Federated States of Micronesia

FEDERATED STATES TAB5 TAB4 TAB3 OF MICRONESIA TAB1 © LonelyPlanetPublications Micronesia of States Federated 98 international tourism,theuncompromisingnature holdsfirm. oftheChuukese Then tocometerms there’s with misunderstoodChuuk–althoughtheislandisjuststarting titles, adistantstyleofgovernance significantsocialandpoliticalinfluence. thatstillexerts stone money–it’saneternally fascinatingplace. Pohnpeiretains itssystem ofchiefs andclan retain theirarchitecture, theirculture, theirskills, theircustoms,religions, theirgigantic all-singing, all-dancingchurchceremonies (witharelaxed islandtwist,naturally).Yap’s people Kosrae isastate where everything shutsdownonSundayandfullfocusisgiven tovibrant Pohnpei ishometomysterious ancientruinsandaplethoraoflushlandforms. with trueislandspirit;KosraeisaPacific paradise,possiblytheFSM’smostbeautifulisland;while aquatic experiences;Yap isthemosttraditionalstate, resisting theonslaughtofWestern mores diving –explore anunderwater WWII‘museum’that’shailedasoneoftheworld’sultimate multitudes ofcoralformationsthatlive intheirfringing reefs. Chuukisrenowned forits wreck tory ofoppression andoccupationundervariouscolonialpowers. unique states ofKosrae,Pohnpei,ChuukandYap; abouttheonlyelementtheyshare isahis- shared culturalidentity.Yet lumpingtogetherthefour theFSMtagisanarbitraryconstruct, Mariana Islandsperhaps,witha theNorthern to besimplyanotherislandagglomeration,like referredOften theFederated toas ‘Micronesia’, States(FSM)isoften assumed ofMicronesia „ „ „ „ „ HIGHLIGHTS If youcan’tfindsomethingtoexpandyourworld-view intheFSM,checkyourpulse. toexperienceavariety oflifestylesTravellers looking are Kosraeansare inluck. truebelievers; The fourstates anddiverse have cultures, asthe distinct traditionsandidentities,ascolourful

joyous outdoorvibes Pohnpei around thelushvolcanicswellsof Hike Stroll around glimpse intotraditionalYapese values banks atYap’sMarvel enormous ( p114 ), forataste ofislandmystery Pohnpei’s ancientstonecity, Explore Kosrae’s manta rays wrecks including Chuuk’samazing Sample someofthePacific’s bestdiving, biggest town ramshackle hubthat’salsotheFSM’s ( p130 ) forawell-preserved ( p124 ) andYap’s beautiful 19) and (p109) ( p131) Kolonia Lelu ruins Kosrae 11) a vibrant, a ( p111), stone-money WWII 15) and ( p105) 13) for (p103) NanMadol YAP PROPER POHNPEI ISLAND Yap Proper Stone-Money Banks Hiking Manta Rays Nan Madol Kolonia Chuuck State KOSRAE STATE CHUUK LAGOON WWII Wrecks Pohnpei Lelu Ruins Hiking Kosrae person died,1500peoplewere lefthome- buildingontheatoll;one just aboutevery typhoon Sudal,which destroyedordamaged food shortages. debilitating enormous cropdamage caused most 1300peoplelosttheirhomes,while peoplediedandal- Chuuk. Thirty-seven from them. are theotherstates although notimmune tracks; onKosraestrongstormsare rare, climatic information,see p827 . Yapon earth. isthedriestisland.Formore nually, makingitoneof therainiestplaces the interior gets asmuch as10,000mman- mer; rainfallisheaviest onPohnpei, where wettest months are inlate springandsum- 26°C to27°C(80°F81°F)yearround.The Temperatures onallFSM islands average CLIMATE &WHENTOGO www.lonelyplanet.com are manylegends relating toKosrae. Kosrae since inChuuk(as inPohnpei) there guess, butmostpeople puttheirmoneyon where theyreally camefromisanybody’s toChuukwithhissonSowooniiras; by canoe century thegreat leader Sowukachaw came to Pohnpei andoverthrew theSaudeleurs. warriorsthe 14thcentury,Kosraean sailed gion. Pohnpeian legend that around says powerinthere-also onceanimportant chief, who ruledfromtheislandof Lelu. Kosrae wasunifiedunderoneparamount fortresses andtemples. By1400,stratified from NanMadol, anelaborate cityof stone Pohnpei; they reignedasty, ruledmedieval famine, sicknessandtyphoons. were tohave believed thepowers toinduce magic: theYapese employed sorcerers who east. Thisempire wasbuiltonthepowers of Islands andencompassingChuuktothe empire, rangingasfarnorththeMariana ataroundAD200. settlement Map Islanddate theearliestknownYapese Pottery andotherarchaeological findson &Empires Magic HISTORY were lost. less, andwater, electricityandphoneservices Chuukese legend says that around the 14th Chuukese legend thataroundthe14th says In April2004,Yap washitbySuper- In July 2002, Supertyphoon Chataan hit In July2002,SupertyphoonChataan The FSM isoutsideclassictyphoon There are indicationsthatKosraewas The Saudeleurs , atyrannicalroyaldyn- The Yapese oncereigned over ascattered FEDERATED STATES OFMICRONESIA •• Climate&WhentoGo was killed inarebellion byPohnpeians arrival, Pohnpei’s first Spanishgovernor welcome.pitable Three months after his line Islands.They didn’treceive ahos- that gave Spainauthorityover theCaro- in 1886,followingthepapalarbitration 19th centuryto5000bycentury’s end. ulation droppedfrom10,000in the early their tollonPohnpei; theindigenous pop- spreadDiseases byvisiting Westerners took &Rebellion Suppression King George’ byvisitingWesterners. I,whowasknownas‘Good Awane Lapalik came harmoniousunderthereign of Chief permission fromKosraeanmen. bedded islandwomenwithoutfirst getting apparently as revenge onthesailors whohad ship Louis Duperrey. the French ship a Western shipfinallypulledintoharbour– early as1801,butitwasn’tuntil1824that were few andfarbetween. for thenext100years theirvisitstoYap the islanders hadkilledallthecolonists. ply ship returned ayear later, itfoundthat onUlithiAtoll,butwhenasup- established at best.In1731aSpanishJesuit mission was Yap attempts tosettle Early were half-hearted &Massacres Retribution The SpanishbegantooccupyPohnpei In theearly1840srelations againbe- In 1835Kosraeanstorched theHawai’ian KosraeatleastasEuropeans sighted Apparently gotthehintand Europeans „ „ „ „ „ „ „ „ MICRONESIA FACTS FEDERATED STATES OF

Waverly Website: Greeting: Languages: Currency: International telephone code: Land area: Population: (Pohnpei) Capital city(andisland): annim Pohnpeian; Chuukese; Yapese)Pohnpeian; Chuukese; ; Mogethin andmassacred theentire crew, www.visit-fsm.org

USdollar(US$) Lotu wo 702sqkm Englishandstate languages 108,105 Coquille (‘Hello’inKosraean; ; Kaselehie , captained by, captained Palikir ; Ran

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TAB5 TAB4 TAB3 MICRONESIA OF TAB1 FEDERATED STATES FEDERATED ὄ ὄ FEDERATED STATES TAB5 TAB4 TAB3 OF MICRONESIA TAB1 Federated States ofMicronesia fications for theJapanese. As punishment forti- forced to buildairfieldsand military As WWIIapproached, theYapese were &WorldWar, Too All That that of thelocals. of theislands,andtheirnumbers dwarfed onSokehs.settle people fromotherMicronesianislands to Sokehs residents toPalau in andbrought mass grave. thenexiled426 TheGermans leaders were executed andthrownintoa uprising wassuppressed andthe17rebel troops charging upSokehs Ridge. The Melanesianading Koloniaandsending overseer andtherevolt wason. Sokehs Island.ThePohnpeians killedthe Pohnpeian working onalabour gangon sparked overseer whenaGerman beata infamous 1910–11Sokehs Rebellion was fromtheSpanish. The ing theCarolines to buildSpanish forts. ofprotesting the use forcednative labour 100 FEDERATED STATESOFMICRONESIA See YapStateMap(p126) In 1914theJapanese navy tookcontrol revenge, promised The Germans block- arrivedThe Germans in1899after buy- Yap Proper FEDERATED STATES OFMICRONESIA ••History Ngulu Atoll ὄ ὄὄ Ulithi Atoll 140ºE Sorol Atoll N ORTHPACIFE ὄ Fais Eauripik Atoll YAP Woleai Atoll ὄ ὄ Faraulep Atoll eans livingonPohnpei andonlyabout 5000 nearly 14,000Japanese, Okinawans andKo invaded Kosrae.forces never the Japanese duringWWII.Allied wareffort forestry, fishingandcoprahelpedsupport in1944. support base captured intoamajor and developed Allied the islandduringairraids.UlithiAtollwas invade Yap theybombed Proper,although pieces asroadfill. (stone money),sometimesusingthebroken smash piecesof Yap’s valued highly noncooperation theJapanese would for bombed the Japanese docked fleet inthe ofwas calledthe‘Gibraltar thePacific’. central Pacific soimpenetrablethat it base, the Japanese mostimportant Imperial Fleet’s Pohnpei wasnotinvaded. out 1944andKoloniawasvirtually levelled, were hitbyUSaerialbombingsthrough- Pohnpeians. Japanese Although military At thebeginningof WWIIthere were inagriculture,On Kosrae,developments During WWII,USforcesdecidednotto On 17February 1944, theUSnavy air- Chuuk’s huge, sheltered lagoonbecame Ifalik Atoll Olimarao 145ºE Atoll Gaferut Atoll Elato West Fayu Atoll Lamotrek Atoll Satawal Pikelot www.lonelyplanet.com ὄ ὄ Namonuito Atoll Pulusuk Puluwat Atoll Atoll Pulap Atoll WESTERN ISLANDS 150ºE rai r-

and went on to establish separate countries. separate and wentontoestablish stitution. TheMarshalls andPalau rejected it Islands andPalau voted onacommoncon- Pohnpei, Kosrae, Chuuk,Yap, theMarshall Federated States ofMicronesia Federated of States Micronesia. www.lonelyplanet.com Chuukese, Kosraeans orPohnpeians. more tieswithPalauans thantheydo with unsurprising, given thattheYapese share of joining theRepublicof Palau –thisis of from theFSM, seceding whileYap talks Pohnpei hasmootedwoes. thepossibility of government corruptionandotherfiscal allegationsment rate is34%,amidserious nomic burden;theChuukese unemploy- Chuukasaneco- other FSM statessee describe elementsof itin‘national’terms. rather thanaculturalconstruct,it’shardto Given that theFSM asa‘nation’ispolitical NationalPsyche The THE CULTURE on thebottomtoday. some60ships, whichlagoon andsank lie Tol Lagoon Chuuk Fayu East ὄ ὄ ὄ What wasleftbecame,bydefault,the In July1978theTrustTerritory districtsof There’s notalotof unity.Infact,the HALL ISLANDS HU POHNPEI CHUUK Namoluk Atoll Etal Atoll Nomwin Atoll Tonoas Murilo Atoll Map (p122) See WenoIsland Nama Satawan Losap Atoll Atoll MORTLOCK ISLANDS ὄ ὄ ὄ Lukunor Atoll Kapingamarangi 155ºE Atoll Nukuoro Atoll Oroluk Atoll ὄ ὄ N ORTHPACIFE Ant Atoll FEDERATED STATES OFMICRONESIA••TheCulture Pakin Atoll Sapwuafik Atoll every every one brings giftsof foodand thatcanlast fordays,andsocial events to theclansystem. manyPohnpeians retainised, atitlerelated Pohnpeian societyisbecomingWestern- subsistence farmingwidespread. Although enjoy limited privileges. thatisland.Memberspeople tosettle still clan, generally thedescendantsof thefirst income. taro. Copraproductionprovides somelocal crops are breadfruit, coconuts,bananasand hood, astheydoinChuuk,where themain sistence farmingandfishing fortheirliveli- experience localculture. readings.psalm Attending isafinewayto mon, hymns,gloriouschoral singingand includesprayers, aser- activity. Theservice on Sundayandchurch becomestheonly closes On Kosrae,traditionally,everything Lifestyle the boxed text, p119 ). Dogisa traditional Pohnpei Pohnpeian funeralfeasts are important On Pohnpei, agriculture and isimportant Chuukese islandhasapredominantEach Most peopleinKosraestillrely onsub- 250miles 0 0 Mokil Atoll 160ºE Pingelap Atoll KOSRAE Map (p104) See KosraeState sakau 400 km Equator 10ºN

(see (see 101

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5ºN FEDERATED STATES FEDERATED FEDERATED STATES TAB5 TAB4 TAB3 OF MICRONESIA TAB1 Lancaster asO’KeefeLancaster inaperformancedes- directed byByronHaskin, Burt andstarring The bookwasmadeintoafilmin1954, ful entre theboxedpreneur (see text, p128 ). 1800s, where into avery heevolved success- wholandedonYapcan sailor inthelate story of David O’Keefe, theIrish-Ameri- Green, tellsKlingman andGerald thetrue did the same invariousworks. did thesame mouth Out of the Aeons pei andNanMadol forhisstories assettings The horrorwriter HP Lovecraft Pohn- used Literature fordetails. sections theindividualisland crafts anddances.See All theFSM have states beautifulhandi- ARTS only PolynesiansintheFSM. of NukuoroandKapingamarangi are the The peopleof theremote Pohnpeian islands Population allaroundYap.seen living. of thanupontheirstandard people’s status hasamorevaries. Caste profound on effect caste, theirrankwithinthatcaste although Members of avillage belongtothesame is borndetermines one’snameandcaste. islands. ontheouterproduction isstillimportant subsistence farmingandfishing,copra to comeacrossit. feast food,butthecasualvisitorisunlikely 102 His Majesty O’Keefe Both Western andtraditionaldress are In Yap to thisdaythevillage inwhich one Most Yapese continue tomake alivingin No. Please. I’m well. How are you? Thank you. Yes. Yes. Goodbye. Hello. English Kosraean Pohnpeian FEDERATED STATES OFMICRONESIALANGUAGE BASICS Chuukese Yapese FEDERATED STATES OFMICRONESIA ••Arts . Lovecraft’s discipleAugustDerleth and Moohi. o ukh I rm? f sm Keusrogombuoch? Ifa usum? Iairomw? Nunakmuna. Nga kuna. Kom fuhkah? Kulo (malunhlhp). Aok. Kut fwaosun. Lotu wo. The Shadow Over Inns- The Shadow Over (1950), by Lawrence (1950),byLawrence

Soo. I kehlail. Ngang mei pochokum. Kab fe’lrogog,kam magar. Kab Ngang meipochokum. I kehlail. Menlam. Kose Kaselehie. mwochen. Wenig ngom. Kalahngan. Eng. Kaselehie.

the otherthree states. with therest almostequallydividedbetween 65 islandsare inhabited. extending 2899kmfromeasttowest.About more than 2.6millionsqkmof thePacific, The FSM has607islandssprinkledacross ENVIRONMENT ithian, WoleaianandSatawalese. lects. OnYap, outer islanders alsospeakUl- On Chuuk,there are minoritydia- several and Nukuoro-Kapingamarangi are spoken. Ngatikese Pingelapese, Pohnpei Mokilese, themainlanguages, on munications. Besides government language forinter-island com- languages, Englishistheofficial although The islands have theirownindigenous LANGUAGE navigator fruitbat. andatalking goddess,aFilipinotransvestitecrazed sex ket innative organs, vital amaddoctor, he discovers bizarre cargo cults,ablackmar- on acargo runtotheYapese islands.There, ventures of apilotnamedTuck,whoisposted Christopher Moore, theabsurdad- details toothy self-esteem’. over-confidence, heroicmuscularity, and cribed byonecriticas‘filledwithmanic the coast. harboursdeepwater andallvillages are along UtweandOkatare swamps. Lelu, themain and another15%isgiven over tomangrove enty percentof theisland is mountainous only FSM state withnoouter islands. Sev- FSM Islandchain; it’sthe andtheCaroline Kosrae istheeasternmost islandof both the Geography Pohnpei has nearlyhalfthelandarea, Island of the SequinedLove Apw. Danga’. Wuu. Arrogo’n. oenm Kefel. Kone nom. Kiniso/Kilisou. Kam Kam Kiniso/Kilisou. magar. a ni. Mogethin. Ran annim. www.lonelyplanet.com (1998),by in additiontothe15mainislandsand beaches.white-sand dozens of smallislands,manywithlovely cular reef isa181-sq-kmlagooncontaining theislandanditssurroundingcir-between mainly tidalflatsandmangrove swamps.In ridges valleysanditscoastlineis anddeep circular.volcanic andit’sroughly third largest; Pohnpei and isalsohigh largest islandintheFSM andMicronesia’s one-third thesizeof Pohnpei Island,the www.lonelyplanet.com Chuuk State includes192outer islands, Pohnpei’s interior hasrugged mountain triangularandaboutKosrae isroughly the islands’restaurants. There’s stillwonder- preserved breadfruit orPohnpeiandogin Chuukese You won’tfindlocaldelicacieslike EATING BEST be sweet as anut. ditional culture andexcellent diving, would while fourdaysin Yap ( p126 ), withits tra- Kosrae ( right ) couldbegood forthree days, week exploringPohnpei( p109 ). You couldthenroundouttherest ofthe Chuuk ( p124 ) couldfillthree orfourdays. In thefirstweek,excellentdiving in Two weeks the boxed text, p135 , fordetails. schedule –youneedtoplancarefully. See FSM andit has aninfamouslyinflexible Continental istheonlyairlineflyingto MICRONESIA IN… THE FEDERATED STATES OF „ „ „ houses. ful variety,though,andsomesuperbeating

variety oflocalfoodstuffs. local chef,whoutilisesadelectable ( p133 ), onYap, boaststheisland’sonly Veranda Restaurant View Conservatory dining area. in aromantic,open-air,thatched-roof thefreshestPohnpei, serves seafood Village Hotel Restaurant( p118 ), on outstanding seafood. traditional-style building,serves Inum ( p109 ), inKosrae’slargest In thesecondweek,glorious,unhurried to fetch you. someone outport and thehotel willsend ments before youarrive, callfromtheair- their guests.Ifyou haven’t madearrange- toandfromtheairportfortransportation Tofol The hotels provide orLelu. free Kosrae; it’sabouta20-minute drive from artificial islandoff thenorthwest sideof Tofol,capital, isontheeastcoast. was previously accessibleonlybyboat.The island; itnowextends toWalung,which Kosrae hasonemajor roadthatcirclesthe ORIENTATION aquatic types. there’s some gooddivingandsurfingfor impressive and more easilyaccessible,plus Nan Madol ruins,butthey’re almostas areLelu, notaswellknownPohnpei’s and limes. citrus fruit,especiallyoranges, tangerines abundant, andtheislandisknownforits ing hibiscus,andbananascoconutsare beaches sandy toexplore.delightful Flower- there’s a pristine fringingreef andmany rainforests andmangrove swamps,and unchartedspecial. Theinterior contains you knowyou’re witnessing something greenery; whenthey’re shroudedinclouds, newcomers arrive. and residents are naturallycuriouswhen any onetimeisconsidered astampede, smile –more thanafew dozenvisitors at peopleconsistently returning Lady’, a unpretentious island,dubbedthe‘Sleep- stunning naturalbeauty.Onthiscasual, veloped areas, anunhurriedplacerich in of Micronesia’sleastspoiltandde- Kosrae (pronounced‘ko- pop 7686/area109sqkm KOSRAE of gentle rollinghills. west of Guam.Theinterior regions are full and Rumung;theislandsare 830kmsouth- clustered islandsof Yap, Tomil-Gagil,Map inhabited. AboutLagoon. 40of thestate’sislandsare more than80isletsthatmake upChuuk The airportisabout 12kmaway,onan The ruinsof Kosrae’sancientstone city, Kosrae’s peaksare drapedinlushtropical Yap Proper consists of thefourtightly KOSRAE •• Orientation KOSRAE ••Orientation shrye ’) isone

