After 18 days we’ll be leaving Micronesia tomorrow. It’s been a fascinating time and an exposure to a part of the world I previously knew nothing about. We have encountered perfect beaches and dirty squalor, broad smiles and resigned hopelessness, inspiring collaboration and systemic indifference.
I’ll be writing much about the many contrasting faces of Micronesia in the coming weeks, but for now I thought I’d share a few images from our trip to give a flavour of the islands – islands that I will miss when we move on to Manila tomorrow night.
Marshallese children happy to pose for a photo in Majuro
Almost deserted beach at Laura, the western tip of the Majuro atoll in the Marshall Islands
Waiting for the bank to open – at Majuro airport
Palikir, capital of the Federated States of Micronesia – population zero. Nothing more than a collection of government buildings.
Classic Pacific beach – Ant Atoll, an hour by boat from Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia
Nan Madol – an ancient city on Pohnpei that is without doubt one of the world’s great historic sites
One of the rainiest places in the world, Pohnpei has many waterfalls for a small island
Beach at Tumon, Guam with WW2 Japanese gun position and new hotel in background. 90% of tourists in Guam are Japanese
Dancing the night away at the Chamorro Night Market in Guam
Boat trip around the Rock Islands of Palau
A present from Taiwan – National Capitol Building, Melekeok, Palau
Interesting photos. I look forward to hearing more about this part of the world. I only know about this area from a couple of interesting books: Surviving Paradise about an English teacher in the Marshalls and the Happy Isles of Oceania by Paul Theroux. Have you read those books by any chance?
OMG, these pictures are fantastic. We had minus 6 centigrades today in Warsaw…
A part of the world that I know nothing about, so I will be interested to see what you have to say about it.