"Treasures of Cruising the World" with Bill & Mary Ann: Report # 57 Yap Island, Micronesia February 24, 2014 Monday Chance of rain, 80 degrees

The first message of the day is to son Ken......happy birthday to you!

Yap Island, Micronesia

Well, guess where we went today? Yap, Micronesia.........yep we finally made it to Yap. Several years ago one of our cruise buddies asked if we have ever been to Yap. The answer was, no, and we know of no one that has been there. It has been on the itinerary a couple of times on the Grand Asia/Pacific Voyage, but for many reasons, they have never landed here.

Tamil Harbor and the Chinese junk (old ship)

That is, until today. Conditions had to be just right, such as tides, winds, and waves for us to make it through the unusually narrow channel through the coral reef that surrounds the island and harbor. With the help of a local pilot, the Captain navigated his way into Tamil Harbor sometime before 8am.

Our gangway

Their basic pier area

Amsterdam docked in Yap

After listening to Barbara H's talk on the island, many folks set their alarm clocks for 6am, when we were starting to come into the reef area. Rumor had it that manta rays could be viewed from the outside decks and verandas. So many rays, that they have been seen jumping out of the water. After talking to everyone we know, none of them saw one sign of a manta ray at the sail in. Glad we decided to sleep in until 7am, then watch from our window as well as the web camera on the navigation deck that we watch on TV. Nope, no rays. Maybe at sailaway......

There was a stern warning from Gene not to bring any fresh food, sandwiches, dairy, or fruit off of the ship. No flowers or animals were allowed off with us either. Did not know any of us had an animal to bring off, but you never know.

Welcome and be back
by 4:30pm

While we were eating breakfast in the dining room, we spotted a few dive boats taking passengers to the reef for either diving or snorkeling. From what we gathered, there are no sandy beaches on Yap, so the water activities can only take place at the surrounding reef. Since these coral reefs are far from shore, you have to take a boat to get there. We knew that Cruise Critic members had an organized tour today, although the shore excursion department had none. Anyway, the folks in the boat looked excited to be going, as they waved to the people on the ship as they sped by.

The town of Colonia

The only map we had of this part of Yap called Colonia was the booklet we had from our room. We realized later on that some of the points of interest were mismarked. In fact, the dock where we were tied up was not even identified on this map, so we had to guess where we were. Since there is only one pier capable of docking this ship, we suggest that it should have been printed on the map. As it turned out, we were docked on a spit of land that led through the gates to tented tables where some locals were selling island tours.

Two local greeters

Two of the local ladies, dressed in tribal skirts and leis (topless by the way), were out of maps. Of course, every one, especially the men, stopped at their table for the maps and several photos for sure. Some of the fellows were hawking tours of the island from $20. to $35. a person, all done with private cars. Considering that the gas was $5.40 a gallon, that tour price was fair enough. However, we wanted to walk, and take our time exploring.

Local vendors selling treasures

So we began with a trip into one of the shops near the ship, recommended to us by our friend Maureen, who had found a t-shirt, some souveniers, and some ugly, but usable postcards. Maureen is funny....she tells it like it is. Anyway, to mail a postcard from here is cheap, 34 cents, because it is based on US postage. Their currency is also the US dollar, making it convenient for us. Once a US Trust Territory, Yap and the surrounding islands of Maap, Gagiln, and Rumung make up the Federated States of Micronesia. Over 130 atolls, 22 of which are populated, also belong to the federation.

Once we had found the perfect t-shirt, we headed for the outdoor area where the Yap Living History Museum was set up. In reality, it was a tent where two locals were carving canoes, and selling island trinkets of weavings and wood carvings. Three samples of village houses were built in the central square, built with basic materials including thatched roofs and walls. Souveniers being sold were necklaces and earrings made of carved wood, woven purses made from candy wrappers, and a few wooden carvings of fish. All of the items were quite expensive.

