Arrived via local Pacific island flights

Four hours of sleep never felt so good. Departed early from HML and headed for the Marshall Islands. First stop was Majuro, where we were allowed to deplane for the 30 minute layover. The welcome sign says nices people of the Pacific, and even with just a stop stop, they indeed were very nice..

 

From there we travelled to Kwajalein, an atoll in the Marshall Islands where there is an army base and we were not allowed to deplane. And we were not allowed to take pictures, so none to show what it looked like. They are testing a missle there - should be in the news or in the journal Foreign Policy.


Next stop was Kosrae, truly a beautiful little island.

Some of the pictures were taken from the window of the plane, so hope they are clear.


Then, after over eight hours and three stops, we arrived in Pohnpei. I will be here for one week of orientation. It was my impression that there would be a group of volunteers disembarking with me. Low and behold, I was the only volunteer on the plane. Here are a few pictures of Pohnpei from the air and upon arrival:

Was met at the airport by Bernie, who works for the Peace Corps and will accompany me to Yap Island over the weekend after orientation.

Am staying at Yvonnes Hotel, checked in by a very nice hotel clerk. Later, in the early evening (who needs sleep?) I had dinner with Sunny, a nurse volunteer stationed on Pohnpei. We ate at a very nice place called "Cupid", with a fresh fish dinner that was hard to beat. And yes, I could not resist the homemade banana and chocolate pie, highly recommended by our waitress Becky, a very nice young woman who also is in college. The sunset there was spectacular and since it rains much of the time, a very lucky experience:

Prior to departure I had written to Professor Don, a well known birder of the region. He graciously wrote back with suggestions, and noted that he was from Worcester! In addition, he forwarded my message to Danny, another birder on the island. As it turns out, Danny and his wife Arlene were at Cupid's, (yes, it is a small world!) and we made arrangements for a birding excursion this coming week.

At 10 PM, my head finally hit the pillow. A great start to a year abroad. This morning, I hope to have clear weather and a walk around Kolonia, the capital of Pohnpei.