DAY 39-44 (18-23 May 2023): THE JOURNEY TO PNG back via Pohnpei MICRONESIA, Tamuning GUAM and Manilla PHILIPPINES

Welcome to the “reverse journey” that takes me 9,753km all the way from Majuro Atoll MARSHALLS to Port Moresby PAPUA NEW GUINEA (PNG) to trek the mighty 96km KOKODA TRACK with my brother Nick and nephew Sam !!!

 

This reverse journey was necessary because UNITED AIRLINES has a monopoly on travelling between Marshalls, Micronesia and Guam and there is only one way in and out and not every day. This means 2 nights in Micronesia, 1 night in Guam and 1 night on the aircraft from Manilla to Port Moresby. Someone please break this monopoly. Not only is it expensive but it robs Marshalls and Micronesia of much needed tourists since the UNITED airfare alone could pay for two weeks of accommodation in each of these places !!!

 

In this post I present to you NEW stuff visited in Micronesia, Guam and the Philippines.

 

We begin this reverse journey with a direct 150min 1,442km flight from Majuro MARSHALLS back to Pohnpei MICRONESIA. Enjoy the window seat calculated shots I took of the Majuro Atoll as I took off !!! I always work out which side of the aircraft I need sit on by studying the airport runways and typical wind directions so I can determine in which direction the aircraft will take off – this gives me the best chance of great photos of the places I am landing into or taking off from… what a GOOBA !!!

 

My time on the way back in Pohnpei was a double-edged sword. On one side I suffered one of the most difficult runs so far and on the other side I experienced the best island hospitality so far… My run was not on good ground since I had no choice but to start it at 0930 since it was pouring rain at 6am, 7am and 8am during three separate alarm settings – when it rains her it absolutely buckets down – no chance of running… The upside is I got extra sleep under the mesmerising sounds of rain against metallic rooves. Once I got running the heat and humidity “rained” upon me in sweat and not water and wore me down like soap on a runway. Then there were the dogs. I was chased by a record number of dogs – I estimate 50-60 of them trying to bite at my ankles – why – because every house has 3-5 of the creatures. This was part of my running demise since I had to run faster each time I was chased to ensure they could not clip my heels. I had previously learned that if I was chased I would shout SHAO, which in the local language means “SHOO” or “GO AWAY” and it worked for some but not all !!! I was very pleased to get back with my heels in tact since there was 96km of Kokoda waiting in earnest for those heals !!!

 

The rest of the day was a delight. I walked to town, had a haircut and a coffee and stopped by the Tourist Bureau to ask about where I could buy a National Costume for the Kokoline Film Launch !!! We got talking about my expedition in the island after showing the blog and prising all the photos the two lovely local women running the show actually GIFTED ME a local costume even though I offered money – photos for costume – now that kind of island economy works well for all of us.

 

That evening at the hotel whilst writing this very blog a small rodent bit my toe !!! Why? The lady in attendance blamed my wine and cheese and olives for attracting the creature.

 

The very next day was drama day. United decided to cancel my 1530 flight to Guam leaving me stuck here and did not even send me an email – the lady at reception told me when I was checking out. What a low blow. United are the only airline that come here and they up and cancel flights without telling anyone – poor show indeed. I managed to get onto a United 0045 flight after midnight that would land me in Guam at 0335 with my connecting flight from Guam to Manilla leaving at 0555 – only 2hrs 20min to go through immigration, collect my bag, check-in and back through immigration. I just has to make the 0555 to Manilla since I had a tour booked for Noon the next day and my flight from Manilla to Port Moresby at 2125. Lucky for me Philippine Airways decides to delay its 0555 to 0635 and I am safe again – what a nail-biting day. I managed to research Kokoda with the rest of the day and even get some sleep before heading out to Pohnpei Airport in the darkness of night to catch the 0045 to Guam.

