Pohnpei

This week Matt found himself in Pohnpei, home to the FSM federal government and the commercial center of the FSM. The trip was for business, but he was happy to find enough downtime for exploring the island. After spending seven months on Yap, Matt was prepared for some culture shock. Kolonia Town, Pohnpei State's capitol city, is not exactly a metropolis, but it is a bustling, busy place. Streets are paved -- fairly well, actually -- and there is actually traffic at rush hour. It is still the FSM, however, so the vehicles remain as creative as ever.


More than anything, Matt was struck by Pohnpei's sheer size. At about 140 square miles, it is nearly 4 times the size of Yap, and it seemed much bigger than that. The island is volcanic in origin, and its interior is impressively rugged.



It is also one of the wettest places on earth, with some areas in the central highlands receiving 400 inches of rain annually. The rain feeds the rivers, and the steep terrain makes for spectacular waterfalls throughout the island.

Matt had hoped to make an excursion to some of the waterfalls, but couldn't find time for it. Instead, he made two interesting trips to some of Pohnpei's historical sites. The first was Sokeh's Ridge, a bluff that towers over the Kolonia Harbor.


Aside from providing a commanding view, the ridge provides a great spot for an artillery emplacement. The top of the ridge has at least two sets of big Japanese guns, along with tunnels and caves galore.

Pohnpei was occupied by the Japanese but was skipped by the Allies in their march across the Pacific, so these guns may have never been fired in anger. Nonetheless, the place had a spooky feel to it.

Pohnpei is also home to Nan Madol, sometimes referred to as the "Venice of the Pacific." Nan Madol is an ancient stone city covering an 11-acre site made of artificial islets in the shallows on the eastern side of the island. Construction is of entirely of basalt, a volcanic rock mined from the Sokeh's Ridge area, a number of miles away from Nan Madol itself. The basalt logs are massive, weighing up to five tons. How they were transported remains a mystery, although local legend claims that they were flown to the site by a Pohnpeian magician.



All in all, a very nice week for sightseeing in Pohnpei. Next time, there will be waterfalls! Thanks for reading.