Attempt 2

So I pre-wrote my blog entry in word then moved it onto the website and began to put the pictures in and then I closed the window. In the meantime I deleted the original document. Anyways I have safely arrived back in Chuuk about 24 hours ago. I said good bye to Mae on the airplane as she was continuing to Guam then Australia then eventually PNG. As for everyone else I said goodbye to them at the airport while I felt like I was going to cry. I was leaving this huge family who I have done everything with for the past six weeks. I think they even got me sick because I am not feeling the greatest right now. I told them I would return and who knows maybe Ill jump on the flight Sunday and go back. I miss Pohnpei and all the people there very much. Since my past post I have done quite a bunch. I went diving and water skiing again and had a blast with both. I hiked up Sokehs ridge one day with and saw some of the huge guns from WWII and there is the roof of a cell phone tower building you can get on and see the rock from. A great view of part of the island and a nice
short hike as well. The day before I left I went on a bike ride around the small island of Sokehs. It was a good ride except for the dogs that would chase after us and try and bite our feet. As apart of that journey we hiked/climbed up sokehs rock. A very difficult climb where you have to balance on tree roots and use your hands quite a bit. Once you get to the rock there is a pipe which holds old electrical lines for a small tower on top of the mountain. You must use this pipe which is bolted to the rock to assist in climbing the mountain. From the top it is an awesome view of the island and of the ocean with pineapples growing wild too. That evening there was a party to celebrate my last night in Pohnpei. It was a great last day before I had to leave. Now I am here in Chuuk and its so quiet. I have one little cousin here, Morgan but not 9 plus all of their cousins. While I am here in Chuuk I am going to try and get a dive or two in. This is the worlds premier wreck diving location with I believe 40 some wrecks inside the Lagoon. If it is possible I am going to try and dive with the Odyssey which is considered the worlds best live-aboard dive boat. Anyways, so long from Chuuk and Pohnpei I miss you.

Kaselehlia

Although my trip is coming to a close my experiences by far are not. This past weekend I had a great time doing many different things. It started out with a dive at a place called Palikir Rendezvous which had the clearest water I have ever swam in. You could easily see the bottom at 35 feet. The spot was just on the outer side of the reef right before where the waves were. Being so close to the waves was neat because the movement of the waves would rock us back an forth just slightly. I was surprised that there was still that movement 20-30 feet below surface. After that we made our way to the island of Nalap. Nalap is a small resort like island where people go for the day and there are a few little huts where people may spend the weekend. We ate lunch then went out on the boat to have a try a water skiing. First i took a fall on my face, then on my back and then I balanced out my falls and stood up. I was surprised I got up so quickly but it was amazing. I think the ability to snow ski helped me out in this situation. I was able to stand up and stay up every other time I tried as well. Yesterday I had fun trying to to take some pictures driving around the small island of Sokehs trying to get some pictures of Sokehs rock. I have not yet hiked up it but that is on my list of things to do before I leave. It was nice driving around and exploring new places and even having to throw the truck in 4 wheel drive. There are so many nice things about this tropical rain forest but I miss home and I have decided not to extend my trip again. I know I will miss it a lot and the people as well. Thats okay because I can still come back some other time.

Stay Longer?

Every day I am tempted with new reasons for why I should stay longer. The most exciting reason would be for yet another trip. Another trip with Mae for three weeks to Papua New Guinea. As tempting as it sounds I am not so sure that I want to say longer but no one wants me to leave. I have been told that if I leave they will never speak to me again, so I guess I am stuck forever. There are so many places that I have not yet been to here in Pohnpei but there are a few that I am about to tell you about. Nan Madol is the ancient and very impressive ruins of Pohnpei. It is not quite on the scale of the Egyptian Pyramids but it is a massive and amazing structure. Nan Madol was constructed right on the water and is built out of huge pieces of stone carved in the shape of a log. These rocks are only found up on the mountains and no one knows how exactly these rocks got so far. In many of the islands out here there are stories of magic and witchcraft. In the story of Nan Madol there were wizards who rode on these huge stones and flew them down off the mountain and put them in place. Their is much more than the main stone structure for there is a series of canals which wind all through the area. I am not sure how old it is supposed to be but it is one amazing structure. With the ancient history there are stories on where people have come from. One of the stories is that people came from eels and the eel is a sacred creature here. If you are to kill and eel it is very bad. There is a family who handle the eels and we stopped by
to see the eels. Some of them are huge. They are not scared of these eels which are about as long as I am tall but I could not go around picking them up. As for new foods there have been a few. Its nice to just walk outside and pick any fruit you want off a tree. Well not
quite, in our yard there are guavas, star apples, coconuts, papayas, and bananas. The bananas are not like the bananas in the states, they are about half the size and also have a slightly different taste. There are also local oranges, but they are not a very orange. They are green. Although they don't look much like a Florida orange they are still very good. There are more fruits like 'German mangoes' and limes. I have also realized that the grocery stores are for the wealthy people. Many of the local people still fish for a living and eat dogs, chickens and pigs. Fruit bats are also eaten along with sea cucumbers, crabs, just about everything. Taro and breadfruit are two other foods which are eaten quite a bit. They are both starches and very bland but are apart of many meals. I just about forgot. The other night I was able to go to the meet and great party for the new US ambassador. I feel special because I have been here in Pohnpei longer than she has. I believe she used to work with the UN with something. While I was there I also meet the Vice President for the FSM. Thats it for me today. Enjoy the cool weather for me.