 

Lucky for me I had downed a bottle of Chardonnay and got to sleep as soon as my head hit the seat. United arrived in Guam on time but I have a bad taste in my mouth on how they treated us with the cancellation. To make matters worse, United service is crap and there is no food and you have to pay for drinks – even though each flight averages 2hrs and $700AUD a pop !!! These islands seriously need a second carrier. Contrast this to Philippine Airways who were late leaving Guam at 0730 but fed us and got me into Manilla at 0900 with plenty of time to take my final tour outside Manilla from Noon to 1700.

 

The driver Pedro and guide Einstein did their best to reassure me that the heavy hot humid Manila haze would lift but I knew I was stuffed. Runners know the weather. Especially runners who have run all over the world in 110 countries in all sorts of weather. The drive out to Tagaytay City and The People’s Park in the Sky is typical Manila chaos – especially on a Sunday !!! The freeway was packed solid and the trip took close to 90min to travel a mere 60km. Not only was the place crowded but we could not see the volcano – pity – the only drawback of my trip so far but I am thankful I because I only got two half rainy days in forty and they did not involve major sites – just travel. We made the best of the haze by visiting the local markets and sampling the famous BUCO PIE and locally grown pineapple and jackfruit. BUCO is made with custard and coconut and if it were not covers in whipped cream  you’d think it was baked by Marianne on Gilligan’s Island !!! On our way back there was a huge electrical thunderstorm with lightning and thunder that you could feel in your rib cage !!! Amazing !!! Given we skipped the scenic boat ride to the volcano we made a stop at a huge supermarket to pick up food and wine so I could drown out that volcano !!!

 

After a quick evening dinner and wine bottle, I walked to the airport to catch my overnight flight from Manila to Port Moresby – no problems – on time and slept the whole 5hrs getting there. Arrived in Port Moresby at 430am and headed to hotel to catch up on sleep. Woke at 1030am the news of drama drama drama – this time not mine but Nick and Sam Golfins !!! Their flight to Port Moresby had been cancelled at the last minute and this also affected James and Cristan since Jacob was on the alternate flight via Brizzie, which was not cancelled. What a ker-fa-fel !!! After many texts the last four of our Kokoda Team would arrive at 1750 tomorrow resulting in a one day pushback of the start of our Kokoda Trek from early 23MAY to early 24MAY. I made the best of the rest of the day by packing my Kokoda Pack and visiting the huge VISION CITY MEGA MALL completely overrun by locals with not another “whitey” in sight !!! The supermarket in their was terrific complete with hot food but then to my horror the adjoining liquor shop was CLOSED !!! When I asked why I was told that the PNG PM had mandated EVERY liquor outlet in the city to close out of respect of the Indian PM Modi who does not drink and was in town for the India - Pacific Cooperation Forum which would last today only !!!

 

I had to resort to my hotel bar where I sank a few local beers since the wine (ozzie Jacob’s Creek and Yellow Tail) was a ridiculous $65AUD a bottle !!! No way ho-zay !!!

 

Tuesday 23 May was another easy day. I confirmed my accommodation and hire car post Kokoda and marked out all the places I would visit on maps.me. Visited Vision City and watched some movies until Nick, Sam, James & Cristan arrived around 1830. Finally after much saga it was good to see them. All six of us met with our porters and a senior representative Saii from the trekking company Southern Seas Horizons for a complete briefing of what would happen tomorrow and over the next 7 days and 6 nights. This was followed by a Team Ozzie dinner and a few local beers. We all hit the sack early for an early rise for what was to be a HUGE day tomorrow – the start of THE KOKODA TRACK !!!

Enjoy the journey to PNG…

DAY 36-38 (15-17 May 2023): THE MARSHALL ISLANDS (Majuro Atoll, Eneko Island) – Laura – Ajetake – Rairok – Delap – Darrit – Uliga

Welcome to The Marshall Islands (Marshalls for short), my 115^th Visit and 110^th Run UN Country.