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TAB5 TAB4 TAB3 MICRONESIA OF TAB1 FEDERATED STATES FEDERATED FEDERATED STATES TAB5 TAB4 TAB3 OF MICRONESIA TAB1 your hotel forroom-and-car packages. Try cheaper torely thantorent ontaxis acar. cost aroundUS$4;ingeneral, it’smuch fromtheairportto yourhotel will A taxi Around Getting flights. See p135 forinformationoninternational &Away There Getting TRANSPORT Post office % Kosrae visitorinformationcentre Hospital FSM Telecommunications Bank oftheFSM are accepted athotels. There are noATMs onKosrae;credit cards INFORMATION 104 Car Rental Car 2308) access perhrUS$4)Placelong-distancecallshere. Next tothebank. Next Ksa State Kosrae 1 3 2 KOSRAE STATE For carhire, try 370 2228;Tofol; N ORTHPACIF KOSRAE••Information , JM Taxi SLEEPING EATING oreNuiu eot...... D1 Kosrae NautilusResort...... Nautilus Restaurant...... (see6) Island Café...... Inum...... (see 8) Pacific TreelodgeHotel...... Kosrae VillageEcolodge...... Kosrae PhoenixResort...... idCv...... D1 Bird Cave...... Tafunsak Gorge...... Sleeping LadyDivers...... (see8) Saltwater SwimmingPool...... Phoenix MarineSportsClub...... (see7) Pacific IslandDivers...... (see9) Menka Ruins...... Japanese Caves&CommandPost..... SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES Neime’s Car Rental Neime’s Car (Map (Map p105 ; ὄὄὄ ὄὄὄ ὄὄὄ (Map (Map p105 ; Tofol;

O CEAN (

AC % ( % 320 3288) Mp p105; (Map 370 3658) h % 8am-4pm Mon-Thu) 370 3012;Tofol) Andy’s Car Rental Andy’s Car . Alternatively, askat

(Map (Map p105 ; Tofol;Internet ( . % h % Walung ὄὄὄὄ ὄὄὄὄ 370 3368) 8.30am-3pm Mon-Fri) 8.30am-3pm Mon-Fri) 370 8952) 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 (Map (Map p105 ; D2 D1 D2 D1 C1 D1 C2 D2 Yela or B

Senny’s Senny’s ( % Utwe

Airport River Harbor 370 Okat ὄὄὄ ὄὄὄὄ ὄὄὄ ὄὄὄ Utwe-Walung Marine Park Waterfall Sipyen ous. plus side,localsdrive slowlyandare courte- be warnedthatthere’s nopavement; onthe hires outbicycles(US$15perday). Harbor Utwe Some believe thatatthetimehedied, Cycling is a good way to see the island, but theisland,but Cycling isagoodwaytosee many atreasure huntonKosrae. on theisland.These rumourshave inspired Leonora the treasure he’drescued from thesinking was onhiswaybacktoKosraerecover Hayes wasmurdered atseathree years Leonora bêche-de-mer quent visitortoKosrae,where hetradedin ment inChina’sopiumtrade. Hewasafre- roamed thePacific after yearsofinvolve- Hayes, anotoriousswindlerandtraderwho 1870s, amongthemtheAmerican ‘Bully’ arrivingonKosrae intheTraders started BULLY BOY in abrawlwithhisship’scook,Dutch Okat Pacific Treelodge Hotel Pacific Hotel Treelodge In March1874,Hayes’218-tonbrigantine 4miles 6km 0 0 3 Utwe Tafunsak sankinUtweHarborduringastorm. andreputedly buriedsomewhere Finkol River (629m) Mt Finkol 5 , copraandcoconutoil. Mt Oma Hiroshi Pt

1 Tofol

Map (p106) See LeluIsland Malem www.lonelyplanet.com Yeseng

Mp p104; (Map 2 River ὄ ὄ 7 Malem 6 Lelu Harbor D 4 % 9 10 Yenasr Islet Sansrik Lelu Ruins 370 2102) 370 2102) Pete. Pete. later he Hole Blue 8 boxed text, opposite ). log fromthepirate ship from abreadfruit tree trunk,andtheship’s madefood pounders, anoutrigger canoe work. Otherartefacts includeancientbasalt historyandphotosofLelu’s archaeological differentand drawingsdetailing partsof hasonlyoneroom,withchartsmuseum viewofa sweet Tofol Island.The andLelu the farmers market; thetopof thehillhas Mon-Thu) distance. MtFinkol(629m)loominginthe though: dusty roads.There’s abeautifulbackdrop, scattered here andthere alongacoupleof centre of anything–it’sjustafew buildings kookytothinkof itasthe small itseems Kosrae’s state administrative centre isso TOFOL www.lonelyplanet.com an ancient, hiddencity,the kindof isolated tive changes completely: suddenly you’re in uparound youandyourperspec-walls rise vegetation. most completely hiddenbythicktropical homes –beyondtheirbackyards – andal- deceives, astheruinsare justbehind these ButLelu not asinglestonewallinsight. smattering of with homes andbusinesses, waterfrontveals village only asleepy anda one-third of theisland. its ruins,hiddenfromtheroad,stillcover coveredcapital entire Lelu’s lowlandarea; AD 1400(maybeto1250),thisfeudal Kosraean royalty.Datingbacktoatleast land tobuildamassive walledcityfor upon thesurroundingreef, usingthenew bypilingstonesandpackingcoralLelu The earlyKosraeansartificiallyextended RuinsLelu WWII andtunnels caves a great placetoswim. and theflatssurroundingitare It’s exposed. that’s fullof water whenthetideislow even cutexpanse of adeeply start thecauseway, ming pool there’sa causeway; anatural Island isconnected totherest of Kosraeby Also spelledandpronounced‘Leluh’, Lelu LELU ISLAND The Once you’re insidethecomplex, Lelu’s perimeter roadre-A ridearoundLelu’s point,has Hill,theisland’s high Lelu isupthenarrowdirtroadjustpast Kosrae Museum (Map p104 totheleftat ) off used bytheJapanese. used

Mp p105; (Map Leonora saltwater swim- saltwater h (see the (see 8am-4pm Tofol dating fromaround AD1600. are tobeamongthenewest intown, thought stones. about 20poundingaration, stillcontain adjacent areas of Pensa, forfoodprep- used pied thesoutheastern compound,andthe chief’s occu- feaststones. Thehigh house mostly of medium-sizedroundbasalt are called house. and meeting to have bothadwellingcompound been wallsreaching it’sbelieved basalt 6mhigh; sive togetfootpath ontheright totheimpres- before crossingthechannel, take thestone thecomplex.Just aheadthrough straight path tothegraveyard site andcontinue School; followthe Elementary next toLelu On-site signstell thefullstory. logsstacked likeagonal basalt alogcabin. merous large walls,builtfromhuge hex- mounds, afew sacred compoundsandnu- pounds of chiefs, tworoyalburial thehigh the world. jungletofindelsewhere in dense through imaginetrekking youmight setting hours compound, offers anotherexample of while house, theremainsof contains of Bat, afeast the canalfromPensa. walls basalt Itshigh 1 2 TOFOL 6 The Bat The compoundsopposite KinyeirFulat To enter theruins,take thedriveway thedwellingcom- You canstillsee 7 Kinyeir Fulat Kinyeir 3 isthelarge dwellingcompound across Finbata Compound To Malem(7km) A 2 Pensa 1 Lurun 4

, withitsstacked prismatic

Airport (10km) Airport To Lelu (3km); Lelu To . ThewallsatPensa are , a high-walled dwelling, ahigh-walled TRANSPORT SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES INFORMATION Petrol Station...... Kosrae Museum...... Police...... Centre...... Hospital...... FSM Telecommunications...... Bank oftheFSM...... Post Office...... (see1) Kosrae VisitorInformation KOSRAE ••Tofol 200m 0.1miles 0 0 , justtothesouth 5 B 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

105 A1 A2 B2 A2 A1 A1 A1

TAB5 TAB4 TAB3 MICRONESIA OF TAB1 FEDERATED STATES FEDERATED FEDERATED STATES TAB5 TAB4 TAB3 OF MICRONESIA TAB1 on herback facingsoutheast, withherhair view the profile, imagine awoman lying of the range. mountain To Lady Sleeping therugged profiletowards Tofol, you’llsee HarborLooking southwards acrossLelu Sleeping Lady converted forotheruses. adwellingcompoundthatwaslaterbeen tohavecomplex, isthought originally Insruun impressive stacked prismaticarchitecture. 106 Ll Island Lelu ably Lelu’s lastburiedking. ably Lelu’s male skeleton inoneof thetombs, presum- in thereef. naturalhole Islet anddroppedintoadeep bones were ceremoniously carriedtoYenasr his After theking’sfleshhaddecomposed, watch over histombanddecayingbody. king waslaidinthecrypt,kept acontinuous female mourners who,fromthetime to commoners exceptforagroupof wailing royalty.Itwasasacreddeceased area, closed astemporary resting placesfor that served 1 3 2 LELU ISLAND Insru In 1910 a German excavationIn 1910aGerman founda KOSRAE••Malem Pisin SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES Pensa...... Pathway...... Lurun...... Kinyeir Fulat...... Inol...... Finbata Compound...... Bat...... nru...... C2 Insruun...... C2 Insru...... and , atthenortheastern endof the AC Inol contain moundedtombs contain Causeway 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 C2 C2 C2 C2 C2 C2 C2 B Elementary School 400m 0.2miles 0 0 8 Lelu 6 their canoes. ittopaint from thissacred placeanduse trek intotheinterior togatherthered soil to her‘thighs’. Kosraeanmenused tween the rich, red soilfoundinthejunglebe- menstruating,sothataccountsfor posedly the islandof Kosrae. Thewomanwassup- positionandturnedherinto in asleeping with awomansotheylaidherinthesea are easytospot. flowing outbehindher;thepointy‘breasts’ minutes walkupthe river’s side. right post trail leadingto the old marks thebeginning of ashort,overgrown uptoasmalldam; this nicipal buildinggoes 700 WWIIdead. small largest village. 5km southof Tofol, thisisKosrae’sthird- At themouthof the Malem River, about MALEM 9 According tolegend, thegodswere angry The first road to the right pastthemu- The first totheright road themunicipalbuilding,there’s a Behind 2 . Thecommander’s cave-bunker isafew stone monument 1 4 7 5 3 N ORTHPACIF honouring the island’s O CEAN www.lonelyplanet.com Lelu Hill Japanese command D perched on bleached white logs. spot agrey Pacific reef heronscenically find the of Utwe (alsocalledUtwa).Here you’ll of theFinkolRiver, village isthepleasant kilometresEight pastMalem, atthemouth UTWE www.lonelyplanet.com less you’ve apowerful subterranean bent; cave bytheJapanese. left inthebackofbodies supposedly the locals reckon of it’sbecause the Kosraean swampy cave tobehaunted; is thought Like lots of otherplacesinKosrae, this big, the cave as arich fertiliser. bottomtouse theyresemblemoss. Inflight, smallbats. and claws andbuildnestsfromdriedsaliva swiftlets, whoclingtothecave wallsbytheir Wiya area ishometoasizable colony of A large, swampycave (Map p104 ) inthe Bird Cave there’s a lar withsnorkellers. Justbeyondthebridge waters; arestriking turquoise these popu- picturesqueyou’ll see oh-so-lush greenery. Approaching Lelu, looksatKosrae’s views, aswellup-close very pretty, offering andcoastal mountain is The drive theairportandLelu between TOLELU AIRPORT 2321; [email protected]) the goddessof nature andbreadfruit. The ruinswere thesacred spotof Ninlaku, living quarters andceremonial platforms. Utwe, featuring theremains of walls, basalt all three of theisland’sharbours. rewarded withasplendidviewthatincludes Finkol, youshouldaskforaguide;you’llbe IfyouwanttogoallthewayupMt started. pools; askanyoneinUtwehowtoget Utwe uptheFinkolRiver tosomenice grove channels andwetlandforest. of agglomerate dense reefs, lagoons,man- Area, afascinating, Walung Conservation guided tours. TheparkiswithintheUtwe- canorganisethe office culturalshows and UtweandWalung;extending between the main island crosses a the mainislandcrosses lined withcoconutpalms. There’s toexplore noneed further,un- Islanders collectthebirddroppings in The There’s a pretty 45-minute walk from The bridge connectingtheairportwith Menka ruins Menka mangrove swamp mangrove Utwe-Walung Marine Park Marine Utwe-Walung lieinrainforest around , a conservation area , aconservation white-sand , where youmight reef channel reef

beaches ( % of 370

out 15m to 30m and start diving. out 15m to30mandstart can step intothe water tide, swim at high placesyou sometimes bespotted. Atseveral racuda andhump-headed parrotfishcan bor andWalung, where large groupers, bar- beautiful soft coral. shi’s Point,adriftdive to thesouthover of bigfish,includingbarracuda;andHiro- with coralheads,lionfish,stingrays andlots across fromtheKosraeNautilusResort– cutvisibility. can substantially during aspellof clementweather,asrain divesa whalingship.Allthese are bestdone bombed duringWWII,andtheremains of plane,a91mJapanesesearch freighter skip- in summer. Harbor Lelu holdsaUSPBY ine life and visibility uptoanamazing60m Kosrae hasunspoiltcoralreefs, variedmar- Diving ACTIVITIES all-day, arduoustrip. forthis southern coast;aguideisessential mission. lage, which hasthefoundationsof anold spanned bylogfootbridges crisscross thevil- visitorsthough are welcome. Tidal channels tional village andratherenjoysitsisol ation, beaches, Walungistheisland’smosttradi- hundred peopleandlinedwithlovely sandy with therest of theisland.Hometojustafew cle roadconnects Walung onthewestcoast A recent, unpaved extension of Kosrae’scir- Walung an oldsteelwater pipe. a 45-minute walkupthegorge, following from thecrossroads inTafunsak village; it’s narrow, sobewaryof flashfloods. makes forgoodexploring;it’sextremely and Tafunsak village. mote Walungvillage, OkatHarbor, airport western flank of Kosrae,includesthere- Tafunsak, which stretches alongtheentire TAFUNSAK something shocking. outside theentrance. Atanyrate, itsmells and theswiftletscanbespotted circlingjust thisplaceeasilyfromtheroad you cansee There’s Utwe Har- gooddivingbetween Other goodspotsincludetheBlue Hole – You canhike toWalungfollowingthe To get there, take thepathsoutheast 21m The steep gorge KOSRAE •• Utwe KOSRAE ••Utwe inTafunsak village

