island, married a Pohnpeian woman, and started his own family (six daughters).  Touted as the best place to stay on the island, The Village is set high on a hill in the trees with breath-taking views of ocean and the northwestern side of the island.

Centered around the thatch Long House (which houses The Tattooed Irishman bar and restaurant), it consists of about eight thatch bungalows.  Each has 270-degree views, some simple wicker furniture, a couple of ceiling fans, and two…waterbeds. Yes, waterbeds.  Which actually makes sense since the rooms don’t have air conditioning and are screened in.  I’m sure a regular mattress would collect moisture and become rife with mildew in no time.

In addition to being the best hotel on the island, The Tattooed Irishman is also considered the best place to eat.  In the four days we were there, I enjoyed breakfasts of bagels with cream cheese, oatmeal with raisins and brown sugar, fresh drinking coconuts, big omelets with ham and cheese and sour cream and toast, and delicious local fruit.  I don’t remember what Spencer had because I was too focused on my own food.  I miss breakfast.  It’s not really a ‘thing’ in Thailand.

We also took our dinners at the hotel.  Fresh mangrove crab, tuna sashimi (caught that day), plum chicken, macadamia nut chicken, sweet and sour chicken (lots of chicken), and beef stroganoff.  And that is only a fraction of the menu.

Sour sop daiquiris and pina coladas rounded out our evenings.

We went to Pohnpei for the diving. However, there are so many other things offered here as well. Hiking, surfing, fishing, kayaking, land tours, birding… This small island definitely doesn’t lack for adventures.

The hotel arranged our dive trips for us ahead of time.  We planned two days of diving (four dives total) and one day of kayaking the ancient ruins of Nan Madol.  They included lunch of either fresh sandwiches on thick rolls or a bento (rice, Portuguese sausage, and vegetables wrapped in a banana leaf cone) along with a soda and fruit.

On the first trip out, we were accompanied by Jay and Oscar, our dive guide and boat captain, respectively.  Both were extremely friendly and helpful. This was my first dive outside my check-out dives from certification.  I was a bit nervous.  We had hoped to dive Manta Road with the acclaimed 10-15 foot manta rays that are said to inhabit that area in abundance.  Unfortunately, when we got there, Jay swam around for a while making sure they were “home” before we geared up and they were no where to be found.  My dream of diving with rays would have to be shelved for another time.

Our guides opted instead for Pelakir Pass.  This would be a wall dive.  Up to this point, my deepest dive had been to 45 feet.  I would be going much deeper this time.

We boated around the island for about 20 minutes or so.  Then we saw the surfers sitting on their boards waiting for the waves.  Remember, there are no beaches on Pohnpei.  Surfers are taken by boat out past the sea wall and ride the waves until they break against the lagoon.  As we were approaching the pass, we watched as a storm moved amazingly fast towards us.  Our little dive group and the surfers just waited out the rain, getting drenched together.  It was warm and refreshing.  And torrential. But quick.

Since I was mostly concentrating on my buoyancy and equalization and just getting used to the diving, I don’t have much recollection of the first dive. I remember it was beautiful and exciting.  The thrilling feeling of having the sea wall on one side and vast open space on the other.  My air ran down faster than I expected so I had to ascend before Jay and Spencer.  This was because I went 30 feet deeper than I had been on Kwajalein and I was more than likely breathing erratically just trying to get comfortable with the concept.  Also, when it seems like I can’t equalize and the pressure in my ears is a wee bit too much I tend to breathe much deeper than normal in an attempt to focus on something else.

By the end of the first dive it was time for lunch so they took us to a pier where we parked the boat and enjoyed our sandwiches and sodas while watching a large group of kids have an amazing amount of fun in the water.  They were playing tag, cannon-balling off the pier, climbing on boats, snorkeling, fishing, laughing, and just generally enjoying life.  Their smiles were contagious.

After finishing his food, Spencer snorkeled around for a bit.  Although tempting, I was having flashbacks of snorkeling on Koh Lipe and the burn I suffered.  I didn’t feel like risking it.

Mwand Pass was our second dive of the day.  This is the one I remember.  It was another wall dive.  I was just coasting along, perusing the wall when I heard banging.  I looked up and saw Jay who was gesturing behind me.  I turned and there was a massive school of barracuda! They weren’t disturbed at all by our presence and just went about their business.  They lingered for a couple of minutes in our area and I just “stood” there watching them swim in unison, the shimmer changing like reflectors with every move they made.

Shortly before the end of the dive, Jay swam around a rock outcropping and was startled by a 9-foot nurse shark napping in the crook of the rocks. No worries. Nurse sharks are like puppies. And this one was fast asleep anyhow.

Day Two of diving.  We ventured out to Ant Atoll, an hour by boat.  I seem to recall there were about five other people along this time, plus a dive master in addition to Jay and Oscar.  We got to the atoll earlier than planned so we had to wait for the tide.   Everyone used the respite to snorkel.  It was a beautiful reef and worth snorkeling.

When we started the dive, I had no idea how intense it would be.  This was a drift dive, meaning we got in the pass and allowed the current to carry us along.  The current was a little stronger than anticipated.  I ended up descending quite rapidly, not even realizing it because I was being swept along so swiftly while trying to equalize and gain my bearings.  Before I knew it, I was at almost 90 feet.  I ended up getting narc-ed (nitrogen narcosis) and being fairly disoriented for most of the rest of the dive.  It wasn’t a total loss, however.  I got to see sea turtles (my favorite) and a humphead parrotfish, which I was told is a rare-ish sight.