 

The Marshall Islands (Pop 41,569) are a sprawling chain of 5 major volcanic islands, 29 coral atolls (24 populated) and 1,156 islets in the central Pacific Ocean, halfway between Hawaii and the Philippines in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Marshalls cover a grand total island area of 180 square kilometres which is only 0.26% the size of Tazzie or the size of Metropolitan Sydney but this is spread out over 1.9 million square kilometres of ocean – almost 25% the size of Australia !!! Marshalls has 870 reef systems comprising 161 coral species and 798 fish species. In the northwest lies Bikini Atoll, which is used as a ship graveyard after World War II, and now a popular wreck dive site. Majuro Atoll, where I stayed, holds the Marshalls capital and largest settlement and is famous for the coral reef at Kalalin Pass, which teems with marine life. Majuro Atoll definitely reminds me of Tuvalu being a thin oval strip of land no wider than 1km and a total of 49km from end-to-end making it bigger than Tuvalu. Like Tuvalu the highest point on Majuro is only 3m above sea level !!!

 

Micronesian settlers reached the Marshall Islands using canoes circa 2nd millennium BC, with interisland navigation made possible using traditional stick charts. They eventually settled there and developed their own language called Marshallese, which is now spoken by two thirds of the population. As is the case of the islands I visited, Ferdinand Magellan, was the first European to land here in the 1520s and the Spanish soon followed a year or two later. Even the English visited here. The islands derive their name from John Marshall, who visited in 1788. The islands were historically known by the inhabitants as "jolet jen Anij" (Gifts from God). Spain claimed the islands in 1592, and the European powers recognized its sovereignty over the islands in 1874. Later, Spain sold some of the islands to the German Empire in 1885. In World War I, the Empire of Japan occupied the Marshall Islands. During World War II, the United States took control of the islands in the Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign in 1944. Nuclear testing began on Bikini Atoll in 1946 and concluded in 1958. Apparently there is still some radiation recorded there in certain areas. The U.S. government granted independence to the Marshall Islands in 1979 and they joined the United Nations in 1991. Politically, the Marshall Islands is a parliamentary republic with an executive presidency in free association with the United States, with the U.S. providing defense, subsidies, and access to U.S.-based agencies such as the Federal Communications Commission and the United States Postal Service. With few natural resources, the islands' wealth is based on fishing, agriculture and limited tourism given its isolation. Marshalls use the US Dollar.

 

The majority of the citizens of the Marshalls are of Marshallese descent, though there are small numbers of immigrants from the United States, China, Philippines, and other Pacific islands. The dominant religion is Christian at 97.5% with 87% being Protestant.

 

My United UA155 flight from Pohnpei to Majuro was very educational as it tool in two stops. The first was the island of Kosrae still in Micronesia and the second was the island of Kwajalein in the Marshalls. Kosrae is not that large and not that populated only 45min flying time from Pohnpei. Kwajalein however is very interesting. It is 60min flying from Kosrae and tiny and entirely a US Military Base. You cannot stay here unless you have permission from the US Defence Department. The radar gear on this island is like a high-tech supermarket of every communications and satellite hardware ever invented !!! Apparently this island is the main eyes and ears on China and the gateway to the nuclear testing sites in the north and guards all the US WWII Navy Vessels that form part of the Pacific Graveyard north of this island !!!

 

Majuro Atoll itself is another 45min flying from Kwajalein  and a tad under 10 square kilometres in area but its lagoon is big at 295 square kilometres. Suffice to say there is not a lot to see in Majuro – the main attraction is the lagoon islands and the coral along the islets of the north. I hired a taxi and in one day visited the following along the 49km length of the atoll: Laura (Longest Lagoon Beach & Church), Ajeltake (Oil Refinery, Mormon Church), Majuro Japanese Peace Park, Airport Park, Iakwe Katooj Park (Lake), Bahai House of Worship, Beaches (Two), Rairok/Rairikku (Baptist Church, US Embassy, Japanese Embassy, Shops, Beach), Longest Ocean Beach & Park, Japan-Marshall's Bridge, Biggest K&K Supermarket & Complex ATMs, Delap-Uliga-Djarrit Capital (Capital Building & Nitijela, International Conference Centre, Cathedral of the Assumption, Alele National Museum, Baet-U-Ahad Mosque).