Canoe houses

Wood carvers

A carved canoe

A work in progress

Very basic

And mostly water-tight

The Yap Pacific Dive Resort

We found our way to a really nice hotel on the side of the hill facing the lagoon by the name of Yap Pacific Dive Resort/Trader's Ridge. It was described as a historic hilltop resort with beautiful views, serving Western standards and seafood. We were not interested in food today, but we sure were looking for some ice cold beer. After walking through the reception area and outside grounds, we found our way down some stairs to the bar overlooking the pool area. About five other ship passengers were there, working on their computers, and drinking beers. OK, we joined them, downing a cool brew in a few minutes. Did we mention that it was hot and humid today? That just goes with the territory in these North Pacific islands. We seldom drink beer at home, but in this part of the world, it can be a life-saver.

The coolest spot with ice cold beers

Nothing was local....all imported

Time to continue our walk, but not until we took many photos of the hotel property. It really was nice.

The nicest hotel on the island

Entrance to the hotel lobby

Swimming pool

Garden terrace

Colonial style hotel

Hotel gardens

Continuing on, we took a right turn on the main drive to see the rest of the highlights marked on the map. We saw the old Chinese junk by the name of MNUW permanently anchored in the harbor alongside the road. We could see friends Barb, Ellen, and Aart sitting on the top deck, also enjoying cold beers. They told us later that they had a pizza menu, so we guess we may have missed a good lunch. Another unassuming hotel was on the water's edge called O'Keefe's.

The converted Chinese junk/restaurant

Ellen, Aart, and Barb found the beer on the junk

A shuttle was taking folks from the ship to this hotel for lunch or whatever. As we continued our walk, the shops changed to hardware stores, car shops, beauty parlors, and tiny convenient stores. You know, for a small island, we sure encountered a lot of traffic. We wonder now if these Yapese folks were out to see us as well as we were here to see them?

Pretty soon, we were walking alone on the narrow road, and found ourselves at the top of a hill where a church was built. Since we were finding only shoreline homes and shacks, and a couple dozen chickens, we thought it best to begin walking back to the town. We did stop briefly to cool off and drink some water. Thinking we needed help, one of the local men stopped his car and asked if he could be of some help. Nice to know in case we did need some assistance.

A strange form of money

Now the biggest attraction in Yap is their traditional form of money. The currency is large circular stones with a hole in the middle made from limestone. We mean really large....weighing up to several thousand pounds. Of course, they could not be moved, so when they were used as currency, they would stay where they were, usually in front of the homes, but change ownership. Today, the currency is the US dollar, but the stones are still bartered for buying a wife, according to the bartender at the hotel. All very strange and hard to understand, but totally true. Wanting to find the Stone Money Bank, where dozens of these stones exist, we followed the map to the direction marked. Well, big mistake, since it was incorrect. But sometimes taking a wrong turn can turn out to be a good thing.

More money outside

Money disc at the school house

Hard to put these coins in your pocket

Church at the Stone Money Bank

These appear to be very old

View from the roadside

Money-lined road

A half mile up the road, we ducked into a small veggie/fruit market, where we met Lorraine, a young Yapese vendor, who spoke excellent English, their second language. She had some of those small tangy bananas that we love, so while buying them, we thought to ask her about the use of the crushed lime coral in the chewing of the betelnut. She also was selling small bags of the mixture. Well, she not only explained the use, she demonstrated the process.

The local fruit/veggie stand with Lorraine in the window

Everyone stopped there to pick up fresh produce

It all looked great

Sprinkling the betelnut with
crushed lime coral

First she bit the betelnut in half, exposing the nut. Then she took a small baby bottle, like the ones we used to have with the Tiny Tears doll when we were little. The bottle was filled with the crushed limestone, which she sprinkled over the nut. Then she added a green leaf, which would turn the nut orange, and perhaps add flavor. She said the coral made the nut easier to chew, and admitted that chewing this nut made her happy, as in "high". You could never hide the fact that you chew this, because it permanently stains the teeth, gums, and lips. We discovered later that even the policemen directing traffic were chewing the stuff. Guess they are a "happy"society. Before we left the fruit stand, we asked Lorraine directions to the Stone Money Bank. She said we took the wrong turn, and had to walk back to the Waterfront Road.

