Megan McCormick discovers Micronesia, a little known
region in Oceania consisting of over 2,000 islands and
making up over a quarter of the world’s atolls.
She begins her journey in Guam, the
gateway to Micronesia, which boasts one of the most
important military bases in the Pacific. Megan is invited
on board the USS Frank Cable, where she
learns about how the island was liberated by the marines
at the end of World War II. She also visits a traditional tattooist and learns about the art, which is
indigenous to Micronesia.
Megan flies from Guam to Pohnpei, the
capital of Micronesia and, with an average 400 inches
of rainfall a year, it’s one of the wettest places
on the planet. She goes hiking through some of the island’s
lush, green vegetation and ends up at the magnificent Kepirohi waterfall – the perfect
places to soak off the dust from the trail. Next day
she takes a boat trip to Nan Madol, Micronesia’s greatest archaeological ruin. It was
built in the 12th century and was the capital of a tyrannical
dynasty called the Sandleurs. Dubbed ‘the Venice
of Micronesia’, Nan Madol is situated on 92 tiny,
artificial islands and is steeped in local legend.
From Pohnpei Megan takes to the skies again, this time
heading for Chuuk. A number of Japanese
warships were sunk in the lagoon at Chuuk, and it’s
an incredible place to go wreck diving. Megan has the
opportunity to spend the night on one of the tiny islands
around the lagoon, however unpredictable weather makes
the experience less enjoyable than she’d imagined.
The next destination is Palau, a tiny
republic made up of 343 islands, which was only granted
 independence from the United States in 1994. The population
still observes some traditional customs, and Megan witnesses
the rituals which a woman undergoes a month after giving
birth to her first child. She also goes kayaking through
the rock islands to one of the most amazing sights in
Palau, Jellyfish Lake.
The final leg of Megan’s journey takes her to Yap. It’s the most traditional
of all the islands in Micronesia, where the local currency
is stone money. Megan finds accommodation with a local
family and seeks permission from the Chairman of the
Council of Tamol to visit Ulithi Atoll, home to a large
population of hump backed turtles. She returns to Yap
in time for the Yap Day celebrations
– a festival which started in the 1960s to remember
the traditions, legends and stories of the community.
Finally Megan ends her trip to Micronesia with one last
amazing underwater experience, diving with the manta
rays. |
