Kaselehlie and welcome to my newest series! I am back home for a brief respite before another trip to the Federated States of Micronesia in April. Like I mentioned in my last post, internet connectivity (and my free time) was limited on island, but I’ll be posting regularly until I leave again, and have a tentative plan for posting while I’m gone next time!
The Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) are tiny map dots in the western Pacific Ocean that even the most seasoned travelers may never even think about. FSM is made up of four main high islands, three which have many outer atolls. There are 607 islands in total spread across nearly 1700 miles of ocean. The miles between the islands of Kosrae, Pohnpei, Chuuk and Yap separate them as much culturally and aesthetically as geographically. Though politically one unit, each of the four islands and their outer island counterparts offer their own unique flora, fauna and cultural experiences to the few visitors they see each year.
By the end of April I will have visited FSM three times, making this tiny country not only the one I’ve visited most frequently, but also for the longest periods of time. That may not be saying much given the duration of most of my trips, but spending time working with the locals in FSM has provided me insight into the good, the bad and the ugly of this amalgam of islands.
In planning my trips to FSM I have found a dearth of information readily available on the Internet. Most of what I know I’ve learned through trial and error, which of course means a few of the experiences I’ll share are pretty humorous, at my personal expense. Over the coming weeks I will share those stories, plus hotel, restaurant & activity reviews and practical tips to make trip planning easier. I hope my mini-guide will provide visitors to FSM with plenty of detail and honest insight into this little piece of paradise.
Planning a trip to FSM? Let me know exactly what you’d like to hear about!
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