107

TAB5 TAB4 TAB3 MICRONESIA OF TAB1 FEDERATED STATES FEDERATED FEDERATED STATES TAB5 TAB4 TAB3 OF MICRONESIA TAB1 kayak trip through themismagical. The kayak trip through are lacedwiththick mangroves; or a canoe Channel, alongthe island’ssouthwestfringe, the island,and Utwe/WalungMangrove rae NautilusResort ontheeastern sideof The MutunnenaChannel,wending pastKos- Canoeing & Kayaking snorkelling isgoodhere –ifyoudare. Kosraeans deposited thebonesof theirkings; marine life andcoral.This iswhere theearly is larger andharbours anddeeper lotsof forsnorkelling.not suitable for swimming,butittends tosiltupsoit’s isgood causeway the reef alongsideLelu cautiousof channelBe currents. giant clams,stingraysandgoodvisibility. kelling spot,with4mto6mwalls,lobsters, of theairportrunwayisafavourite snor- December toFebruary. Thenortheastside fromgood insummerbutcanberough Kosrae’snortheastpointareand off usually Tafunsak, aroundthebridge totheairport waves aroundMalem The areas itself. near there are treacherous currents androgue Malemtween andUtweinwinter, though winds. Conditionsare usuallygoodbe- change and thetrade withtheseasons The best snorkelling and swimming spots &Swimming Snorkelling Sleeping LadyDivers Club Sports Marine Phoenix Pacific IslandDivers hire US$15. (minimum twopeople)US$125;kayak boat tour with/without divers)US$30/55;circle-island includinglunch(ontheboat dive US$95;snorkelling, www.kosraenautilus.com; POBox135,Kosrae)Two-tank Kosrae NautilusResort DIVE SHOPS 108 snorkelling trips US$40; fishing trips US$70. US$40;fishingtrips trips snorkelling (single/double) US$20/30; trips US$10; kayaking divesUS$89;sunsetcruises Treelodge Hotel.Two-tank .divekosrae.com; POBox637,Kosrae)RunbythePacific archaeological tours(US$10toUS$50perperson). mountainclimbingand canoe hire, rainforest hiking, huntingUS$65.Alsooffers outrigger US$65; blue-water tours,includinglunchUS$35;fishingtrips guided kayak hire US$25; US$55;kayak US$25;snorkelling tank extra divesUS$59/89,third Village Ecolodge. One-/two-tank POBox399,Kosrae)RunbytheKosrae .kosraevillage.com; the KosraePhoenixResort. 3100; [email protected];Lelu, PO607,Kosrae)Runby Further outonthereef, theBlueHole The naturalswimmingholeformedin KOSRAE••KosraeforChildren Mp p104; (Map Mp p104; (Map Mp p104; (Map Mp p104; (Map % % % 370 7856;www 370 3483;www 370 3567; % 370 Surfing Surfing another goodhike. for thesix-hourtrip. yond theJapanese caves. Aguideisnecessary tip-top shapeasit’sastrenuous climb. to10hours,eight andhikers shouldbein is fromUtwetothetopof MtFinkol;ittakes p104 ) nearMalem are anovel option. afternoon outing. TheJapanese caves (Map Tafunsak Gorge makes little forapleasant For somethingmeatier,thehike upthe view of thesurroundingarea andof Lelu. offersstroll uptothemuseum apleasing find. Forashorthike inTofol, theeasy private land andthetrailsare to difficult some require guidesastheygothrough Kosrae hasmanywonderfulhikes, though Hiking information. butisperfectoutrigger forkayaking. canoe rae Village Ecolodge, istoonarrowforan neath thewoodenwalkwaythatleadstoKos- east-side channel, which actuallywindsbe- imeter road,you’re bound tobumpinto is terrific forkids; strollingaround the per- tion wall,therebybasalt-log combiningeduca- behind anancientto playhide-and-seek the the trick,andthere’s nobetter placethan ( p101 ). Failing that,culture justdo might them atoneof Kosrae’s you couldalwaysinstilthefear of God into tle hellionsoccupied.Iftheymisbehave, It shouldn’tbetoohardto keep yourlit- KOSRAE FORCHILDREN ( on Peace Corps tours; visitor informationcentre ( p104 ) forinfo foradvancedsurfers.suitable the Contact Inmolsron, WotandYela inWalungare mediate surfers, Malem ishandy,while are Pihkusrikdistrict.Forinter- inLelu’s on theisland.Apparently, thebestbreaks kick-started byUSPeace Corpsvolunteers Kosrae iscomingupasasurfdestination, 2321) mangrove channel. % The triptotheMenka ruins( p107 ) is Another arduoushike isupMtOma,be- The mostrewarding andchallenging hike thediveContact operators, left , fortour 370 3483) Lelu ruins also organises canoe trips through its tripsthrough alsoorganises canoe and fun. also hasinformation. ( p105 like even ); youmight Utwe-Walung Marine Park Marine Utwe-Walung Lelu Island www.lonelyplanet.com ( p105 ) ingeneral Sleeping Lady Divers Sleeping LadyDivers lively church services churchservices lively

( % 370 US$89/109) POBox399,Kosrae;s/dfromwww.kosraevillage.com; the walkway. was beingconstructed attheswampendof swamp; atthetimeof writing,arestaurant walkways thatsnake inandaroundthe beach –islandbliss.Thegroundsfeature just acrossfromareally gorgeous sliver of gracious andhospitable. TheTreelodge is are are large andthestaff andcomfortable most lappingatyourbackdoor. Therooms large mangrove pond,withthe waters al- a quirkyfeature –they’re spread arounda skip thisoption. wantto yet,youmight birds andthebees ifyouhaven’t themthealthough taught nise theoutlineofnise the all of this,teach yourbroodhowtorecog- ing waterside andbytheroad.Aspotof Kosraean kidsplayinginthebushes,by www.lonelyplanet.com suggestions. formation centre ( p104 ) shouldhave some let youcampontheirland.Thevis itor in- pitch yourtent; hecanfindlocalswillingto the mayorof thevillage where youwantto If youwanttocamp,it’sbestapproach SLEEPING ruins tourUS$25. Park Marine Utwe-Walung Tours Kosrae Adventure details. for opposite The dive shopsoffer tripsand tours; see TOURS Everything accessible. iswheelchair thejungle.connecting walkwaysthrough grove channel alllinked andtheocean, by bungalows are tucked theman- between grounds are superblyrustic amazing:these shaded bycoconutandpandanustrees. The style of village anold-timeKosraean and constructed fromnative materials inthe US$75; www.kosraenautilus.com; POBox 135,Kosrae;rfrom wild-pig hunting(halfday)US$20. campingUS$25; (fivehours)US$20;full-service hike river or (three hours)US$20;MtOmahike orbeachhike hike run place, afew minutes’ walkfromthe a www.divekosrae.com; POBox637,Kosrae;s/dUS$55/75; Kosrae NautilusResort Kosrae Village Ecolodge Kosrae Village Pacific Hotel Treelodge ( opposite godownnicely.Failing) might ) These modern duplex cottages share modernduplexcottages These as TheVillage isavery specialplace, ) This upmarket Australian- ( % Sleeping Lady

( Mp p104 ; (Map Mp p104; (Map Mp p104; (Map % 370 4405) Waterfall 370 4405)Waterfall 370 2321) Menka 370 2321)Menka % % % 16) – (p106) 370 3567; 370 7856; 370 5839; kayak- breadfruit chips. ranging frompizzatolocaldishessuch as is alittleslow,butthefoodexcellent, pool orunderalovely thatched hut.Service Resort’s restaurant, eatoutsidenexttothe h US$5-7) top of yourlistof priorities. archaeological site andshould be at thevery southeast coast,is Micronesia’sbest-known the doned onnearly 100 artificialisletsoff The ancientstone cityof NanMadol, aban- compared toHonolulu’sDiamondHead. scenic Sokehs faceoften cliff Rock,asteep streams, rivers andtumbling waterfalls. one, ascopiousrainfallfeeds amultitudeof islandsimage, albeitawet typical SouthSea ing hibiscus:inmanyways, Pohnpei fitsthe Lush vegetation, junglehillsidesandflower- pop 34,486/area345sqkm POHNPEI entitled CDof amostpleasant Kosraeanmusic, sells shells. and purses, andwallhangingsof fibres and woven canoes, bags pounders,taro carved Typical Kosraean craftsincludewooden SHOPPING fast, lunch&dinner) Inum EATING convivial atmosphere. are veryStaff accommodatingandthere’s a and cleanroomswithminifridge andbath. modern hascomfortable, causeway, Lelu probably thebestpick. stir-frymenu isalsofilling,withtheseafood moco Breakfast: fishwithSpam.Thedinner ‘ChefDave’too bad.Let fixyouaLoco- only nonhotel eatingoptionandit’snot to have asamain. Crab SuperSalad,which isfillingenough aresalads superb,especiallytheMangrove food.The upoutstanding Inum serves island’s largest traditional-stylebuilding, lage Ecolodge, inwhatisapparently the Island Café Pohnpei’s boldestlandmarkisthevery The visitorinformationcentre ( p104 ) Nautilus Restaurant Nautilus Restaurant lunch &dinner)

(Map (Map Thiscosylittlecaféistheisland’s Tidal Wave p104

( ; % % Located at theKosraeVil- AttheKosraeNautilus 370 3724; PO Box 331, Kosrae; mains 370 3724;POBox331,Kosrae;mains 370 4686;mainsUS$8-11; (US$10). Mp p0 mis US$8-15; mains p104; (Map POHNPEI h

break- 109

TAB5 TAB4 TAB3 MICRONESIA OF TAB1 FEDERATED STATES FEDERATED FEDERATED STATES TAB5 TAB4 TAB3 OF MICRONESIA TAB1 lend themselves to pleasant daytrips. lend themselves topleasant gems; andthesmalllagoonislands,which isamongthesport’sundiscoveredsome say ations, butstillrewarding; thesurfing,which the diving–notasuniqueotherdestin- smattering of smallvillages. withjustais unspoiltandundeveloped, whileelsewhere theisland island standards, Phpi Island Pohnpei access perhr US$3) Computer Island Computer Bank ofGuam INFORMATION long causeway. which isconnected toKoloniabyamile- hours togoaroundtheentire island. ihmw municipalbuilding,andaround four tothe Madolen-from Koloniaclockwise takes about1½hours to travel the36km An 87kmroadcirclesPohnpei Island;it ORIENTATION 110 Kolonia) HasanATM outside. POHNPEI ISLAND What more Well,there’s doyouneed? Pohnpei’s Kolonia,issizable by capital, Pohnpei’s airportisonTakatik Island, POHNPEI••Orientation N ORTHPACIF ὄὄὄ ὄὄὄὄὄὄ ὄὄὄὄὄὄ ὄὄ ὄ ὄὄ O CEAN (Map (Map p111 ; (Map (Map p111 ; Black Coral Island SOKEHS % (FSM Capital) % Pwusehn 320 2550;POBox367, Malek PALIKIR ὄὄὄὄ ὄὄὄ ὄὄὄ ὄὄὄ Beach Resort 320 4942;Internet Pwohmaria Sokehs Rock KITTI Mt NahnaLaud Sokehs Island Takatik Island

Lehn Liduduhniap Waterfall (760m)

Waterfall Lehnpaipohn Mesi Airport Kolonia

PCR Hotel

Island Laiap ὄὄὄ ὄὄὄ ὄὄὄ River ὄ ὄ Langer Island NETT Point Nett MADOLENIHMW % Call the Call offers irregular voyages totheouter islands. as late asyoucanforconfirmation. wind, somake sure theairline youcontact extremely erraticandtheychange like the Schedules arewuafik onceortwiceaweek. Pohnpei IslandtoPingelap, MokilandSap- FSM Telecommunications flights toPohnpei.flights See p135 forinformationoninternational &Away There Getting TRANSPORT organisation. [email protected]; Bureau Pohnpei Visitors Pohnpei visitorinformationcentre Hospital Pohnpei State Pohnpei PublicLibrary postoffice Main fares andschedules. Internet accessperhrUS$2) Internet accessperhrUS$4; Mt Kupwuriso The state boat MV Caroline IslandsAir Caroline 320 2421; Main St) The official tourist body. St)Theofficialtourist 320 2421;Main UH Awak Mt Ngihneni Island Parem (779m) Japanese Village Hotel Waterfall Kepirohi Tower Island Affairs Office Island Affairs ὄ ὄ 6miles 10km 0 0 (Map (Map p111 St,Kolonia) ; Main Island Tapak h 8am-5pm) A nonprofit tourist 8am-5pm) Anonprofittourist (Map (Map p111 ;

N ORTHPACIF Temwen Causeway (Off Map Map (Off p111 ; h ( (Map (Map p111 ; % (Map (Map p111 St; ; Main Temwen Island Nan Madol www.lonelyplanet.com 24hr) 320 8406) Caroline Voyager O CEAN

( % % % (Map (Map p111 ; 320 2710) % 320 2423; fliesfrom 320 4851; 320 2215) for

Kolonia Waido Taxi around US$3.Try fromtheairporttoKoloniacostsA taxi Around Getting www.lonelyplanet.com Penny Car Rental Penny Car Budget Apollo’s Rent ACar Apollo’s Rent

To Sokehs Island (1km); Palikir (8km) 4 1 3 2 5 KOLONIA For carhire, give ago: these 18 INFORMATION optrIln...... C3 Computer Island...... US Embassy...... Police Station...... Pohnpei VisitorsBureau...... Pohnpei VisitorInformation Centre.... Pohnpei PublicLibrary...... Main PostOffice...... FSM Telecommunications...... Bank ofGuam...... Australian Embassy...... (Map (Map p111 ; 13 12

( AC % 320 4129) Mp p111; (Map %

Rebel Grave (

To Sokehs %

(200m) 320 8705) Capital TaxiCapital 320 2403) . 22 16 % 10 320 5770) 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

20 ( B4 C2 B4 C3 B4 C2 C2 C3 C1 % 320 6486) B SLEEPING SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES o oe...... C2 Joy Hotel...... Yvonne’s Hotel...... South ParkHotel...... Sea BreezeHotel...... Ocean ViewPlazaHotel...... Nara Gardens...... Cliff RainbowHotel...... Porakiet Village...... Phoenix MarineSportsClub...... 6 11 8 or 10 24 21 Main St 14 3 The ruralcharacter isreally apparent inthe just can’tshake thatslow,frontier-like vibe. it experiences occasional‘rush hour’traffic, it’stheFSM’sthough largest townandeven much alive of withthepulse thetropics.Al- Kolonia isaramshackle townthat’svery pop 5681 KOLONIA 7 23 5 2 4 Park 0.3miles 500m 0 0 Ball 12 11 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 19

To Continental Airlines;

Air Nauru (1.6km); C2 A1 C2 B4 C2 A2 A3 B2

Airport (1.6km) 1 9 15 TRANSPORT DRINKING EATING South ParkRestaurant...... (see18) Penny CarRental...... Budget...... Jungle Bar...... Sei Restaurant...... Peppermill...... Joy Restaurant...... (see14) 17 POHNPEI ••Kolonia

To Nett Municipality;

Nan Madol (32km)

Hospital (32km);

Pohnpei State D 24 23 22 21 20

B4 C2 A4 B4 B4 111

TAB5 TAB4 TAB3 MICRONESIA OF TAB1 FEDERATED STATES FEDERATED FEDERATED STATES TAB5 TAB4 TAB3 OF MICRONESIA TAB1 survive WWII. survive missionthatmanaged to original Catholic tower (1) inthe Begin north of townatthe Tour Kolonia Walking your revenge: some Pohnpeians eatdogs). guard, astheycanbite (butyouwillhave onyour on yourback-street wanders. Be ifapackofsurprised canineschases you but mostare very territorial, sodon’tbe some appeartobecute anddomesticated, everywhere. Someare mangymutts,and pigs. About dogs:they’re those absolutely ter apenof howsmall,contains squealing of otheryard,nomat- theroadandevery back streets, where dogslazeontheside 112 Tour Kolonia Walking Duration Distance Church Finish Start WALK FACTS POHNPEI••Kolonia GermanBellTower Kosrae-Kolonia Congregational Kosrae-Kolonia , theonly structure fromPohnpei’s 6 About3.2km 4 Twohours 5 German bell German Spanish Fort Main St beabletofeel somevibes. might hard tomake outthegravestones, butyou overgrown byafence, andenclosed soit’s text, p115 ). Unfortunately, thecemetery is ating aNanMadol grave theboxed (see denly andmysteriously in1907after excav- governor theGerman Berg, whodiedsud- (see p100 ). Italsohasthegrave of Victor Emden mains of cruiser sailors fromtheGerman from theSouthPark Hotel, holdsthere- (4) etery trees, it’samagicalsight. wall, withrosy-fingered cloudssplittingthe side of behind the thewall;whensunsets a lively church choir intheparkonother you’ll beable tocatch asoftball gamehere or road leadingdowntothewaterfront. Often acrossthestreetstarts andrunsalongthe is atthesideof the of Spanish colony.Onesection theoldwall andlargeAlphonse of sections Pohnpei’s Fort built around1887andonceenclosed of Kolonia’s Remains 1 Walk 600mtothewest; Walk 150msoutheasttothemossyremains 7 2 who died fighting theSokehs whodiedfighting rebels , behindthechurch downthe hill Park Ball 3 Spanish stonewalls (2) ball park(3) 200m 0 0 www.lonelyplanet.com 9 8 , while another , whileanother , which were German cem- German 0.1 miles population. place of worship fortheisland’sKosraean Kosrae-Kolonia is themostcolourfulchurch intown,the the College of Micronesiaandthecinema– the early1930s. island’s largest a publicmarket, afew retail stores andthe you’ll findoldwarehouse-style businesses, onthewaterfronttown. Turnright and the waterfront roadontheeastern sideof thenthefirstoffice, leftuntilyoucometo splotches. small itor informationcentre, where you’llfinda women chatting toneighbours alldaylong. hopefully), kidsplayinginthestreet and atbones(notyours, rhythm, dogsnagging you wendpastmenpoundingouta of authenticPolynesian-Pohnpeian life, as lage through take theroadthatgoes shortly before the…er…deadend. ment enclosure attheleftedge of theroad, Lookforthesmall,unmarkedGermans. ce- residential area 500mnortheastof thedead (5) grave www.lonelyplanet.com island. The northernpart istheroad circle around. both wayscome to adeadendratherthan p110 that theroaddivides; ) andyou’llsee onto Cross thecauseway Sokehs (Map SOKEHS ISLAND p119). (see has sprouted afew craft shops outstanding andthewomenweave; thisenclavecarvings a metre offtheground. air sidesare platformshalf builtonraised breezy, thatched homeswithpartlyopen- door lifestyle thanotherKolonians–their last century.Theylive amore openandout- lowing typhoonandfaminedisasters early Kapingamarangi andNukuoroAtollsfol- Polynesians whomoved to Pohnpei from This village (Map p111 ) ishometothe VILLAGE PORAKIET Further down, to your right – between –between Further down,toyourright Take justpastthepost thenextright, onMainBack St,headnorthtothevis- cemetery, pasttheGerman Backtracking The Sokehs rebels don’tmiss out;the It takes a half-day towalk aroundthe It takes ahalf-day The Kapingamarangi menmake wood- below youareal slice . Thiswillafford Japanese tank(7) fortheexecuted dissidentsisina

