There are a shocking number of rusty shipwrecks around the island, some of which children swim out to and play on. Many people travel to these islands for wreck diving- there are over 80 Japanese ships here, left over from when the Americans bombed the Japanese during WWII to regain control of Micronesia- all resting on the bottom of the Chuuk Lagoon.
The women here generally wear very colorful, conservative dresses or skirts. I haven’t once seen a woman or girl here in pants or shorts. They also don’t normally show their shoulders, despite the heat and humidity. I’ve noticed that the men here, for the most part, put off an air of seriousness or toughness. It’s a very patriarchal culture. Most are gentlemanly, but not all. My mom has a bunch of leftover Micronesian skirts from her previous trips so we alternate between them. The skirts make everything more comfortable. We haven’t been able to find many vegetables or fruit. We found tomatoes and fresh cucumbers the other day and finally located where to buy big liters of bottled water.. We’re pretty much surviving on packaged noodles and tea haha
The potholes here are pretty appalling as well. People drive about 5 miles an hour, swerving to avoid the worst ones. Whenever we go too fast or misjudge, we hear the cement scrape the underside of the car in a painfully screechy way. Sometimes we have to swerve so much we practically run into the little shops selling pounded, sweat-filled breadfruit and cooking bananas. The U.S. government is kindly paying 25 million dollars, however, to build a four- mile road. Sounds pretty ridiculous, I know.
My mom and I have experienced the most beautiful sunsets here. Our hotel has a dock that we walk out to some nights to watch the ocean and the colors.
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