Pohnpei:
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ohnpei’s dragonback mountain range rises into the clouds forming a tropical rain forest. More than 40 rivers and 20 waterfalls, ranging from calm and pleasant to spectacular, are contained within the forest. Some are within an easy hike, while others take considerable effort and a good guide to find. The broad inner lagoon is pocked with reefs and blue holes and scribbled with channels broad and deep. Outside the lagoon sit two picture-post cardperfect atolls. It is to the North Pacific what BoraBora is to the South Pacific. Idyllic, lush and inviting. Coming in from the south, the United Island Hopper usually takes the grand tour circumnavigating more than half of the island before heading toward mighty Sokehs Rock, the Diamond Head of the Western Pacific. We touched down in Kolonia town, where a colorful crowd is normally at the airport to greet returning Pohnpeians and visitors. Here I rented a car and headed for the hill overlooking the harbor to Pohnrakiet. This is a village of people of Polynesian descent who hail from the outer Pohnpei state atoll of Kapingamaringi (Google that one). These folks are famous for their carvings made from mangrove wood and palm ivory, and their weavings made from palm and panadanus. Toothed sharks, woven sea turtles and flowing mantas are all fashioned by the creative woodworkers in this village. On this day I got lucky. An adventurous palm ivory nut carver had created a nice eagle ray, and I purchased it. Pohnpei may not be the traditional shopper’s haven. There aren’t any Gucci stores here, but handicraft addicts can blow through a bank account here with ease.
female and a white-bellied male. A mottled stingray also worked its way down the channel, kicking up sand and searching for mollusks. Lunch was at a nearby island, and we ate an unusual bento of fresh tuna, condiments and rice wrapped cleverly in a banana leaf that doubled as the plate. Our second dive was at Areu Wall, a great inner reef wall fed by currents. Here huge sea fans and soft corals thrive. But the most fun is exploring the deep cracks and crevices that have been cut into the wall over the centuries. Sponges, sea whips and lacey corals share the hideaways with billowy sea anemones and beautiful Notodoris nudibranchs. Dense black coral trees hold jittery longnose hawkfish. Some small caves are surrounded in soft corals. This is a relaxing dive that can vary in depth, but there is so much to see in shallow water, it tends to last for a while. It will definitely fill the macro folder for digital photo buffs. At tide change, people may see mantas feeding. This is a great place for divers and snorkelers. For the next few days, we returned to the passes and inner channels and marveled at the marine life. The diving here is uncrowded, and we were normally the only boat out.
MANTA ROAD My hotel was out of town and in the jungle. Simply named The Village, it is rustic and classy in a wellcrafted package, and The Village has received its share of awards over the years as a haven for the eco-tourist. Each stilted and thatched bungalow sits in the jungle with its own special view of the northern lagoon islands. The social area is the open-air dining room and Tattooed Irishman Pub. A famous gazebo has been the watering spot for many a traveler over the years. Soon it was off to sleep with the fan quietly rotating overhead, the sounds of the jungle chirping away and visions of the Pohnpei reef planted firmly in my head. The next morning I set out with The Village’s dive guide to head down to Manta Road. This is Pohnpei’s conribution to the excellent manta sites in Micronesia, and one of the special attractions here is the resident family of mantas which includes some that are almost totally black. The divers gather at a cleaning station which has been designated a protected site to help preserve the manta behavior. Divers must keep their distance from the station, but the mantas still swim close by. On this day, we observed an amorous manta couple—a black
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