Truk Stop

Getting from Majuro to Truk/Chuuk was about a seven hour journey, with maybe only half of that being flight time. This was the real “pacific island hopper” experience. I must admit that I had had my fill of it by the time we got to our destination. Honolulu to Majuro was the first hop that we did a few days before. The jump from Majuro, Marshall Islands went to Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands (A U.S. military installation), then to Kosrae, Micronesia, then to Pohnpei, Micronesia, and finally to Truk/Chuuk, Micronesia. Each stop had about thirty minutes ground time for redundant security checks. Just for clarification, our final destination was Chuuk (pronounced Chooq). I guess it was decided Truk sounded better when it was under U.S. control. Now that it’s an independent country though, Chuuk seems like the more appropriate title. There are some places (like the lagoon) that seem to hold on to the “Truk” moniker.

Chuuk was hit by a pretty massive typhoon a few weeks prior to our arrival, and there is still a lot of damage from that. Electricity is still spotty in places, and internet and phone remains out of service in much of the main island. In addition to the recent damage, Chuuk seems far less developed than their eastern neighbors in the Marshall Islands, which isn’t saying a whole lot. The roads are very primitive and there really isn’t a well developed infrastructure in much of the main island. There is a very prominent Mormon missionary presence on the island, which… well, I don’t know what to think of it exactly. I can only say that I personally find the white short-sleeved shirt and tie get ups to be cultish and a tad creepy, especially when you see a few native islanders wearing the same outfit mixed in with western missionaries.

We stayed at a dive resort on Truk Lagoon, but unfortunately our stopover was too short to do any diving. We did some snorkeling and kayaking in the lagoon and spent the afternoon of the second day into the evening on a remote, tiny, private island called Jeep Island. Tourists can actually book to stay on the island, and there was a group of Japanese divers that were finishing up their time there. The island is remarkably small and isolated to have the full facilities that are present. It’s about a thirty to forty-five minute boat ride from the main island. During the recent typhoon, visitors on the island were in some distress and a boat was dispatched to get them off of the island. Unfortunately the rescue boat capsized on the way and the rescuers on the boat ended up adrift clinging to a cooler. Those guys drifted in the ocean for almost two days before making it to a nearby island, apparently safe. Our resort held up fine in the typhoon though, so maybe stick with just day trips to Jeep Island. We really had a great time though and everything was absolutely beautiful. Jeep Island had just the most gorgeous multicolored coral. You could hear all the sea life crunching on it (parrot fish and the like) when snorkeling. It reminded me of the Maldives. It’s very pristine. On Jeep Island they have a couple of resident island dogs. The alpha dog there was amazing… I was wading out to where a group of black tip sharks were circling in the shallows and I noticed the little dog at my side following. The next thing I new, the little barkleface lunges into the water trying his best to get a piece of one of the sharks! Each of the sharks was two to three times his size! He scared the sharks off every time. He also hunted around for crabs, walking effortlessly on spiky coral at low tide. We had a great time there. We traveled in with a few expat locals who went fishing (drinking, really) while we stayed on the island. The seas were a bit choppy on the open water and somehow I’ve managed without any sea sickness, unmedicated.

I’m updating now from Guam, where we’ve spent a long layover. Not much to say here… it is after-all “Guam, USA.” Chain restaurants, urban sprawl, traffic…. it seems more American than Hawaii to be honest. We fly out tonight to Koror, Palau, our final stop on this trip.

Micronesia Gallery: