| wouter197915:02 UTC10 Feb 2007 | This summer I will be traveling from Hawaii to Japan and have 6 weeks to spend in Micronesia. First stop will be Majuro on the Marshall Islands, then Guam, Yap and Palau. Does anybody been to Majuro (or other island in the Marshalls) or Yap? I find it very hard to find information on the place from other travels.
Any suggestions on were to stay and what to visit would be greatly appreciated.
Wouter
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| wadamse19:44 UTC10 Feb 2007 | I haven't been to the islands you plan to visit, but I think Moon's Micronesia Handbook by Neil M. Levy will be useful when planning your trip. I have used an earlier edition when I made a visit to Kiribati in 2000. The Micronesia-coverage in Lonely Planet's South Pacific and Micronesia is very limited.
Wouter
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| 5waldos08:07 UTC11 Feb 2007 | Haven't been to Majuro, but have spent time on Yap. Lucky you to have 6 weeks!
Curious though- why Majuro? And why Guam? I would think that Kosrea and Pohnpei would be more interesting, although one does have to transit through Guam.
Anyway, Yap has the Manta Ray, Pathways, ESA, and a new one that I don't know. Manta Ray is on the water, and quite nice. Pathways is more rustic, individual cabins on a hill, useless kitchen. ESA is more simple, but clean and pleasant.
As far as what to see- manta rays is you are a diver. The stone money, tours through the local villages, you can take a trip out to the outer islands, although you need to seek permission. There is a small art-craft gallery with local items, including some nice carvings. Yap is small and traditional- I would strongly suggest getting a local to guide you around as the customs are still very active. For example, on entering a village, you are expected to bring an offering. This has become ritualized into grabbing a branch from a bush as you enter, but still one needs to know these things.
Anyway, hope this helps some- you can also access info on the Federated States of Micronesia web site- they have lots of information available.
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| wouter197900:31 UTC12 Feb 2007 | Thank you all for your time to answer my questions!
There is no particular reason why I am going to Majuro. I had to choose some islands and just picked a few rather random, only Palau was really on my list of places I wanted to visit. For travelling to Yap and Palau I had had to travel via Guam, that's the reason why I will be there.
I still have the possibility to change my itinerary wile travelling so I might consider changing Majuro for Pohnpei or Kosrae.
regards Wouter
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| 5waldos08:28 UTC12 Feb 2007 | Makes sense to me, and as eflatjan says- you will stop on Kosrae, Pohnpei, and of course, Chuuk, on the way to Guam. My rec would be to stop in Kosrae for a couple of days, just to catch up with yourself. It is a very relaxing place without a lot to do- just what you need after a long flight. There are a number of things to see in Pohnpei, but there is very little beach there, so I wouldn't spend vast amounts of time. Skip Chuuk unless you are a dedicated wreck diver. Take the NEXT flight out of Guam. Even if it means getting to the airport at 3am. And with 6 weeks, you could see all the islands of Palau, and might even get out to an outer island of Yap if the missionary flight is going. That is well worth it as the islands really are remote. Just getting off the plane onto the tarmac is an experience.
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| mountainviolet13:26 UTC13 Feb 2007 | I spent Jan., Feb., and Mar. of 2006 living and working in the Federated States of Micronesia - Yap, Chuuk, and Pohnpei, and not Kosrae. I also spent a couple of weeks in Guam; however did not see a lot of the island. I agree with what #2 says about Yap - and yes, just arriving on the tarmac is quite the experience! It was great! We stayed at the ESA for 2 weeks and it was fine. Nothing fancy, but very clean. There is not a lot of public land on the island, as is the case in Pohnpei and Chuuk, therefore it is important to ask the locals for permission before wandering off road on any of these islands. Be kind and gracious and respectful.
Diving/snorkeling is amazing in Yap, though be aware that there are not many beaches, and with that not many that would be open to the public. I got certified by Dave at "Beyond the Reef". He seemed to have a good operation and was very accomodating. Other than that, the stone money is really cool, and there are some walking paths that connect a couple of villages which are good to explore. It is very slow-paced in Yap; I wouldn't suggest it for someone looking for a white sand beach-party extravaganza, but if you want to step into a very interesting, traditional place that is straddling the ever-narrowing gap with the "modern" world, it is a sweet little spot to spend a few days.
Pohnpei is interesting as well - if you are going to be nearby, you might as well stop! "The Village" is a pretty sweet place to stay, albeit spendy. Good restaurant there. We stayed at the Ocean View Plaza. It isn't too bad and the women who work there were a lot of fun. There aren't really any cheap accomodations in FSM...it really isn't catering to the backpacker scene. Pohnpei has the ruins of Nan Modal, some amazing waterfalls, and some gorgeous atolls one can camp at, snorkel around, and just relax. Again, remember that most of the land is private, so one needs to ask permission before wandering too far off the beaten track. Maybe talk to folks at the Conservation Society of Pohnpei about finding a local guide to take you on a hike up in the jungle. There are trails that were used to get around the island before there were roads. It can be a little burly, but it is amazing. Be sure to ask around. The Village arranges tours of local sights and seem to be a good resource.
Chuuk has a terrible reputation for being a violent place. We were told so many horror stories that we were afraid to visit. As it turns out, the people we met there treated us very kindly and were very excited to meet us. Beautiful people. We stayed at the Blue Lagoon Resort and it was decent. There was a little beach and the water was pretty nice. What people go there for is the diving - 5Waldos is right - I would skip Chuuk unless you are really into wreck diving. If you are, and you do go, I must tell you to be wary of staying on the diveboat called "The Thorfinn"...it was somewhat sketchy and I can't recommend it. There are other dive operations in the area.
Guam. Hmm. I don't really recommend Guam from my experience. Sadly, it felt a little like Guam had been "chewed-up and spit-out" (as my traveling companian said). It is so unfortunate - the area has been somewhat degregated by so many colonization attempts and invasive plant and animal species. The locals were very nice and there are some good beaches, diving, snorkeling, etc. I noticed lots of military guys hanging out (no offense to you military guys, but you have to admit Guam is pretty saturated), LOTS of "happy-ending" massage parlors, and a lot of hotels and restaurants catering to package-deal tourists.
Have not traveled to Kosrae, but get the feeling it is somewhat similar to Pohnpei.
I did quite a bit of research on Majuro recently and a good friend of mine just got back from there. I would do some more research before going there. There does not appear to be a whole lot to do for the casual visitor and it is not the most diverse place ecologically-speaking.
I like the idea from 5Waldos - Yap, Pohnpei, Kosrae, Palau. I hear Palau is gorgeous. Check out Continental's "island-hopper" flights. I don't know if Palau fits in with that though.
Well, I hope this helps. Definitely check out the Moon and LP guides to Micronesia. Have fun! Oh, and two more words - betel nut.
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| mountainviolet21:34 UTC13 Feb 2007 | I was also thinking to tell you that Micronesia is not cheap. It was pretty much like being in the USA as far as costs go and they use American $$. I wouldn't want to not recommend FSM; however, I think it is important to realize that a lot of the really interesting cultural stuff - the traditional lifestyle, etc., is not really available for the common tourist...except the traditions are much more apparent on Yap. I loved my time in FSM, although a lot of my rich experience was due to the fact that I sort of had an "in" since I was workng with the locals. There are a lot of volunteer opportunities, etc., where one could get more into the nitty-gritty. It would be cool to see if you could arrange a homestay. Thanks!
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