Congregational Church (9) Congregational Protestant church(8) Protestant painted incamouflage Porakiet vil- Porakiet , builtin sakau , the mass

15 minutes towalkupthefalls. side of thechurch property.It takes about 15m tothetrail,which beginsonthenorth the road;parkatchurch andwalkback lowed byasmallchurch sideof ontheright School, you’llcrossariverElementary fol- of Sapwehrek. About 200mpastSap wehrek hibiscus-linedpath. pleasant It’s afive-minute walktothefallsalonga small village directly opposite thekiosk. in. Thetrailtothewaterfall beginsatthe left attheforkandstopkiosk300m half amiletowhere theroadforks,turn small powerplant;continueforjustover 4.4km alongthisriverside road,there’s a justbeforethat starts thetyre shop.After ontothepaveding south;turnright road spot. Take Kolonia’swaterfront roadhead- drive fromKolonia,isapopularswimming Waterfall the circle- island drive. The15m There are magnificentwaterfalls off several AROUND POHNPEI rebellion (see p100 ). an incidentthattouched theinfamous off builtwithforcedlabourin1910, Germans midday dips. into apoolthat’sfineforultra-refreshing broad fallscascadeover rockface abasalt pictured inall thetouristbrochures. The it’stheimpressive waterfalllook familiar: is furtheralonginSapwehrek. Itmight guns aircraft the Lehn Mesithe Lehn River. About 1½kmfurther point you’ll crossthewide bridge thatspans continue 16kmsouth of Palikir, at which the trailheadwhen comingfromKolonia, forswimming. Toget pool, ideal to deep 10mfallthatdrops intoawide, pleasant A guideisadvisable. before theendof theroad,nearchurch. thetrailbeginsshortly road totheright; view. After take crossing the thecauseway, Rock Sokehs municipal office. ona4WDroadbehind thetrail starts birds andfruitbats.Theeasy45-minute surrounding reef, aswellnestingtropic- has anexcellentviewof Koloniaandthe Lehnpaipohn Waterfall Waterfall Lehnpaipohn The waterfall isatthefarendof thevillage The 21m The 275m The sheer, challengingThe sheer, climbup152m (Map p110 ) inNett,a15-minute POHNPEI •• Porakiet Village POHNPEI ••Porakiet (Map p110 ) yieldsanawesome , naval guns Kepirohi Waterfall Waterfall Kepirohi Sokehs Ridge Sokehs , pillboxes (Map p110 ) isa , loadedwith (Map p110 ) and Liduduhniap tunnels anti- 113

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TAB5 TAB4 TAB3 MICRONESIA OF TAB1 FEDERATED STATES FEDERATED FEDERATED STATES TAB5 TAB4 TAB3 OF MICRONESIA TAB1 built in1989,incorporates traditionalMicro- further island road. Theentrance to Palikir is5.6km ofIsland; thisisalso thestart the circle- the leftjustbefore to Sokehs thecauseway ofhave humour. asense letanyonetellnever youPohnpeians don’t of droppings.That’sthe‘chicken shit’; Nan Madol and left behindahuge mound ikir’s rulerbecameagiantrooster, flewto Pohnpei’s Saudeleurdynasty(see p99 ): Pal- formation wascreated duringthedefeat of Palikir this says complex.Legend capital side,about2½kmsouthofright-hand the p110 bythetelephone poleonthe ) starts PwusehnMalek money andChuukese outrigger canoes. and beamendsthatresemble Yapese stone style roofs, NanMadol–style blackpillars, nesian architecture: Kosraeantraditional- on thedirtroadforanother2½km. the Pohn AlamwahuChurch andcontinue on, turninlandattheschool busstop,pass 114 Nn Madol Nan 1 3 2 NAN MADOL Palikir The paved roadtoPalikir heads uphillto volcanicconeofAn easytrailupthehigh POHNPEI••NanMadol Madol Pah down. , the54-hectare FSM complex capital AC (Chickenshit Map Mountain; 16 Temwen Island 6 12 11 13 4 B 2 ὄὄὄὄ ὄὄὄὄ ὄὄὄὄ ὄὄὄὄ ὄὄὄὄ ὄὄὄὄ ὄὄὄὄ ὄὄὄὄ 1 aih...... D2 Kariahn...... SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES Kohnderek...... Kelepwel...... Idehd...... Dau...... Darong...... Dapahu...... 8 the administrative section. western half, (Upper Town),had priestsandrituals;the Theeastern half, fish andeels. bathingareas,houses, andpools forturtles, faces were temples, burialvaults,meeting the ‘Venice of sur- Micronesia’.Onthelevel the resultant twisting canalsare knownas aroundtheisletsas retainingzontally walls; hauled tothesite byraft,thenstacked hori- They were quarriedonPohnpei Islandand formed naturallyintohexagonal columns. pei, nearTemwen Island. and reef thesoutheastern off sideof Pohn- tending 1½km, it’sbuiltonthetidalflats vants. Comprising92artificialisletsex- activity andthehomesof royalty andser- dynasty, NanMadol wasaplaceforritual ligious centre builtduringtheSaudeleur not visithere. criminal offence tocomePohnpei and oflight it’sa theirMicronesian odyssey; For manytravellers, Nan Madol isthehigh- NAN MADOL Wide basalt pillars,Wide basalt upto7½mlong, political,socialandre-An important 14 15 0.3miles 500m 0 0 Madol Powe Madol Pah Madol 3 7 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 C1 A3 B2 C2 B2 B2 9 ani...... B3 Pahnwi...... Wasau...... Usendau...... Peinering...... Peikapw...... Pahn Kadira...... Nan Mwoluhsei...... Nan Douwas...... Lemenkau...... 5 (Lower Town), was www.lonelyplanet.com 10 D Madol Powe Madol 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 A2 C2 C2 B2 B2 D1 C2 C3

AD dancing and building competitions,feasting, singing, religious ceremony thatincludedcanoe- pool. Theritualwaspartof atwo-week thatwaskept‘holy eel’ inthecompound cooked turtleinnardstoNanSanwohl, the priests culminated withtheoffering of An annualritualperformedhere byhigh all thatremains of thetemple. the ThunderGod.Alarge, lowplatformis Kadira centre of NanMadol wasprobably surrounding atomb.Theadministrative chief). www.lonelyplanet.com to NanMadol; the Voyage Stopped’),theoceanentrance where priestslived; islet thatincludedburialtombs; sakau wall isalarge forpounding stoneonceused have forraisingclams.Nearone used been natural reef poolinitscentre, which may shadow of themassive the canalandsuddenlyfindyourself inthe especially asyouroundasharp cornerin that justaddstothedramaticimpact, Westerners arrived inthe1820s. recentlythough abandoned,whenthefirst other 200to300years; itwasuninhabited, dyn asty andlater the four crypts,burialplacesfortheSaudeleur anditsinnercompoundcontainshigh impressive. 7½m Its outer wallsstand est structure andthemost stillstanding Darong The isletof The isletof Nan Madol’s constructionbeganbetween Other major isletsare Many of theruinshave but collapsed, on many more layers ofweirdness(see p102 ). couldstillbeseenlyingbeneath thewater’sthat, atthetimeof construction, surface. Lemuria, maylieoffitswaters city andthatNanMadolwasbuilt asamirrorimageofsunken claimed itwasheatexhaustion,buta lot ofolderPohnpeiansstilldoubtthatdiagnosis. ailment immediately after excavatinga burial tombonNanMadol.The German administration more than mere superstition:in 1907Pohnpei’sGermangovernor, Victor Berg, diedofamysterious local beliefisstrongthatpeopleshouldn’t disturbtheruins. there’s Actually, evidencethismaybe Nan MadolisPohnpei’sforemost there; touristspot,butnotallPohnpeiansfeel the comfortable MYSTERIES OFNANMADOL 1100 and1200continuedforan- The horrorwriter HP Lovecraft andhis acolytes playedonthislegendintheirstories, piling Nan Madolholdsitsmysteries well.Somebelieve thatthelegendary lostcontinentofMu,or . , which alsofeatured thetemple of , an important ritualarea,, animportant hasa sakau Idehd Kariahn Pahnwi drinking. wasthereligious centre. Nan Mwoluhsei nahnmwarki also has high walls alsohashigh Nan Douwas , amultipurpose Usendau , thelarg- , anarea (‘Where Kelepwel (district Pahn Pahn , information. just lyingonthebeach. or also beafunplaceforshellsearching swimming andsnorkelling, theislandcan currents inthechannel. Agoodspotfor careful side. ofon theocean Be strongtidal around theislandandsplendidmarinelife or anovernight getaway. There’s nicecoral makes afineplaceforeitherdayouting owned byafriendlyPohnpeian familyand on Pohnpei’s southwestern barrierreef, is with goodswimmingandsnorkelling. weekend familypicnicsandhasclearwaters covered isapopularplacefor picnictables, Island Langer ISLANDS INPOHNPEILAGOON Kohnderek Wasau andvisitors; a residential isletforservants an isletwhere were canoes made; visitor informationcentre ( p110 ). formative NanMadol brochure fromthe mostof theislets. to see scrape yourcarbellyandyouwon’tbeable to NanMadol, buttheroadwillbadly mostofchannels theislets. andsee easily navigate the twistingmangrove-lined so youcanpaddlethrough. have taken toNanMadol kayaksorcanoes Nan Madol ( p116 ). Youcanalsoarrange to processing centre. medical centre; and place where warriors lived; that hadtwopoolsforturtles; POHNPEI ••IslandsinPohnpeiLagoon Contact thediveContact shops( p116 ) fortour The small Make sure youpickupacopyof thein- You cantrydrivingthenwadingacross tide,soyoucanVisit byboatathigh The dive companiesprovide boattours of , anarea where food wasprepared; , a site for funeral services; , asite forfuneralservices; (Map p110 ), equippedwith Black CoralIsland Peinering Peikapw (Map p110 ), Lemenkau , acoconut- , anislet Dapahu Dau , the 115 , a

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TAB5 TAB4 TAB3 MICRONESIA OF TAB1 FEDERATED STATES FEDERATED FEDERATED STATES TAB5 TAB4 TAB3 OF MICRONESIA TAB1 that killed90%of theisland’spopulation. byacyclone population bottleneckcaused onPingelap afterblindness thatarose the of the Colourblind held nets.Oliver Sacks,inhisbook ing torches toattractflyingfish intohand- kahlek people, spot, tours. the atolls;dive shops( right ) alsoarrange culturally Polynesian. ar pp100–1) ful twine. embled usingwoodenpegsandcoconut-fibre madefrombreadfruitcanoes, logsandass- as NgatikAtoll,isfamedforitsoutrigger western coast. Nan Madol. and lots of fish. It’salsopossibletodive Pohnpei haspretty rays coralreefs, manta Diving &Snorkelling ACTIVITIES for gooddiving,andalarge colony. sea-bird beaches, abundant coralandfish thatmake west of Pohnpei Island,haswhite-sand Atoll Ant OUTER ATOLLS 116 green turtles. sizable populationof hawksbillsand Pacific population of onlyadozenpeople, buta See See p110 forinformationongetting to The 400orsopeopleof thebeauti- Atoll Sapwuafik Atoll Pingelap Atoll Mokil Atoll Pakin Oroluk Atoll Atoll Oroluk the men,manyofthem crewwomen andBritish, American,PohnpeianandGilbertese membersof of the against themuskets unharmed theysoughtrevenge. The armedonlywithclubsandslings,hadlittledefence Ngatikese, thecrewarmed islanderswhoattacked andforced themtorunfortheirlives backtotheship. and theyrefused totrade;duringthefirstvisit,tradingnegotiationswere halted byagroupof he’d seenonanearlierexcursion.But theshellshadreligious significancetotheNgatikese Pohnpei. theship’sAussie captain,wasafter Charles ‘Bloody’Hart, finepiecesoftortoiseshell A visittoNgatik(nowSapwuafik)bythe Britishship BLOODY HART POHNPEI••OuterAtolls Nukuoro and Nukuoro Atolls Kapingamarangi As aresult, the600people ofSapwuafikAtoll are largely descended fromamixofNgatikese Hart was aswindler,accustomedtogettinghisownway,andalthoughcrew hadescapedHart is 40kmoff Pohnpei Island’snorth- , a kind of night fishing that uses burn- , akindof fishingthatuses night Lambton (Map pp100–1 ), afew milessouth- a pretty lagoonanda300mairstrip. e physically, linguistically and linguistically e physically, (Map pp100–1 ) hasfriendly (Map pp100–1 ), apopulardive . (Map pp100–1 ) hasatiny (Map pp100–1 ) isknownfor (Map pp100–1 ), onceknown , discusses the total colour colour thetotal , discusses Lambton The Island The Island ’s crew, andthesailorsmassacred alltheislandmen. (Map autumn are thebesttimesfordiving. abundant marinelife. Spring,summerand for itsvirgin reefs withgorgonian fansand racuda andreef sharks,asisPakin Atoll favourite divingspotforitsschools of bar- good coralandmarinelife. AntAtollisa smallnearbyatollshavepei Islanditself, The Village Village The Club Sports Marine Phoenix Aqua WorldPohnpeiInc. DIVE SHOPS Beach Resort. bycar/boatUS$40/100.LocatedatPwohmaria Waterfall andKepirohi US$80, LangerIslandUS$60,andNanMadol Island and sightseeingtourstoAntAtollUS$100,Nahlap Coral IslandUS$120andLangerUS$100.Snorkelling IslandUS$120,Black tours toAntAtollUS$140,Nahlap camp Black CoralIslandUS$35andNaUS$35.Overnight AtollUS$35, US$35. Add-ontoAntAtollUS$35,Pakin Island BeachUS$25;onediveatNahlap at Pwohmaria PO Box1416,Kolonia)One/twodivesUS$50/100;onedive homepage2.nifty.com/aquaworld/untitled1_001.htm; request. availableon alsopossible. Rates ing, fishing)andsurfing minimum twopeople.Landtours,specialitytours(bird- toursUS$60perperson, people US$25/35;guidedkayak toursforone/two hire US$25;kayak US$110/60/50. Kayak Japanese cavesandreef islandswithlagoonsnorkelling orto withlagoonsnorkelling, ruins andthewaterfalls, boat tours(one/two/three ormore people)toNanMadol one/two/three ormore diversUS$200/100/85.All-day hotel.com; POBox339,Pohnpei)Scubadivingwith including lunchUS$46. Waterfall full-daytourincludinglunchUS$56;landtours andKepirohi includinglunchUS$400;NanMadol trip includinglunchUS$56;full-dayfishing US$20; snorkelling Atollsextra divesUS$56/86,AntandPakin One-/two-tank 5678; [email protected];POBox387,Kolonia,Pohnpei) While snorkelling isnotgoodonPohn- Lambton Mp p110; (Map in1837leftanindeliblemarkon % ( 320 2797;www.thevillage % www.lonelyplanet.com Mp p111; (Map 320 6556;http:// % 320 peisurfclub.com; POBox1893,Pohnpei) peisurfclub.com; bad aplace. You canhire cars here. it’scleanandmodern. Nottoo ably because bour views.It’sa bitsterile butthat’sprob- guess. Therooms have orhar- mountain ing KoloniaHarbor; it’s asscenicyou’d and guides. followed byMain Pass (Sokehs Pass). Pass) istheexemplar of Pohnpeian surfing, to catch aboattothewaves. Palikir Pass (P- experience; youcan’tpaddleoutsoneed like Tahiti, aunique It’scertainly theysay. waves break alongwayfromthebeach; it’s Surfers are discovering Pohnpei, where the Surfing www.lonelyplanet.com with arrangements. visitor informationcentre ( p110 ) tohelp ited islandsof AntandPakin Atolls;askthe canbearranged ontheuninhab- Camping SLEEPING opposite . shops, For informationontours, thedive contact TOURS eye-opener forhumanbeingsof allages. ( p114 ), theancientruined city that’san opportunities. Finally,there’s family, withgoodbeaches andswimming lagoon, make excellentdaytripsfor the Island tour thatembracesthem( opposite ). a swim,andyoucanarrange akid-friendly Lehnpaipohn falls – vibrant sliceof islandlife. Pohnpei’s water- village stone walls try apicnicintheparknextto ( p111 ). toamuse; The townisguaranteed Take thekidsforastrollaround POHNPEI FORCHILDREN dive shops( opposite ). fishing tripscanbearranged the through aguide.need Sokehs Island( p113 ); hikes intotheinterior The two mainhikes aroundKoloniaare on Activities &Other Hiking a www.fm/oceanview; POBox416,Kolonia;r from US$53; The Ocean View Plaza Hotel PlazaHotel Ocean View Trolling, bottom-fishing andspear- ) This upscalejointisonahilloverlook- and ( p113 it’sa toplease; ) isguaranteed Liduduhniap Pohnpei Surf Club Pohnpei Surf ( p112 ). Awalkthrough Black CoralIsland ( p113 ) –are spotsfor pleasant ( p113),