We stopped to lunch on a nearby island.  It was absolute paradise.  We all sat in a semi-circle on low chairs facing the water. Enjoying our sandwiches and bentos, we basked in the warm sun, cool breeze and the sounds of the waves.  Then we heard a loud crack from the trees and Jay came out holding an enormous coconut crab.  At this point, the men forgot about lunch and were up playing with the big crab.  Boys.

A discarded piece of sausage provided further entertainment when it was discovered by a couple of lizards.  They started wrestling and fighting over it.  A large hermit crab took advantage of the tussle and started running off with the sausage.  A third, wiser lizard also took advantage by stealing the sausage from the crab and taking off in to the jungle.  The first two lizards seemed to have forgotten what the fight was about and were now scrapping just for the sake of scrapping.  Eventually, they broke up and also left for parts unknown.  It was a comical lunchtime diversion.

I simply remember our final dive as being relaxing and care-free.  Nothing like the current of chaos that was the drift dive.  Everyone was very quiet and relaxed and sleepy on the way back.  A double rainbow welcomed us back to Pohnpei.

Our final full day on the island was filled by a trip to Nan Madol (“spaces between”).  This ancient ruin city is made up of small, artificial islands criss-crossed by canals. The structures are built with basalt logs, some of them 50 feet in length and weighing many tons.  No one knows where the logs came from or how they were transported to the site of Nan Madol.  Spencer and I along with Jay and another guest of The Village put kayaks in a motorboat and set off for Nan Madol at around 9:00 am.  The trip there was beautiful, passing many small islands and sand spits, some with small thatch huts.  When we arrived at the city, a woman sat along one of the island walls with her daughter waiting to take our $3.00 “entrance fee” in to the ruins.

The megalithic architecture really is quite impressive up close.  The “logs” aren’t really round cylinders but more hexagonal in shape.  After we sat and had Jay give us a brief history and mythology of Nan Madol, we wandered the ruins on the main island.  I declined to venture in to any of the subterranean chambers or tombs.  If the small spaces weren’t enough, the spider webs certainly solidified that decision.

We eventually hopped in to our kayaks and set off through the canals.  Spencer and I opted for a two-seater, since I have no kayaking experience.  First we headed out to the lagoon side of the ruins and paddled through a shallow area.  We were able to see brightly colored starfish and some sting rays through the perfectly clear water.  We then headed back in to the islets that comprise Nan Madol.  There are nearly 100 of them.  I think the tide was out because in some areas the water was so shallow that we high-centered and Jay had to push us through.  It was very hot and sunny and all I could think about the whole time was how much I wanted to get out of the kayak and just swim through the canals.  But it was a very peaceful and pretty trip.

Heading out of the ruins for lunch, Spencer and Jay had to literally walk to boat to deeper water.  I did get out and help part of the way, but mostly it was the men folk.  Not including the other guest with us.

Jay took us to a very small island that he said is considered to have the most beautiful sand in and around Pohnpei.  And it did.  So fine that it made a squeaking noise underfoot.  You could pack it like snow into balls.  Which I did.  And used.  Spencer was not amused. I got dunked.

Our last stop was Kepirohi Waterfall.  The fall is fresh water and so beautiful.  After having been in salt water for almost two weeks, swimming in the cold pool under the falls was so refreshing.

When we were hiking in to the falls, there were kids in the river, swinging from a long, thick vine and dropping in to the water.  I had determined to stop and try it on the way back.  Both Spencer and I gave it a shot, much to the delight of the kids.  Who doesn’t enjoy watching “old people” make fools of themselves?  Vines were designed for people much lighter than me and Spencer.  It was definitely laughable.

Our outbound flight wasn’t until around one or two pm the next day.  We were able to enjoy breakfast and still had time for souvenir shopping.  The hotel would take our bags to the airport so we didn’t have to worry about dragging them around with us.  Spencer was very keen on getting some black peppercorn, for which Pohnpei is particularly renowned.  I was keen on getting trinkets for the 20 relatives back in Colorado.  Christmas was fast approaching.

Pohnpei is also known for their handicrafts and that’s what I wanted to pick up.  Found a place with tons of hand-woven ornaments made with cowry shells.  I stocked up.  For myself, I got an angel fish carved from ivory nut.

Spencer was still on a mission to find peppercorn.  We happened to run in to Jay while wandering the streets and he drove us to the peppercorn farm.  To Spencer’s chagrin, a wave of Japanese tourists had cleaned out the island’s ready supply of peppercorn.  We found small packets of it in the waiting area at the airport, but it was ridiculously expensive for very little product.

I happened to have just enough cash on hand to pay the $10 exit tax (which I had never heard of before) and we were on our way out of Pohnpei.

If you happen to be traveling between Japan and Hawaii, I would highly recommend stopping off in Pohnpei.  Otherwise, it is fairly cost prohibitive.  Money aside, I am very glad I went. The diving was spectacular, the people are extremely friendly and welcoming, and the accommodations were perfect.

And now I have a stamp in my passport from The Federated States of Micronesia.  Something I never thought I would say.