 

My favourite place was Lijelbubub Beach right at the Western-most end of the atoll in a village called Laura. Google calls it Laura Beach but it is not – locals told me that Lijelbubub was a rat who was changed into a beautiful princess by the local sorcerer !!! It is one main spot where the ocean and lagoon connect and the water is to die for – crystal and 30C !!!

 

It quickly became apparent to me as my driver Ridhen took me along the island that the centre of town is struggling. Many closed businesses, unkept buildings and stray dogs. Tuvalu or Kiribati is nowhere near this. Further out people live in well-kept fibro houses under many palms and with mowed green lawns – heaps better condition and nice to look at. There are speed humps every few hundred metres to keep traffic speed under control given most kids walk to school. The other thing I noticed was a myriad of small graveyards with probably 10-50 graves each spread out all over the island – I am told the smaller ones are family plots that are situated on their own land that gets handed down from generation to generation. The larger ones a community graveyards for locals living in the area that do not own land or do not wish their loved ones to be buried on their own land since it is hard to sell land with graves already on the land – it is bad luck. The other reason for smaller graveyards spread out everywhere is that the atoll is not wide enough for one big cemetery and which also can get flooded in heavy storms.

 

The unquestionable highlight of my drive with Ridhen was the Dag Dance which you will have to wait for the film to see – it is very very special !!!

 

My second full day on Majuro was dedicated to visiting the island of Eneko 12km from my hotel by speedboat. The owner of my hotel also owns this island and has built a very small and exclusive bungalows on the island mainly for honeymooners from the US and Japan !!! The hotel is happy to run a shuttle out to the island for its mainland guests and I was the only one to go today and was on the island alone from 1030 to 1500 !!! The ride out there was identical to my experience in Tuvalu – lots of small islands or islets dotting the lagoon amongst green blue waters teaming with coral. Brilliant. Not just because of the island scenery and coral but because of what lay beneath these crystalline waters beside the coral – yes – a shot-down sunken US Aircraft – a DC3 belonging to Sea Star Pacific shot down in WWII – just 10ft down and very snorkable !!! Finally I found the wreckage of plane that I could free dive too and film. I looked for one in Guam and Saipan but had to come all the way out to Majuro to find one – I was so happy !!! Not only did I see an aircraft but a HELIPCOPTER as well !!! It was jackpot day and I was like a little kid in the Candy Store. Loved it.

 

After the launch left me, given I was the only human on the island of Eneko, I stripped naked and swam my first 2km nude swim amongst the zig-zagging coral off the island alongside myriads of naked fish. This is the most free and isolated I have ever felt – it is a mystical experience !!! After the swim, I walked to the end of the island and released my trusty drone Mini into the deep blue skies above to bring you what will be the most heavenly jaw-dropping atoll scenery you will ever see…

 

Food in the Marshalls is typical Pacific Islander - true locals eat fish and breadfruit (like potato) but the rest is spoiled by American influences. I enjoyed plenty of tuna mixed with veggies. Sadly garbage is a HUGE issue here just like in Tuvalu and stacked up near the middle of the island next to the airport where noone wants to live. There is a Chinese company that collects anything aluminium especially Bud Beer cans !!! The government recently banned plastic shopping bags in favour of paper bags but the plastic from years gone by has nowhere to go...

Someone found out that I was here and sent a US jet to collect me - see it below !!!

Majuro Atoll of the Marshall Islands promises to be the visual highlight of the Pacific in this amazing journey amongst the Caroline Islands of the Western Pacific. If the photos don't get you then the film will – enjoy…