( Mp p111; (Map % Kepirohi 320 7845;www.pohn ( p115 ), inthe organises trips organises trips 13) and (p113) % Nan Madol Porakiet Porakiet 320 7049; Spanish Kolonia Langer

[email protected]; POBox1416,Nett) are pretty basic). more cottagelike atmosphere (androoms old wingalsohasfineoceanviewsbuta unspoilt viewof Sokehs Rock,whilethe roomswithverandaspleasant boastingan a finehillsidelocation.Thenewwinghas [email protected]; sUS$40-85, dUS$48-95; although theyarealthough cleanand adequate. The quite ordinaryand not much chop atall, rooms are that’sreally inanoldersection ofhotel hastwoclasses rooms;thecheaper PO Box307,Kolonia;studio/deluxe unitsUS$40/50) US$43/48, newwingUS$80/90; POBox829,Pohnpei;s/doldwing [email protected]; fans and a stiff sea breeze keep themcool. sea fans andastiff wood interiors andwicker furniture; ceiling clean cottages have arusticappeal,with The flights. late-night Pohnpei hasseveral runway proximity – coulddisruptsleep cial dockandtheairport’sbackside. The cottages are thecommer- between squeezed not accepted. given thelimited space. Credit cardsare tomakeadvisable advancereservations management lives justacrossthestreet. It’s andkitchenette, andthefriendly beds, aTV eachlong-term apartmenthastwin stays); ments forovernight guests(andafew for pleasing littlebudget spothasafew apart- South Park Hotel Nara Gardens Cliff Rainbow Hotel Hotel Cliff Rainbow Pwohmaria BeachResort Pwohmaria experience foryou,thetraveller. which translates intoanidealMicronesian have obviouslove fortheislandofPohnpei, are friendlyandaccommodating,they that jutsoutover thejungle. The owners meals onascenic-beyond-wordsgazebo on thepremises, your andyoucantake ful. There’s afantasticrestaurant (see p118 ) more, butthewholeplaceissimplydelight- private bathrooms. Primeviewscostabit mosquito netting,screened windowsand two queenwaterbeds, furniture, wicker local-style thatchedcottages,eachwith on ahillside8kmeastofKolonia,has20 Village Hotel THE AUTHOR’S CHOICE US$103) villagehotel.com; POBox339,Pohnpei;rfrom POHNPEI ••PohnpeiforChildren This perched outstandingresort,

Mp p111; (Map

Mp p110; (Map

Mp p111; (Map Mp p111; (Map % %

a ( % 320 2774; [email protected]; 320 2774;[email protected]; These beachside These 320 2797;www.the ) 320 5941;pwohmaria 320 % This placehas % 320 2255;south 320 2415;cliff a ) This

This 117

TAB5 TAB4 TAB3 MICRONESIA OF TAB1 FEDERATED STATES FEDERATED FEDERATED STATES TAB5 TAB4 TAB3 OF MICRONESIA TAB1 overlooking thewateronNettPeninsula. overlooking .fm; POBox101,Pohnpei;s/dUS$65/85; onia; mainsUS$10-20; gospel, bluegrass,what-have-you. There’sand pasta. – musicsomenights on aconveyor pizza belt,aswellItalian Japanese food,includingsushiIt serves andconsistently excellentfood. front setting Peppermill EATING location. new roomsUS$65/75; mail.com; POBox688,Pohnpei;oldroomss/dUS$55/65, Yvonne’s Hotel Hotel Breeze Sea PCR Hotel Joy Hotel aresite sweet. andthe staff and justasclean.There’s arestaurant on newer roomsare bigger, andwell…newer– 118 hotel hasnicelyfurnishedroomswithbalconies. .fm; POBox484,Pohnpei;s/dUS$69/90; following thatappreciates itsgreat water- This place,onthewaytoSokehs, hasa loyal scenes of islandlife. hard, too,withprintsonthewallsdepicting tive of itsfresh approach. Thedécortries chicken withpapayaandpineappleisindica- up market thanmost.Themacadamia-nut pei’s newestrestaurant, andit’sabitmore rooms haveoceanviews. US$56/67; Box 692,Pohnpei;backviews/dUS$45/56,front PO Box101,Pohnpei;mainsUS$8-15; Also: PCR Hotel Restaurant Restaurant PCR Hotel Village Hotel Restaurant THE AUTHOR’S CHOICE dinner) 2797; POBox339,Pohnpei; wanting to trythechilledsashimi. that thefoodisabsolutely superb.You’llbe to convincemostpeople, butthecapperis impressive. That would probablybeenough ‘largest thatched-roofbuilding’;itisindeed encased inwhat’stouted asMicronesia’s the lagoon,open-airdiningroom is perience. Perched onaridgeoverlooking going downfortheultimate diningex- you’ve gottocomehere whenthesun’s so itcomesuptrumpswithgoodeating; POHNPEI••Eating a (Map (Map p111 ; As itdoeswithaccommodation, Mp p110; (Map

Mp p111; (Map ) Agoodoptionontheharbourroad;some (Map (Map p111 ; (Map (Map p111 ; h a % % lunch &dinner) % ) Pleasantroomsinacentral 320 2447;joy_ponape@mail 320 4981;pcr_pohnpei@mail % 320 7612;POBox310,Kol - Mp p110; (Map h % 320 5130;yneth@hot

Mp p110; (Map breakfast, lunch& 320 2065;PO h a a This isPohn- lunch &dinner) % ) Rooms ) Thistown % 320 4981; 320

the locals(whoalwaysknow). theboxed(see text, opposite ). gradually fallingintoquietcontemplation sharing stories,passingthe and relaxed. Theygenerally sitinacircle cohol drinkers, in someone’sbackyard. simple thatched-roof, open-airstructures casual andinconspicuous;mostlythey’re has a around.Everyis passed neighbourhood ally, poured intoacoconutshell,which is thenmixed withwater and,tradition- hibiscusbark.Thejuice through squeezed are poundedonastoneandthepulpis pepper shrub;toprepare it,pepperroots buffet US$10; grooving onthepepper-root tip. areaopen-air seating ensure everyone’s Mellow andahuge, music,peacefulstaff feel leftout;that’swhen might booze here you ifyouwish, butatnight dancing onSaturdaynights. louvred Pohnpeian windows.Itshowcases a niceviewof Sokehs glass- Rockthrough done onPohnpei), withavariedmenuand other placethatpacks’emin(such ascanbe kinds of BBQmeats. friedgoodsandall withseafood, stuffed buffet, its all-you-can-eat,serve-your-own placeandsocialspace,notleastfor meeting arresting.space iscertainly It’sapopular panelled floors andceiling,thisbarnlike Hotel) from Sakau DRINKING there are andchicken beef dishes,too. food.Freshanese fishisthespecial ity, though forever dishingupamenuof excellentJap- specialist andaperennial favourite atthat, Kolonia; dishesUS$6-9; South Park Hotel;mainsUS$9-16; Pohnpeian sunset overPohnpeian sunset thelagoon. ifyouhappen tocatch aspine-chillingeffort gazebo. It’soutof town, butwellworththe the Village Hotel’s large open-air,thatched Jungle Bar The bars canbeabithardtofind–ask Unlike boisterous, temperamentalal- Tattooed Irishman Restaurant Sei Joy Restaurant Restaurant Joy South Park Restaurant Rip into some island-style cocktails at Ripintosomeisland-style cocktails , thelocalnarcoticdrink,ismade Piper methysticum sakau

h

bar, though mostare bar,though small, Mp p1 Kolonia) p111; (Map lunch &dinner Mp p111; (Map ( h % sakau

Mp p110; (Map lunch) 320 2403;POBox254,Kolonia;

drinkers are quiet www.lonelyplanet.com This place is a lunch Thisplaceisalunch Mp p111; (Map % h ) , therootsof a

With itswood- 320 2336; PO Box 454, 320 2336;POBox454, sakau lunch &dinner) % You canget 320 2797;Village sakau % bowland 320 2255; rules. An- www.lonelyplanet.com sold at Joy Restaurant ( sold atJoy Restaurant opposite ). Traditional Micronesian handicraftsare Gift Shop, and ask thelocalsforadvice. Handicraft Shop andtheKapingamarangi Spot handicrafts; try theCarving village sell ivory palmnut.Afew places inPorakiet from raysanddolphins carved also manta modelswithwovencanoe There sails. are with real turtles, and outrigger- sharkteeth, mangrove or ironwooddolphins,sharks fine handicrafts.Mostcommonare carved Kapingamarangi islanders make Pohnpei’s SHOPPING simple; justcloseyoureyeswhenyoudrink…’ mecameover.served I wouldn’tbeabletojoinin. ofthisritual,butfeltmunal aspect wistfulthat man the so ayoungguywouldappearandoffer each one wascalmandstill.Every five minutes or progress. There wasnoreal conversation; every- and youngmensatquietly,watchingagamein amudmilkshake. like what looked open-air place,Iordered was present. usually onlyconsumedwhenthehighchief of much stronger. Inancienttimes,thedrinking do –Igotbent;drank culture. SoinPohnpeiIdidwhatPohnpeians As atravel writer, myjobistoresearch local was perfect for was perfect voiced mansinging over thetop.Iagreed it and fuzzed-out guitar,withamournful,high- Nodrums,justlopingbassruns from Chuuk. friend toldmethebandwasBlackShadow, to thereggae onthe soundsystem. Mynew of mytripmelted awayasIsatthere listening feel benevolenceandwellbeing. Allthestresses my tongueandlipswentnumbIbeganto and ordered another. mud, butclose. Butitwasn’ttoounpleasant. consistency fromthehibiscus,notasgritty FOUR CUPSOFSAKAU &APACK OFFERALDOGS ‘Your firsttimewith while,theyoungladywho’dAfter ashort I tookinthescene. Bythepooltable,old At Kolonia’sJungleBar( opposite ), amellow, I didanddiscovered that Sakau We chatted forawhile;Ifinishedmy cup sakau hadreligious significanceanditwas is like kava fromFiji kava islike orVanuatu, only sakau bowlinturn.Iloved thecom- sakau . Sakau sakau sakau sakau sakau isareal creeper; ? I’llshowyou.It’s . andwasgiven hasaclammy the 1890s,wrote that‘after fourcupsof Icouldreadlike minds. Further conversation seemedunnecessary;Ifelt the pooltable,Ifell intosilentcontemplation. really. I’dbeenburiedalive.the deepestsleep–like functions. it wouldseem,friesthemostbasicneurologic al least fourtimes,goingaroundincircles. pasttheturnofftomyplace atthat I’dwalked ladythewayhome. akind and asked to thegroundandwashedmeaway.Igave up me, before aflashstormalmostflattened me was atrade-off. fuzzy logic wasalsofromthe from the focuswasof whyIwaslost.That single-minded get myselfhome,totryandsolve thedilemma determination to because Ihadthispowerful hell Iwasdoingoutsolate. at 1am,withpuzzledlocalswonderingwhatthe village hour togethome;IendedupinPorakiet to beasimple20-minute route. Ittookmean back tothehotel, followingwhatwassupposed way, mymindanother. to test thedualityofman:mybodywentone I decidedtoleave. Christian,Iwassoon Like cupwhen Iwasonmyfourth ing duenorth’; one legstrugglessouthwhiletheotherismarch- Islands, often show. withabrilliantlight behind theFaichukcan watch thesunset forth across thelagoonandfromWeno you run aroundnaked. zipbackand Speedboats streams doinglaundryand youngchildren hot daysvillage womensitbare-breasted in contrastingcolours, bright andon several arethe edges. Houses commonlypainted in Chuuk iscolourful,lively around andrough pop 53,395/area127sqkm CHUUK FW Christian,whoresearched NanMadolin theguysaroundOn thethirdcup,justlike And that’s morning,itwasfrom thenext When Iwoke Back atthehotel, atamapandsaw Ilooked Then theinevitablepackofferal dogschased I couldn’texplainanddidn’taskdirections I gotcompletely losttryingtofindmyway Simon Sellars sakau , Ithink,whichwasgreat, butthe sakau . Nothingmore to say, sakau CHUUK , sothere Sakau sakau

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TAB5 TAB4 TAB3 MICRONESIA OF TAB1 FEDERATED STATES FEDERATED ὄὄ ὄὄ FEDERATED STATES TAB5 TAB4 TAB3 OF MICRONESIA TAB1 Cuk Lagoon Chuuk in history. wrecksthese represent thelargest naval loss (saveseum for thecreeping rust).Together, time captured forever inanunderwater mu- on thelagoonfloor–abloodymomentin over theworld.Anentire Japanese rests fleet wrecks, which divers attractdevoted fromall Nukunap andWinipison the eastside. mangrove the tinyvillages swampbetween of around Weno,broken byanarrowgapof side. road extends Acoastal mostof theway ment officesandairport are onthenorthwest outer edges, andthedistrictcentre, govern- Weno isthemainisland.Villages skirtthe ORIENTATION 120 CHUUK LAGOON Piaanu Chuuk’s aceintheholeisitssunken war Pass CHUUK••Orientation ὄὄὄ ὄὄ ὄὄ N ORTHPACIF O CEAN Pata FAICHUK ISLANDS Polle ὄὄὄ ὄὄὄ ὄὄὄ ὄ ὄὄὄ Tol Ramanum Fanapanges Udot Piis ὄὄὄ ὄὄὄ ὄὄὄ ὄὄὄ ὄὄ ὄὄ ὄὄὄ Falos Eot See WenoIsland Toriw Map (p121) Weno) Hasa24-hourATM. men mean that trouble is never far away. men mean thattroubleis never and ageneral amongyoung dissatisfaction unemployment rates, economic malaise know thatChuuk hasareputation. High Chuuk canbefriendly,but youshould ese Catch timeandthethem attheright DANGERS &ANNOYANCES Post office Hospital FSM Telecommunications Chuuk visitorinformationcentre Bank ofGuam INFORMATION per hrUS$4; 4133; [email protected]; POBoxFQ,Weno; 4133; [email protected]; North Pass Param Lagoon Tsis Sankisan Maru Heian Maru Fefan (Map (Map p122 ; Otta Pass (Map (Map p122 ; Weno) h Weno ὄὄὄ ὄὄὄ ὄὄ ὄ ὄὄὄ ὄὄ Fono (Map (Map p122 ; 24 hr)Telephone callscanbemadehere. 12miles 20km 0 0 Maru Fujikawa Eten Uman % (Dublon) Tonoas Osakura 330 2216) % Lagoon (Map (Map p122 ; Internet access Kuop Atoll www.lonelyplanet.com 330 2567;POBox69, h Northeast Pass (Map (Map p122 ; Salat Pass 8am-5pm) % 330 330 group. orwalkaroundina assment; take ataxi verbalably besubjecttoconstant har- any circumstances. from strangers anddon’thitchhike under Resort. Lagoon barstamer attheTrukStophotel andBlue scenes intheblinkof aneye. Sticktothe of raucousbars becomingbottle-hurling your ownrisk;travellers tell numeroustales venture outafter inacar. dark,even Male andfemale travellers alike shouldnot www.lonelyplanet.com from theislandsforWenoinmorning, islands andWeno. depart Note thatthese regularly themainlagoon journeybetween given notice. most hotels provide airporttransfers if centre of town.Taxis waitoutfront,but Weno’sairportissmackinthe to Chuuk. See p135 of fordetails international flights TRANSPORT WENO ISLAND ὄὄὄ ὄὄὄὄὄὄὄὄ ὄὄὄὄὄὄὄὄ ὄὄὄὄὄ ὄὄὄὄὄ Foreign women walkingalonewillprob- Don’t acceptliftsinvehicles orboats dosoatIf youmustgooutatnight, Commuter boatsandprivate speedboats See WenoCentreMap(p122) Commercial Dock Airport Chuuk Centre Weno Mt Tonaachaw (230m) Neauwo Mt Tonoken Lagoon DiveShop Resort &Blue Blue Lagoon (370m) Takarajima Restaurant Bay Pou Wn Island Weno

ὄ Wichon River Mt Witipon (277m) Falls Wichon Nukunap Stop hotel search ofsearch jobopportunities,of which there are the lagoonandstreets littered withtrash. thatrunsintoproblems, includingsewage islands, italsohasitsshare of pollution of populated Micronesia’smostdensely ringed bymangrove forests, butasone centre. hasapretty Itcertainly setting, andcommercialgoon, isChuuk’scapital Weno, thesecond-largest islandinthe la- pop 15,000 WENO ( ( p124 ) fortourinformation. If thisisalltoomuch, trythedive shops advice andhelpinmaybefindingasponsor. considering theChuukese way. overnight andthiscouldbeunwise, stay, a daytrip.You’lltherefore toplanan need toplan turn journey;thismakes itdifficult leaving Wenointheafternoon forthere- Kurassa Hotel % Nomenuk Many outer islanders cometoWenoin For Wenocarrentals, try Ask atthevisitorinformationcentre for Bay 330 2040) Xavier High School