But while we were this far, we might as well continue up this road to see another hotel called Pathways. This hotel had small huts built on the steep hillside overlooking the lagoon. Across the road from this hotel, was a green field with concrete benches under tall palms on the water. Great place to sit, cool off, and relax before finding the bank. In fact, it was a perfect spot to enjoy some of those delicious bananas. While we were relaxing, a man wearing a church-type t-shirt began talking to us. Turned out he was the local pastor of the church across the road. He was a treasure of information regarding the islands and the life people lead here. He did tell us that it has been at least two years since any ship near the size of ours has visited Yap. Smaller vessels do come about once a month, and their main objective is diving. Of course, he was happy to hear about where we come from as well. Time was ticking away, so we knew we had to get a move on, or it would be too hard to walk the distance.

As we passed the fruit stand, Lorraine yelled out our names and asked if we needed a ride to the bank. Gosh, how far was this place? We said no, we still wished to hike, not realizing how far we had to go. In all actuality, the distance was perhaps over one mile, but in this heat, it seemed like we walked 100 miles to one of us. Some rain would have been welcomed, because it had been predicted. That would happen later.

The Stone Money Bank

There was literally no traffic on this part of the island, and we could see why. By the time we finally stumbled upon the Stone Money Bank, the paved coral road ended, and all there was left was a dirt road full of potholes. At least we had the entire money bank to ourselves....no one else was there. Gosh, we could have robbed the bank, that is if we could have carried the money weighing thousands of pounds. Dozens of the limestone discs lined the roadsides, not really in a "bank" building. Guess you could equate these stones to the moai of Easter Island as far as being worth untold amounts. Priceless....

Time to get back, because a Yapese music and dance show was going to happen shoreside. Expecting that to be on the pier, we found out that it was at the outdoor museum arena. Since it appeared that it still may rain, we left everything onboard but the umbrellas and a plastic bag for the camera. By the time we got to the show, the group of locals were ready to begin their dance called "churu". Many ages of dancers participated in this form of storytelling and oral history.

"Churu" dancers of Yap

Natives of all ages

Young kids

A grandmother

Well rehearsed moves

The sticks were like weapons

Very serious

All were dressed in colorful costumes, especially the ladies who were decked out in red, green, blue, and yellow grass skirts with leis to match. You may wonder if these ladies were topless? The answer is yes, but still partially covered with the neckwear. Their performance included the use of long sticks which they used as a symbol of weapons. They were very practiced as no one missed a move, which could have been painful. Right in the middle of the show, the rain began to fall. Not really heavy, but enough to send folks under the big trees. What surprised us was how many people left the ship with no umbrellas. The group got a huge round of applause as they paraded off of the greens. As always, the little kids dressed in the matching costumes stole the show.

The cutest performer

The little ones stole the show

Most everyone walked there

How cute are they?

OK, time to go

She is a passenger

By 4:30pm, all were onboard and we prepared for the sailaway on the aft deck. By now, the rain had begun to fall heavier, so we retreated to the aft on deck seven. There were only five of us down there, and we got the best view of the narrow channel the Captain had to follow as he left the harbor. During his pre-sailaway talk, he said that this port had been the most challenging ever for him, and he would be glad to be out of here. He added that he would have even whiter hair after this experience. From the aft deck, we could see the shallow reef on each side of the ship. Tried as we could, we did not see any sting rays in the reef area.

Small boat, big boat

Time to go

The new t-shirt

Leaving Tamil Harbor

Dropping the lines

It was raining good now

Saying goodbye to Yap

Tuna industry must employ many locals

A ferry

Leaving the harbor

There were only five of us at dinner, because four of our buddies had gone to Le Cirque for dinner. If we have not mentioned this special dinner before, the Pinnacle is transformed into the legendary Le Cirque of New York City for one night. Ranked among the top restaurants in the world, it is famous for its French cuisine and famous celebrity clientele. The price? Well, dinner is $49, and with wine pairing it is $79. per person. Perhaps Bill & Marianne have eaten there before, since they live in NYC. So we will be curious as what they thought of the dinner there.

All in all, we can say that today's successful landing in Yap was awesome for everyone onboard.