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TAB5 TAB4 TAB3 MICRONESIA OF TAB1 FEDERATED STATES FEDERATED ὄὄ ὄὄ ὄὄ ὄὄὄὄὄὄὄὄ ὄὄὄὄὄὄ ὄὄὄὄὄὄ FEDERATED STATES TAB5 TAB4 TAB3 OF MICRONESIA TAB1 The Ethnographic Center they enduplivinginpoverty. few withoutpoliticalconnections; forthose 122 nese fleet. nese onthe Japa-two-day US bombingassault and adisplayof photostaken during the also artefacts fromthelagoon shipwrecks, chief. There tothehigh arefirst harvest topresent theseason’sbowl thatwasused conut grater anda interesting traditionalitems, such asaco- outrigger-canoe models andafew other office. Itfeatures love sticks(see p125 ), atthe tourista smallone-roommuseum PO BoxFQ,Weno;admissionUS$1.50; 4 1 3 2 WENO CENTRE CHUUK••Weno Commercial center center 10 Boat Dock Commuter Dock 7 Terminal AC Wn Centre Weno (Map p122 ; p122; (Map Blue LagoonDive To BlueLagoon Resort (1.6km); Shop (1.6km) Airport Chuuk 6 1 12 11 2 3 ulong % 330 4133; [email protected]; 330 4133;[email protected]; , aspecialfood 5 h 8am-5pm) oie...... B3 Police...... Truk LagoonDiveCenter...... (see10) Sundance Tours&DiveShop...... Ethnographic Center...... (see2) Post Office...... Hospital...... FSM Telecommunications...... Chuuk VisitorInformationCentre...... Bank ofGuam...... SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES INFORMATION B Mt Tonaachaw (230m) 9 8 is 4 to have thepowerof curses. an oldwoman wholives there, isbelieved Neawacha, of theghost because mountain good panoramic views. there’s aJapanese bunker, onetree and about 30minutes tothesummit,where the CivicActionTeam (CAT) camp.It’s tothetopoftrail goes MtTonaachaw from backdrop fortheairportandharbour. A ruled allof ChuukLagoon. fromwhich he house and builtameeting the summitof MtTonaachaw (Map p122 ) on Chuuk,hestuckalumpof rockon basalt When thelegendary Sowukachaw arrived Mt Tonaachaw Chuukese are waryof climbingthis is the 230mmountain The steep-sided 1km 0.5miles 0 0 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 A2 A4 A4 A4 A4 B3 TRANSPORT SHOPPING EATING Petrol Station...... Yumi's GiftShop...... Truk StopRestaurant...... (see10) A4 Truk Stop...... Pacific Gardens...... Kurassa Hotel...... SLEEPING www.lonelyplanet.com To XavierHighSchool(4km); Japanese Lighthouse(4km) Pou Bay D 12 11 10 9 8 A2 A2 B1 B1 disturb classes. around thegrounds,provided theydon’t andwalk panoramic viewof ChuukLagoon bombers. Visitors canclimbtheroof fora r twodirect hitsbyUS aculously survived and vaultlike steeldoors andwindows,mi- ing, with600mmreinforced-concrete walls centre wasconstructed. Themainbuild- a fortresslike wartime communications land wastaken bytheJapanese in1940and Originally thesite of chapel, aGerman the School (MapHigh p121 ) openedin1953. ofEast theairport,Jesuit-run Xavier School High Xavier www.lonelyplanet.com partly concealsaruinedcity.Aformer generally costscash. are them onthe island’swestern side;seeing headquarters inruins.MostWWIIrelics USbombingslefttheJapanesetense military theiradministrativeTonoas centre, butin- andtheJapaneseBoth theGermans made pop 3000 (Dublon) Tonoas ISLANDS INCHUUKLAGOON and treacherous witha4WDcar. even at Xavier, theroadcanbevery muddy,rocky andwalktherestat ahouse, of thewayup;as Park yourcarwhere theroadbrieflyplateaus property; someonemayaskyouformoney. ofat anelevation 117m,butit’sonprivate built intheearly1930s,sitsatopNewech Hill p121 which was ) inSapuk.Thelighthouse, the onefrom Japanese (Map lighthouse Even better than theviewfromXavier is Japanese Lighthouse Overgrown vegetationOvergrown inSapouvillage hideous andhewould eatthewomen. the forest fora‘delightfulromp inthebush’.Oncethere, the ghost’sappearancewouldturn and centipedelegs; hewouldgive thisto beautifulwomen,whowouldaccompany himinto a handsomeChuukese. Heinvented alove potionmadefromcrushed stingraytail,blackants Chuuk, whosupposedlyhauntsYap. The ghostwasalocalmagician whodisguisedhimselfas and sayheused with coconutoil;ifabeautifulwo man fallsinlove man,peoplewilljoke withaplain-looking a formofprotection. SatawanAtoll issaidtohave thestrongestmagic. inmanyforms:asacurse,love potion,asawaytoremoveIt cansurface evilspiritsoras Believers say magicChuukese isanextremely potent itvery forceandtheytake seriouslyindeed. THAT’S THEPOWEROFLOVE The moral?Beauty canhideevil, probably.Don’t be seducedbyappearances. This powerspreads allthewaytoYap, where thelocalstell oftheLegend oftheGhostfrom Perfumed love potions, called omung . omung , maycontainsuchexoticaascentipede teeth mix ed a massive sites include asmall uninhabited coralisletsscattered around androwdy. being rough the islanders here have areputation for Warning: peak,443mMtTumuital. tallest hour boatridefromWenoandhasChuuk’s largest andmostpopulated island,isaone- one-third of Chuuk’spopulation. Tol,the date back 1500years. tery foundinarchaeological digsonFefan banana andhibiscusfibres. Piecesof pot- basketryduce andhigh-quality woven of Fefan Islands Other storey into anairfield.There’s amassive two- down Eten’s andturnEten mountaintops The Japanese Chuukese labourtotear used Eten an old doorsmetal andwindowsand,furtheron, to a fortified vent. fork Ahead,take theroad’sright asanair the protrudingironpipeserved large Japanese dome-like athe southernsideof Dublon,you’llsee fromSapoutoDriving counterclockwise Japanese navalhospital There’s a bombs; oneroomis,amazingly,stillintact. which islanders washitby15to20 say the water aroundtheisland. top of thehill,aswell The The CHUUK ••IslandsinChuukLagoon (Map p120 ) isknownforitsfresh pro- Japanese seaplanebase Faichuk Islands Picnic Islands concrete structure concrete demolished tower Japanese cementtunnel Japanese building are numerous small, (Map p120 ) contain Japanese memorial canbeexplored. ontheisland, anda wrecked planes wrecked concrete bunker concrete . Otherisland withheavy . big gun and 123 on in

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TAB5 TAB4 TAB3 MICRONESIA OF TAB1 FEDERATED STATES FEDERATED FEDERATED STATES TAB5 TAB4 TAB3 OF MICRONESIA TAB1 a torpedo. as welllarge propellers, periscopes and name andtelegraph mountonthebow, at 12mto33m.Divers theship’s cansee ger andcargo shiplyingonitsportside Heian Maru 15m to30m. warm, about29°C,andvisibilityisgenerally attract large schools of fish.Thewater is theyalso themselves tothemetal; attached corals, sponges andanemones,which have for hundreds of speciesof vividlycoloured ‘buried’ atsea. the skeletal remains of thedoomedcrews with dishes,silverware andsake bottles; fighter planes;thediningareas littered sule, theirholdsfullof guns,trucksand goon floor. timecap- isaseparate Each some are in piecesstrewn acrossthela- some are someare upright, and intact, See p75 formore details. ships, andscores of USandJapanese planes. submarines, cruisers, tugboatsandcargo 60 Japanese ships,includingoiltankers, wreck -diving site: atthebottom rest about istheworld’sfinest ChuukLagoon They say Diving ACTIVITIES copra. patch orpreparinging, cultivatingthetaro includefish- itional –aday’sworkmight some are mere wispsof Allare sand. trad- outer islands).Allare flatcoralformations; and Western Islands (nearest toYap’s Mortlocks (southeast), Hall Islands(north) are thefar-flungOutside ChuukLagoon OUTER ISLANDS beaches andgoodsnorkelling, like the lagoon,manyof themwithwhite-sand 124 is at27m. fighters, fourZero the hold,which contains main deckis18mbelowthesurface, while water, isoneof the mostpopulardives. The ferry in12mto27mof thatlandedupright p120). (Map machine gunsand ammunition. 15m to30m andstillhas a cargo of trucks, cellent soft-coral at formations,isupright The The largest wreck inthelagoonis The wrecks have becomeartificialreefs in1944:The shipsliejustastheysank The CHUUK••OuterIslands Fujikawa Maru Fujikawa Sankisan Maru Maru Sankisan (Map p120),a163mpassen- (Map p120),an aircraft (Map p120),withex- Falos

weekly occupanciesfromUS$2395)A40mliveaboard. US$120 perperson. Fanamu including overnightstayandBBQmeal Islandtrip to12peopleUS$80/40/25;Jeep/ one/two tosix/seven includingdivingUS$665;landtours US$65; boatcharter trips outer reef diveswithtwo tanksUS$120;snorkelling divesUS$65/100/130;nightUS$70; two-/three-tank One-/ www.truk-lagoon-dive.com; BlueLagoonResort) US$1295) A58mvesselwith11rooms. weeklyoccupanciesfrom 4032; www.thorfinn.net; onrequest. available. Rates toursandfishingalso shopping tours,snorkelling dive US$35;nightUS$50.Boattours,island boatdivesUS$95,third www.trukstophotel.com) Two-tank Truk Odyssey SS Thorfinn attendant hassles. don’t wanttoputupwithWenoandits areThese goodoptionsfordivers who DIVE BOATS Center Truk LagoonDive Shop Sundance Tours&Dive Shop Blue LagoonDive organise this. DivingPermitState (US$30);yourshop can be visited withoutaguide. You’llneed underwater historicalparkandtheycan’t wrecks haveLagoon’s declared been an To keep souvenir hunters atbay,Chuuk DIVE SHOPS kiddie-related necessities before youarrive. big stores, somake sure youhave allyour here. Parents bewarned:youwon’tfind any a grownup,there anddo won’tbe alottosee let alonekids.Ifyou’re not adiver, letalone Adults have timeonChuuk, ahardenough CHUUK FORCHILDREN deck about 3munderwater. off thecoastofa sub-chaser Tonoas,withits shallow waters Eten off andthe Other wrecks visited fighter in are a Zero sidein12mofits starboard water off Uman. coral-encrusted transportship thatlieson include avisittothe the surface. Boattripsforsnorkellers usually tions; somewrecks are aboutametre under diver totake alookatitsunderwater attrac- calm, soyoudon’thave tobean experienced The waters are of clearand ChuukLagoon Snorkelling 4234; [email protected];POBox85,Weno) See See above fordive-shop rates. (Seaward Holidays Micronesia; HolidaysMicronesia; (Seaward ( % 330 2727;www.trukodyssey.com; Mp p121; (Map Dainihino Maru Mp p122; (Map www.lonelyplanet.com Mp p122; (Map % % Susuki Maru Susuki 330 2796; % % 330 4232; , a small , asmall 330 330 , have todrive anywhere. may bethebestplacefordivers –youdon’t Given thesafety situationonChuuk,this ings, each withabalconyfacingthelagoon. furnished roomsintwo-storey woodbuild- amid abeautifulcoconutgrove, ithaswell- beachside hotel. landscaped Pleasantly other islands. on opposite runtours, sometimestothe Thedivecan easilydoyourself. shopslisted there’s whatthere very is,you littletosee; People cometoChuukdive. OnWeno, TOURS www.lonelyplanet.com if youget peckish. andVCR,TV andthere’s astore downstairs edges. Allroomshave kitchen facilities,a aroundthe andsafe, ifabitrough pleasant one-bedroom andstudioapartmentsare (p120). centre thevisitorinformation you’d bestcontact Avoid camping,forsafety reasons. SLEEPING from standard orocean-viewfrom standard rooms. must bethankfulforsmallmercies.Choose with goodwater pressure; inChuuk,you double beds,minifridges andlarge showers andcleanroomswithtwocomfortable This popular23-roomhotel hasspacious, 494, Weno;rfromUS$55; rUS$48; Weno; [email protected]; US$125/135; POBox340,Weno;s/dfrom .bluelagoondiveresort.com; .com; POBox546,Weno;s/dfromUS$95/105; Truk Stop Pacific Gardens Pacific Gardens Blue LagoonResort intheouter islands, If youwanttostay Kurassa Hotel sticks. the stickinhermother’s hairinstead. Whenthatchedhouseswentoutof fashion, sodidlove and, iftempted, wouldsneakoutintothenight forasecret rendezvous. hair. byhisgentletugging, Shewouldbewoken todetermine feel whowasoutside thecarving then pushthelove stickinthroughthesideof thethatchedhouse,entanglingitinherlong attheappropriateso shecouldthenrecognise time. thecarving to itsowner;ayoungmanwouldatsome stageshowhislove ofhis desire, sticktotheobject In thedaysofthatchedhouses, love stickswere usedbymalestoget adate fortheevening. SLENDER STICKSOFLOVE These days, replicas popular souvenirs. make arecipeIt seemslike fordisaster; theyoungwomanin eye ortangling imagine poking If allwentwell,thesuitorwouldwait untiltheyoungwomanhadretired forthenight and These slendersticksofmangrove woodwere inadesignunique intricately notchedandcarved a

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mail.fm; POBox494,Weno,Falos Island;rUS$45) mains US$9-18; can organise aboatforyou. showers are outsideandshared. Theresort walls tocatch thebreeze. Thetoiletsand with screened, louvred windowsonallfour Askbases. cottages forthefree-standing floors, andfutonsonwooden electriclights crete, tin-roofed cottages have linoleum cated on Falos simplecon- Island,these brave youcanaskalocal. won’t finditinrestaurants, butifyou’re fresh breadfruit You wasnotinseason. journeysorduringmonths whencanoe feeding islanders long staple, through tant asanimpor- and hastraditionallyserved breadfruit valued ishighly but preserved for months years. –even Itsmellsrotten, cover ing thetopwithrocksandleaving it cut breadfruit andbananaleaves, then filling apitwithalternating layers of ripe, A Chuukese specialityis EATING a restaurant andbardownstairs. is adequate; don’texpectmiracles.There’s with adoubleandsinglebed.Thisplace cooking facilities),plusasmallbedroom sinkandrefrigeratorwith atable, (butno has unitsthatfeature area asmallseparate tuna dishes andvariouspastas. andgoodsteak options,plusterrificstaples Fefan andTonoas.IthassomeJapanese terrific lagoon-side viewsof theFaichuks, is A-OK here, given thatyou’llbeenjoying US$8-17; Blue LagoonResort Falos BeachResort Truk StopRestaurant h breakfast, lunch&dinner) h breakfast, lunch&dinner)

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TAB5 TAB4 TAB3 MICRONESIA OF TAB1 FEDERATED STATES FEDERATED ὄ ὄ FEDERATED STATES TAB5 TAB4 TAB3 OF MICRONESIA TAB1 Takarajima Restaurant Takarajima tion of qualityhandicrafts. Yp State Yap 87) h and shelljewellery. wooden masks,baskets, seashells, carvings, (see p125 Souvenirs), hibiscus-fibre includeitems such aslove fans,wood- sticks SHOPPING load of thelobster thermidoriftheyhave it. isexcellent;get (steaks a etc),buttheseafood ant lagoonview.It’sapretty meatymenu theisland’sonlypizzaandhasapleas- serves 126 YAP STATE , opposite the airport,hasawideselec- Also: Yumi’s Gift Shop Yumi’s Gift per mission you do ask, they’ll most likely letyougonearlyanywhereyou doask,they’llmostlikely andseealmostanythingyouwant. are especiallydistasteful. picture. Yapese don’t obvious you’re intru ding, andbesure youalwaysaskpermissionbefore snappingsomeone’s around.Bepreparedyou seesoitdoesn’tlookasthoughyou’re sneaking tobackoffwhenit’s Yapese trytoavoidentering avillageotherthantheirownoncethesunhasset. through villagesare cuttingacrosssomeone’sbackyard. alongthemislike private, andwalking ofColonia),you’re Even(except onprivate forsomeparts property. someofthestonepathways Exploring Yap requires agraspofYapese etiquette. Onceyoustep offtheroadanywhere inYap ETIQUETTE YAPESE you’re considerate anddon’toverstep thebounds. In reality, theYapese willprobablyunderstandthatforeigners don’tknowtherules,aslong lunch &dinner)Weno’sbestJapanesefood. Map (p127) See YapProper YAP You could try exploring on your own, asking peoplealongthewayfordirections andYou couldtryexploringonyourown,asking youneedtoget permissionand Officially To theYapese, permissionisaninsult,buttheyare avery notasking generouspeopleandif Ngulu Atoll ὄὄὄ N ORTHPACIF IC Yap Proper when appropriate. SmilesgoalongwayinYap. Inavillageyoushouldgreet everyone

O CEAN Mp p122; (Map Ulithi Atoll (Map (Map p121 ; mainsUS$7-28; like tobestaredlike atortohave thingspointed ὄ ὄ % Sorol Atoll 330 3585;POBox Fais ὄ ὄ Eauripik sometimes aguidetovisitmostvillages. Woleai Atoll Atoll handi crafts. Resort( Lagoon p125 some) alsosell public officials. still holdasmuch politicalcloutaselected andvillage chiefscaste system survives the wholeof theFSM, aplacewhere the impression onyouforyears tocome. wondrous place,onethatwillleave adeep Yap, thelandof giantstonemoney,isa pop 11,241/area120sqkm YAP Sundance Tours ( p124 ) andtheBlue This isthemosttraditionaldistrictin Faraulep Atoll 250miles 400km 0 0 Ifalik Atoll ὄὄὄ ὄ at them,sovideocameras Olimarao Atoll Gaferut Elato Atoll www.lonelyplanet.com West Fayu Atoll ὄ Lamotrek Atoll Satawal Pikelot with respect. love you,too,asking onlythatyoutread plane, you’llcatch yourfirst of glimpse men Yp Proper Yap www.lonelyplanet.com the westernmost andlargest island, with by bridges. Yap Island, withtheairport, is Gagil are clustered alltightly andconnected The major islandsof Yap, Map andTomil- ORIENTATION old stonefootpaths, were painted betel-nut red tocover up). that theconcrete floors of thenewterminal were withbetel-nut juice stained sodeeply apparently thedirtfloors of theoldairport a cheek bulgingwithbetel nut(see p132 ; customsofficers,official-looking willhave sengers. includingthevery Andeveryone, hibiscus skirts,greeting incomingpas- or of Yapese womenwearingonlywoven and boyswearingbright-coloured loincloths, bamboo. traditional styleof wood,thatch, ropeand can befound,constructed intheelaborate, 1 3 2 YAP PROPER ὄὄὄὄὄ ὄὄ ὄὄὄὄὄ ὄὄ ὄὄὄὄὄ ὄὄὄὄὄ The peoplelove their culture andthey’ll Out inthevillages, connected bycenturies- It’s aplacewhere, whenyoustep the off SLEEPING SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES Japanese Zeroes...... (see1) B3 German CableStation...... Village ViewHotel...... Wanyan Beach...... RiZE...... (see 3) N ORTHPACIF AC Malaay O CEAN GILMAN KANIFAY Magachgil ὄὄὄ ὄὄὄ Church faluw Ngariy Ngoof Old Airport (men’s houses) (men’shouses) 3 2 1 Airport D2 D2 DALIPEBINAW B ὄὄὄὄὄὄὄ ὄὄὄὄ ὄὄὄὄ ὄὄὄὄ Yap Island School Yap High 1 Medeqdeq Hill (147m) RULL WELOY Colonia Balabat Chamorro Bay. Post office Net Café FSM Telecommunications Bank oftheFSM on Yap. cash withyou;thereenough are noATMs credittaking cards.Make sure youbring havein 2002,manybusinesses stopped ofSince theBank Hawaii itsdoors closed INFORMATION fairly goodcondition. island are packed they’re dirt,though in east endof Map. Mostotherroadsonthe Tomiltothenorth- continues through Colonia,and through the airport,curves Passage andcanonlybe reached byboat. from therest of Yap ProperbyYinbinaew thirds of itspeople. Rumungisseparated half of Yap Proper’slandarea andtwo- Internet accessperhrUS$4) made here. hr US$4; advances andchangesUS-dollartravellerscheques. Okau The island’smainpaved roadbeginsat Bi Island Rang ὄ ὄ Pekel Island h FANIF Island Tarang (O'Keefe's) Mt Matade (Map (Map p129 ; RoomF&G,Yap Square; Market (174m) (Map (Map p129 sideof ; Colonia)Onthenorthern 8km 4miles 0 0 24 hr)Long-distancetelephonecallscanbe Bugol (Map (Map p129 ; Colonia) Doescash Maa Rumung Canal Tagreng Island Yinbinaew Manta Ridge Passage YAP ••Orientation Gocham Hill ὄ ὄ ὄ ὄ (Map (Map p129 ; Internetper Munguuy Wanyan Tomil-Gagil Bay Church St Joseph's Island 3 Bechiyal D 2 Wanead Map Island Wanyan Beach Channel Gofnuw

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TAB5 TAB4 TAB3 MICRONESIA OF TAB1 FEDERATED STATES FEDERATED FEDERATED STATES TAB5 TAB4 TAB3 OF MICRONESIA TAB1 and US$3totheairport. a smallvillage with adecidedlyrusticfeel. it’sreallythe leastbitmodern, although just istheonly The statecapital part of Yap that’s pop 1100 COLONIA For carrentals try Around Getting to Yap. See p135 of fordetails international flights &Away There Getting TRANSPORT Yap visitorinformationcentre Public hospital 128 p129; and Friday). and Woleai(fromUS$172;usuallyMonday planetoUlithi,Faisflies anine-passenger PBC h % was named forthelabourers fromSaipan viewsmost everywhereoffering (thebay sea Field Trip Service Field Trip the book through islands. Arrangeand permitstodisembark Yaptween Properandallpopulated outer (approximately) 14-daytripmonthlybe- Yap’s costupto75caroundColonia taxis Colonia wrapsaround Aviation Pacific Missionary The field-tripship the Register Places,thoughonlyacoupleofbricksandstairwayremain. ofNationalHistoric legendary amongtheYapese. copra, andO’Keefe sooncametodominate Yap’s copratrade. to Palau topickupnewlyquarriedstonemoney.Yapese chiefs paidforthestone moneywith off toHongKongbuyaChinesejunk,thenreturned toYap runsdown andbeganmaking leverage trade. asamediumofexchange,O’Keefe Hewent decidedtogetintothestone-money traditional hibiscusclothingandgrassskirts. entice otherPacific islandersraisedlittlecuriosityamongtheYapese, whostubbornlypreferred thattradersusedto clothandtrinkets Henoted thatthecolourful saw agoldenopportunity. health bytheYapese 30yearsofhislife andspentthenext ontheislands. shipwrecked Irish-Americanwhowashedashore in1871.Neardeath,hewasnursedbackto character ofYap’sThe mostcolourful 19th-centuryhistorywas Majesty’O’Keefe,David ‘His a O’KEEFEHIS MAJESTY 7.30-11.30am &12.30-4.30pm) 350 2298;[email protected];POBox988,Colonia; YAP ••Transport Mp p129; (Map % In 1901hedisappeared atsea;hisformerhomeonTarang Island,inTomilHarbor,isnow O’Keefe’s Irishtemper andpenchantforfeuding withcolonialadministratorsmade him Realising thattheenormousstonemoneyYapese quarriedindistantPalau offered more Where theGermanshadfailedingettingYapese toproducecoprainquantity,O’Keefe 350 2139) % (Map (Map p129 ;

. Mp p129; (Map 350 2266) 7-D Yap State Transportation Yap Transportation State % Micro Spirit Mp p129 ; (Map orthe % 350 3446) Mp p129; (Map

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patches andvillage houses. of offer first, someglimpses taro but itdoes it’snotaswell-linedwithstonesthe Bay; pathheadsdowntoChamorro 6m. Asecond road justabove school. theCatholic the leftforkandyou’llcomeouttopaved Ocean ViewHotel. Whenthepathsplits,take opposite thewaterfront, southof theformer near thestate legislature. village of ( Balabat opposite ). walk tothestone-moneybankinnearby cable station). transpacific who helpedbuildtheGerman’s dance performances (US$50) on Sunday at dance performances (US$50) onSundayat gift shop. Theartsvillage alsostages Yapese can buyexamples of intheexcellent these materials like breadfruit andhibiscus;you objects from open-air shelter, hand-carving in thevillage andworkontheircraft inan were before used Western contact. and touncover whatnaturalpigments determine theexactformof originalidols to younger artists;research isconducted to teach theircraftsmanshipandtechniques Here, village elders have invited to been brating and indigenous art.preserving agreatEthnic ArtVillage does jobof cele- Located attheTraders’ Ridge Resort,the Village Ethnic Art Turn right andgouptheroadforabout Turn right A shadedtraditional Note the Japanese If you’ve ayenforexploring,goon Yapese live artisans inthatched homes torii www.lonelyplanet.com stone footpath (pillared gate) starts starts Colonia and continuealongthewaterfront tothe once thesite of aSpanishtradingstation, station nearthebridge.station You’llpass at Colonia’spetrol bank. Theroadstarts and weavings direct fromthesource. can viewandbuywatercolours, carvings it’sanartcooperative,essence, where you www.lonelyplanet.com to more dirt road. It’sjustacouple of minutes down and 300malong look ontheleftforawide with whereRull municipaloffice, the roadislined and itional men’shouse atrad- 3.2km, isaconvenient way tosee (MapThe walktoBalabat p127 VILLAGE ), about BALABAT Sat) Colonia; art.com; This terrific little Studio&Gallery Yap Art localfood. exhibitions andsample You canalsowitnessstone-money-carrying Yapese buildingshave reconstructed. been 5pm initsamphitheatre, where traditional (4.8km) To Airport 1 3 2 COLONIA showcases theworkof showcases localartists;in SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES INFORMATION Yap VisitorInformation C3 Police &FireStation...... Government Offices...... FSM Telecommunications.. Bank oftheFSM...... Yap Divers...... (see14) Yap ArtStudio&Gallery.. Werner Lau...... (see17) Nature's Way...... Japanese torii...... Ethnic ArtVillage...... (see17) Charters...... (see11) Beyond theReef Centre...... Public Hospital...... Post Office...... Net Café...... Library...... rai . Take totheright, curving theroad rai AC and a seaside andaseaside h 8.30am-4.30pm Mon-Fri, 10am-2pm 8.30am-4.30pm Mon-Fri, gallery 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 C3 C2 C3 D1 C3 D3 C3 D1 B3 C2 D3

( % rai 13 EATING SLEEPING 'ef' aefotIn.C2 O'Keefe's WaterfrontInn.. Manta RayBayHotel...... ESA Hotel...... Restaurant...... (see17) Verandah ViewConservatory Pathways Hotel...... (see16) Oasis...... (see 19) Manta RayRestaurant...(see14) Ganir...... ESA...... (see 13) Traders' RidgeResort...... Pathways Hotel...... faluw 350 4180;www.yapese Chamorro Bay (stone money) (stonemoney) St Mary's Catholic Church To MedeqdeqHill 7 . The main . Themain B

Stone Footpath ὄὄ ὄὄ Madrich 16 , 17 18 17 16 15 14 13 C2 B3 B3 C2 B3 19 20 ing onthe widerroad.The stonepathway, continu- the road forksagain,bear right, When west-side bridge Bay. on Chamorro onto thewidedirt road,1½kmfromthe the mainpaved fork road,take theright airport, butinstead of turningleftwith of avery stonefootpath. pleasant of Yap’s best This village (Map p127 ) inWeloyhasone VILLAGE OKAU Zeroes and thePhilippines; nearbyare two in 1905,thatlinked Guam Shanghai through the left,isold port, onanunmarked dirtroadleadingto aresights hiddenawayondirtroads. a guidetoget themostoutof Yap; many Colonia,it’srecommended youhireBeyond ZEROES JAPANESE CABLESTATIONGERMAN & for communitygatherings. stoneplatformsused road endsattworaised il rpSrie.... C3 FieldTripService...... Yap StateTransportation TRANSPORT DRINKING PBC...... Continental Airlines...... 7-D...... O'Keefe's Kanteen...... To Madrich(800m); From Coloniaheadwesttowards the One-and-a-half kilometres eastof the air- Balabat (3.2km) 2 6 14 15 ὄὄ ὄὄ ὄὄὄὄὄ ὄὄὄ 18 , theirwingssurprisinglyintact. 9 5 0.4miles 600m 0 0 1 22 21 11 faluw YAP ••BalabatVillage 23 23 22 21 20 19 3 and German Cable Station Cable German C2 C3 C2 C2 ὄὄ 10 Island (6.4km) To Tomil-Gagil rai 12 4 Tomil Harbor banksattheend 8 D Japanese Japanese , built , built

129

TAB5 TAB4 TAB3 MICRONESIA OF TAB1 FEDERATED STATES FEDERATED FEDERATED STATES TAB5 TAB4 TAB3 OF MICRONESIA TAB1 nicer andmore secluded. the beaches justbeyondthevillage are even beach infrontof though themen’shouse, minutes. Visitors are the welcometouse swimming isgoodifyouwadeout for10 typhoon Sudaldestroyeditin2004. The alow-keytain culturalcentre, untilSuper- This friendlybeachside village tocon- used BECHIYAL of alleling thepowerlines.Yap’s largest piece 1½km after theacademy,onroadpar- Tomil-Gagil Island,bearleftatthefork To get toWanyan,ontheeastern sideof WANYAN The large just before andabridge. twosmallhouses oppositeon theright astoneplatformand just over 7kmfromtheairportroad,starts 130 the two, inthecentre of Wanyanvillage. Past see p132 ) you’llhave fornumber tosettle to visitors (exceptforTraders’ Ridge tours; turtle skulls and a carved wooden figure that turtle skulls andacarved is oneof theisland’s oldest.Insideare dried couple of dollars totheownerfor access. kayaks canberented. You’llhave topaya and showers. tide; Swimmingisbestathigh road, withthatched picnicshelters, rest rooms WanyanBeach left isYap’s largest. second the oceansideof theroad;pieceon Nearby are thick several stoneplatform. pathway, isbuiltonaraised rai Bechiyal’s Bechiyal’s One of Yap’s mostaccessiblebeaches is highest costofhumanlives. These stonescommonlybore thenamesoflostmariners. valuable stoneswere therefore notnecessarilythelargest, butthosethatwere atthe transported by canoe402kmtoYap. so logscouldbeslippedthrough,andthestoneswere thenluggeddowntobarges andtowed limestone thattheYapese thenquarriedintohugeflatdiscs. Holeswere in thecentre carved used asYapese currency. He founditonPalau’s RockIslands,intheformofhardcrystalline Legend hasitthattheancientnavigatorAnagumangsetsailinsearchofidealstonetobe MONEY STONE when ownershipchanges. as five tonnes. The Japaneseciviliangovernment counted 13,281coinsin1929. US dollarsettlesmosttransactions. YAP ••Wanyan faluw Stone money,whichtheYapese call With theirweightycargo, entire expeditionswere sometimeslostinstormsatsea. The most Most is on Rumung Island, but as it’s closed isonRumungIsland,butasit’sclosed are twohuge pebai rai (Map p127 ), attheendof the is kept in‘banks’linedupalongvillagepathways. iskept The moneyisnotmoved, even faluw , about10minutes downthe survived the typhoon and thetyphoon and survived rai rai Rai standing along standing . remains inusetodayforsometraditionalexchanges,althoughthe rai , canrangeupto3½mindiameter andweighasmuch intersect withanotherroad. acrosswhenyouway. Continuestraight itional villages, withmany twotrad- through The 1½kmpathpasses park andheadacrossthelogfootbridge. the Map road(take theleft-handfork); all details. the visitorinformationcentre ( p128 ) for of traditionalmeals;contact ing theserving the timeof writingthere of wastalk reviv- village and used asthe village andused was awomancaptured fromaneighbouring represents the they have forcenturies,wearing of Yap Proper. Mostouter islanders live as that theislandswere independently settled planet’s mostisolated people;it’sbelieved Yap’s outer islandsare home tosomeof the OUTER ISLANDS men stillhave elaborate bodytattoos. sisting onfish andfarming.Someelderly lava-lavas of of women are known fortheirskilled weaving caves. andsea Its reef, beaches, cliffs sandy limestone withapartialfringingraised monuments surrounditsislands. bunkers,planes, oldtanks, fieldguns,and by theJapanese, andwrecked ships and tion, of‘developed’ theouter islands. and themostpeople;it’salso the most To get to Bechiyal, driveTo get totheendof toBechiyal, You canstillcamphere (US$5),andat Uih Atoll Ulithi Fais inlandsizeandpopula- second A close lava-lavas Woleai Atoll (Map p127 ) isasingleislandof , livinginthatched hutsandsub- (Map p127 ) hasthemostland . mispil (Map p127 ) wasfortified , which in timespast faluw www.lonelyplanet.com mistress. rai alongthe thu and make arequest tothe venture ResortInn( p133 to ), you’llneed 2343; POBox42,Colonia) www.lonelyplanet.com US$70; introductory snorkelling US$70. snorkelling US$70; introductory US$50;mangrove boattourwithsnorkelling snorkelling bycarUS$40;boat US$70; beachpicnicand snorkelling US$35;nightdive ing lunchUS$70/105,third tankextra divesinclud- way.fm; POBox238,Colonia) One-/two-tank Way Nature’s Ulithi Dive Charters Beyond theReef DIVE SHOPS sharks. sleeping Gagil, aninteresting dive thatoften has nuw Channel Channel; insummertheraysmove to divers trackraysat their widemouths. especiallywhentheyopen awesome sight, inthechannel,by parasiticwrasses are an the surface. Therays,which are cleaned as divers clingtoaledge about9mbelow thechannelwingtips, swimmingthrough tobrushyouwiththeir enough come close with theirwingspansof upto3.6m,often is its coralheads. and spectacular sive branching corals,huge lettucecorals tip of Yap Properslopesgently withexten- wrecks. Thereef Gilmanatthesouthern off turtles,andacoupleof ship- barracuda, sea channel drifts,schools of grey sharksand caves,excellent coral,vertical walls,sea Yap has good Diving &Snorkelling diving: virgin reefs with ACTIVITIES food foryourhostfamily. itor fee of US$20. Bringcigarettes orcanned totheislandchief,sented alongwithavis- yourlengthof passstating stay. authorised chief approves yourvisit,youwillget an fore visiting theouter islands.Iftheisland’s and villagetourUS$25. tours(ratesonrequest); Falalop US$25;kayak rider Island boattour US$55;boat diveUS$75;snorkelling One-tank US$99/175. excursionUS$45;half-/full-dayfishingcharter snorkelling US$35;nightdiveUS$60; dives US$60/99,thirdtankextra www.diveyap.com; POBox609,Yap) One-/two-tank Unless you’re attheUlithiAd- staying From December through toFebruary,From Decemberthrough Yap’s mostnovel attraction,however, When youlandthepassmustbepre- manta rays ( % , atthenortheastendof Tomil- Mp p129; (Map 350 2360;www.diveulithi.com;Falalop) ; these gentle creatures,; these atleastonemonthbe- % Council ofTamol Mp p129; (Map Manta Ridge Manta 350 3407;www.natures % inMiil 350 3483;

( % Gof- 350 One-/two-tank divesUS$60/95,thirddiveUS$35. One-/two-tank US$60/106. tour (minimum eightpeople)US$55;half-/full-daykayak tour (minimumtwopeople)US$43/75;villagecultural half-/full-day fishingfromUS$270/430;land US$48; US$38; nightdiveUS$65;guidedsnorkelling tankdiveUS$65/106,thirdextra Hotel) One-/two US$35; nightdiveUS$65. divesUS$50/99,thirdtankextra One-/two-tank Resort) ledgeable Yapese and hospitable fellow, and at Traders’ Ridge ( p133 ); he’savery know- want arecommendation, ask forSebastian thehotelsthrough andthedive shops. Ifyou tours can bearranged Guided sightseeing TOURS them forastrollaround will keep themwide-eyedandcurious.Take Kids willlove Yap; it’saquirky place that YAP FORCHILDREN left). (see the beach. Thedive shopsoffer fishing trips (Map p127 ); womenshould cover upon in Tomil-Gagiland the beach atBechiyal beaches (Map are WanyanBeach p127 ) barracuda andtrevally. Themostaccess ible Yap’s waters marlin,yellowfintuna, contain Swimming &Fishing Yap Divers Werner Lau RiZE lunch atthe emblazoned withtraditionaldesigns.Try be able tobuya T-shirt orwoodcarving Studio&Gallery Yap Art to dancetheYapese atthe way.Stopoff arrangeeven forthelittletackers tolearn artist paintasceneof exquisite beauty, or itional danceperformance,watch aYapese where beabletocatch atrad- youmight Village Art walk-friendly Intown,the capital. extensive program. of theisland’sculturalattractionsfromits (see p133 ) tosuggest afamily-friendly tour oraskthe men’s house, up to it’s pocket moneyforYapese kids).Drive somestonemoney(tell yourchildrensee strollthrough Later, got tothrillanykidworththeirred cordial. isi restaurant isatraditionalIndonesian boatmoored intheharbour,andthat’s Mp p127; (Map Bechiyal Mp p129; (Map ( p128 ) isagoodplacetostart, (Map (Map p129 ; % ( opposite atraditional ) tosee Manta Ray Bay Hotel BayHotel Ray Manta 350 2031;VillageViewHotel) % % Balabat village YAP ••Activities 350 2300; Manta Ray Bay Ray 350 2300;Manta 350 6000; Traders’ Ridge 350 6000;Traders’Ridge 19) wee you’ll where ( p129), Traders’ Ridge Resort Traders’ Ridge Colonia 18) the ( p128), 13) its ( p133); 19) to (p129) Ethnic phin- 131

TAB5 TAB4 TAB3 MICRONESIA OF TAB1 FEDERATED STATES FEDERATED FEDERATED STATES TAB5 TAB4 TAB3 OF MICRONESIA TAB1 daily life inWaneadVillage. witheldersandobserve the chancetotalkone-on-one pathways. five localnavigatorsonaYapese sailingcanoe. ments have madetoaccommodate been ( exception isBechiyal p130 ), where arrange- fice shouldbeabletoh to campfromthelandowner;touristof- permission toobtain owned, soyou’llneed On Yap speckof every landisprivately SLEEPING andAviation RuinsTour WWII Relics Tour Traditional SailingCanoe Traditional LandTour Tour Village Private foreigners sincethe17th century,exceptTraders’Ridge. Goes totheatollofRumung,whichhasbeenclosedall Forbidden IslandLandandBoatTour Tour Biking what’s onoffer: tours inadvanceof yourtriptoYap. mended thatyoubookthemore elaborate going totheYapese involved; it’srecom- tion of withmostmonies tours andclasses, island anditspeople. yourunderstanding ofhe’ll deepen the 132 a stone-money bankandamen’shouse. a stone-money Here’s justavery of small selection Traders’ Ridge offers anincredible selec- who’d been holding up his canoe was kept busyuntyingknots.who’d been holdinguphiscanoe waskept it uptightlywithmany knots. Hewouldthenthrow itoverboard andsailaway, whiletheghost middle ofalagoon, thesailorwouldprepare abetel-nut mixture,leaves wrapit in extra andtie say thateven ghostschewit.When outrigger canoeswouldstopfornoobvious reason inthe Solomon down yourchinandstainclothes questions, andbewarned:untilyou’re thevoluminous red wellpractised, torun spitislikely how highyoufly,andmaybeunderwhelmed byyourfirsttry.Watchhowothersdoit,ask the nutinbackofyourmouthto oneside. Your chewingtechnique willlargely determine tween yourbackteeth andcrackitnearthestem end.Priseitopenandpluckthenutout. Chew buy abagfromthelocalstore; yourteeth won’trotafter justafew. Take seedbe- thehusked can (after manyyearsofuse)causeseriousmouthulcersandcancer insomecases. staining theteeth red andeventually causingthemtogo black;thelimeishighlycausticand ers were horrified,believingtheentire Yapese sickandcoughingupblood), racetobemortally isadded.The processproducesmassesofvividredvodka, saliva(thevery firstEuropean explor- produce amildintoxication thatlastsabout10minutes. in Sometimestobacco,ortobaccosoaked while it’sgreen, then chewitwithcrushedcorallimeandpepperleaves. The three components chews Expatriates (anddentists)regard betel-nut chewingasratherdisgusting,butinYap everyone NUT BETEL YAP ••Sleeping Betel nutisalsopopularin Palau; intheSolomonIslands,where it’sknownas Seeing aforeigner indulging bringsbroadsmilestothefacesoflocals,soifyou’re upforit, buw (US$55)Goesaroundbackroadsand (Solomons’beer);acrossSoutheastAsia; andontheIndiansubcontinent.Oldtimers , asbetel nut(theseedoftheareca palm)iscalled.The Yapese splitthenutopen (half/full day US$65/100) Offers (half/fulldayUS$65/100)Offers (half/fulldayUS$55/110)Visits elp. The one notable elp. Theonenotable (US$40)Accompanies (US$25) (US$95) a houseboat. Theplaceisfullof wooden a houseboat. touching the water;you’re it’sasthough on the waterfront, withagorgeous baralmost on small, cosy,colonial-styleplaceisright ways.com; s/dUS$115/125; restaurant andbar,too. Perfect. by agardenlike There’s setting. awonderful a clearviewof surrounded Chamorro Bay, tures sittingverandas, pleasant manywith tage isbuiltwithnative materials andfea- with traditionalYapese cot- aesthetics.Each side cottages thatbalancesmoderncomforts beautiful, acollectionof freestanding hill- details. campers; thetouristofficefor again,contact taurant ( taurant opposite ) here. fall intoline. There’s anatmosphericres- different typesof thebedspreads fish;even marine motifs,witheach roomthemedafter have furnishings, poster rattan bedsand the28large, rooms comfortable the décor: gone allouttodosomethingdifferent with p131 ) onthepremises. Management have divers duetothepopulardive shop(see This three-storey hotel isafavourite with PO Box68,Yap; rUS$155; www.okeefesyap.com; www.mantaray.com; s/dfromUS$150/194; Manta Ray Bay Hotel BayHotel Ray Manta Hotel Pathways O’Keefe’s Waterfront Inn Waterfront O’Keefe’s Mp p129; (Map a

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place features teak beams,wallsandfloors, US$100/125; .diveulithi.com; Falalop Island; inland/ocean-viewrooms can behiddenbehindwallpaintings. that native artandtrinkets, TVs and inset trim) have lotsof great littletouches such as cream-toned rooms(withelegantwood and periodphotographs onthewalls; floors, low-beamed ceilings,rockingchairs www.lonelyplanet.com grilled fish withlemon-butter sauce. mangrove craband ‘Diver’s Dream’ – are alsoAsian localdishessuch assteamed have pizzaand burgers tasty here, but there converted into aterrific restaurant. Youcan to bepermanentlymoored inthebayand fromIndonesiatoYapwhich wassailed a 100-year-old schooner –theSV it’sactually and thebestview.Why?Because more nooksandcranniesthanyoucancount, BayHotel;mainsUS$14-22; Ray Restaurant Ray Manta EATING POBox758,Yap;.rizedivingcentre.com; rfromUS$55; service isfriendly andpersonable. service rounded bypalmtrees andbeach, and rooms are sur- cleanandcomfortable, hotel intheouter islands. Theresort’s 10 dine out. it’s alonghaulintotownifyouwantto beach. It’s acheeky littlegetaway, although andquiet(butsometimeswindy) pleasant Western-style duplexunitsareThese ona ( p128). home totheexcellentEthnicArtVillage here, it’sworthpoppingin;thecomplexis restaurant ( right ). Even ifyou’re notstaying them; there’s alsoasuperbbarandgreat with islandartworkssprinkledamong top perch and features landscapedgrounds resort presides over thebayfromitshill- artworks andlocallymadefurniture. The superbly complemented byMicronesian a Victorianarchitectural style,withrooms The Ridge isanupscaleplace,accented in the bay;itmakes allthedifference. Ask foraroomwithbalconyoverlooking rooms, withrefrigerators, phonesandTVs. hascleanbutplain place byChamorroBay view.com; s/dUS$97/105) rfromUS$215; www.tradersridge.com; Traders’ Ridge Resort Resort Ridge Traders’ Village View Hotel View Village ESA Hotel Inn Resort Ulithi Adventure a

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waterfront setting. waterfront foodandagood dinner) AdequateJapanese-style bonhomie. the placehasanaddictive atmosphere of isaspeciality,and any meal.Localseafood (like thehotel), makes for anicesetting open-air courtyard,builtintheYapese style Chamorro Bay. command postandhasaterrific viewof is located on thesite of theformerJapanese seviche you cantrylocalfavourites like coconut grounds of Traders’ Ridge Resort,here amongtheleafy,atmospheric unique. Set Yapese chef onYap’, andthefoodisindeed fast &lunch) space. dishesinanupstairs,open-air & dinner)Japanese-style betel-nut pouches. wall hangings; alsoconsider handbagsor and banana-tree fibres, canmake attractive skirts, hand-woven fromcottonorhibiscus Yap has finenative handicrafts. SHOPPING Kanteen O’Keefe’s DRINKING Ganir when drunk). schooner (mindthatnarrowgangplank ( Manta Ray opposite ), onanIndonesian ery andtraditionalYapese architecture; and Pathways ( opposite ), surroundedbygreen- bars: Traders’ Ridge ( left ), perched onahill; and there’s live musicsomenights. the famousbookabout O’Keefe (see p102 ) sells iteven has indoorandoutdoorseating; It’s anatmospheric,low-ceilinged cove and Majesty David himself, O’Keefe (see p128 ). toric site of ownedby His an1874canteen littleperiodbar,builtonthehis- a fantastic lunch &dinner) p129; ESA and ricedishes. real winnerandthere are goodsandwiches of theharbour. Theblackened isa sashimi top of O’Keefe’s Kanteen, withafineview Hotel; Veranda View Conservatory Restaurant Restaurant Conservatory Veranda View Oasis Pathways Hotel The besthotels have simplyawesome Also: Mp p129; (Map % h (Map (Map p129 ; Colonia;mainsUS$7-10; and taro-leaf soup.Therestaurant andtaro-leaf (Map (Map p129 ; Colonia;lunchesUS$3-7; 350 6000; Traders’ Ridge Resort; Resort; 350 6000;Traders’Ridge breakfast, lunch&dinner) This popularplacesitsliterally on Thisplaceboaststhe‘only % 350 2139;

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TAB5 TAB4 TAB3 MICRONESIA OF TAB1 FEDERATED STATES FEDERATED FEDERATED STATES TAB5 TAB4 TAB3 OF MICRONESIA TAB1 Yap ArtStudio&Gallery( p129 ). ists attheEthnicArtVillage ( p128 ) orthe tion. See therespectivetion. See fordetails. states Weno inChuukbeingthepossibleexcep- The mainFSM islandsare goodforkids, CHILDREN Thursday and10amto5pmonFriday. typically from10amto3pmMonday bankinghours4.30pm onweekdays; are Business hours are fromaround 8amto HOURS BUSINESS on mostislands. islands. Fishing andkayakingare possible Kosrae (see p108 ) andPohnpei (see p117 ). FSM, see p75 off in . Surfingisalsotaking information ondivingpossibilitiesinthe the crowdsof Chuukand Yap. Fordetailed divers prefer KosraeandPohnpei, awayfrom All fourislandshave diving;some sensational ACTIVITIES airport transfers ifyoucallahead. arrangements. Mosthotels willprovide free so make sure youhave alternative financial budget placesmaynotacceptcredit cards, the respective forexceptions.Some states ary asmostlandisprivately owned;see Chuuk’s andYap’s. isnotcustom- Camping dation rates, 6%toPohnpei’s, and10%to toKosrae’saccommo- Add 5%hotel tax ACCOMMODATION MICRONESIA DIRECTORY FEDERATED STATES OF 134 You canbuycraftsdirectly fromtheart- Snorkellers willfindgoodreefs onall „ „ „ „ PRACTICALITIES FEDERATED STATES •• Accommodation OFMICRONESIA DIRECTORY

page forconversions. measurement. SeetheQuickReference The FSM usestheimperialsystem of Yap; don’tleave laptopsunattended. blades. Poweroutagesare frequent on plugsare60Hz; USstyle withtwoflat The supplyis110/120V AC,electricity Videos are inNTSC format. stationin There’s noTV the FSM. festivities inYap. isalso atimeformajorcommunity house, of amajor village project, such as anew received inprevious years. Thecompletion another village toreciprocate foroneit dancing. Onevillage hostsa accompanied bygift-giving, singingand of Micronesia of Micronesia States Embassies intheFederated USA Japan Guam Fiji Abroad Embassies &Consulates ofMicronesia States Federated EMBASSIES &CONSULATES called November. andthe in September also holdsanannual and flair,Kosraeinparticular. Kosrae All islandscelebrate Christmaswithgusto racing.sporting contests, includingcanoe featuresSeptember) singing,dancingand national day.Kosrae’s November; each statealsohasitsown on 10May andIndependenceDayon3 All theislandscelebrate ConstitutionDay EVENTS & FESTIVALS USA Australia 4383) Yap’s bigtraditionalcelebrationsare „ „ „ „ „ LONELY INDEX PLANET „ „ „ „ „ HOW MUCH? ( Mp p111; (Map % Hawai’i

( Packet ofbetel nut: Souvenir T-shirt: Can ofBudweiserbeer: 1L bottledwater: Gallon ofpetrol: Fish dish: Car hire: Cup ofsakau: Internet access: 750mL bottleofSmirnoffvodka: ( % % 679-304 180) mitmit Mp p111; (Map ( 671-646 9154) 81-33-585 5456) % % fromUS$40perday 808-836 4775); US$15 . These are. These all-outfeasts 320 2187;Pohnpei) % US$2 US$4perhour 320 5448;Pohnpei) US$4 US$15 US$1 www.lonelyplanet.com US$2 Festival of Arts Week Festival ofArts Kosrae State FairKosrae State Washington Liberation Day 60c mitmit ( % US$7 202-223 for (8 in

The only international airline servicing theFSM. The onlyinternationalairlineservicing human being’. by AlexZuccarelli, whorefers tohimselfasan‘aspiring www.pohnpeiheaven.com www.pohnpeiheaven.com www.kosrae.com RESOURCES INTERNET the above - ‘Do the right thingwithourcontent.’ the above -‘Dotheright theterms and conditionsonoursiteforalonger wayofsaying youknow,orresell it.See everyone site,mass emailitto only. Inotherwords, pleasedon’tuploadthischapterto apeer-to-peer Inreturn, wethinkit’sfair toaskyouuseitforpersonal,non-commercial purposes restricted. © LonelyPlanetPublications. iteasier foryoutouse,accessthischapterisnotdigitally Tomake Continental Airlines Air GETTING THERE &AWAY MICRONESIA FEDERATED STATES OF INTHE TRANSPORT citizens. up to90days,or365daysforUS of stay the immigrationoffices foratotal Entry permitscanbeextended through each time youflyintoanewdistrictcentre. new entrypermit,goodforupto30days, tion processsoyouautomaticallyget a ofEach hasitsownimmigra- thestates travellers have heldupwithoutone. been but it’sagoodideatocarryoneanyway; Passports are notrequired of UScitizens, VISAS and Kosraeare 11hours aheadof GMT. Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Pohnpei Chuuk andYap are 10hours aheadof TIME may notacceptthem. many dive shops,butsomebudget places at mosttop-endandmidrange hotels and have oneATM. Credit cardsare accepted Reference page. Pohnpei andChuukeach the FSM. Forexchange theQuick rates, see The USdollaristhecurrency throughout MONEY www.visit-fsm.org ( % 320 2424); TRANSPORT INTHEFEDERATEDTRANSPORT STATES There &Away OFMICRONESIA••Getting Chuuk ( Official Kosraesite. Official Official FSMsite. Official %

Kosrae 330 2424); ( % A Pohnpei tribute siterun A Pohnpeitribute 370 3024); Yap ( % Pohnpei 350 2127) private taxis. systems; KosraeandYaptaxi have small Chuuk andPohnpei have excellentshared TAXI Local Transport sideofon theright-hand theroad. US$40 perdaywithunlimited mileage. Drive hire agencies; ataroundUS$35to pricesstart 30 daysineach state. Allislandshave car- Your homedrivinglicencewillbegoodfor Car respective forfurtherdetails. states operate the there, aswellinChuuk;see that flytotheouter islands.State boatsalso Yap and Pohnpei bothhave localcarriers Air &Boat AROUND GETTING Ulithi anchorage inYap. chorage inChuuk,andTomilHarbor and in Kosrae,KoloniaPohnpei, Wenoan- Pohnpei orChuuk. notallowyoufree movementdoes within clearanceforKosrae that youvisit.Getting portofat anofficial entryforeach state Yachties note:clearance youmustobtain Sea Ports of entryare andOkatHarbors Lelu Yap tax. hasnodeparture US$15 fromChuukandUS$10Kosrae. taxesDeparture are US$10fromPohnpei, DEPARTURE TAX islands, youmuststopinGuam. flight route; togetthere fromotherFSM between GuamandPalau onContinental’s Yapon Continental’sisland-hopperticket. is Chuuk, PohnpeiandKosraeare stopovers ISLAND-HOPPING © LonelyPlanetPublications

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