Vivid green is the color of its tropical mindscape and calm is the color of its fragrant refreshing air. The adventures it invites us to find The island we love to imagine could well be beautiful Kosrae, pleasure calls in the smiles of its gracious people, in the lure of its sea for fishing and play, and most of all in its restful, scenic way of life.
Rich in historical sites and ruins, this jewel of Micronesia was a favorite haven of pirate Bully Hayes. Now it can be yours. The Dream is real, Breakaway to Kosrae….. Visit Kosrae… Kosrae is a unique eco-tourist's delight.
White sand beaches and mangrove forests surround the shoreline looking out to fringing reefs where coral gardens are home to a diverse variety of marine life and vast schools of vibrant tropical fish. Above the water, the jungle and the mangroves offer a diversity of life that will delight birdwatchers and biologists alike.
Local hunters or fisherman rarely disturbs these rich ecosystems. The people of Kosrae are considered to be one of the most peaceful and gracious people on the planet. Traditionally a spiritual people, they embraced the beliefs of the early Christian missionaries who followed closely in the wake of the decadence and disease brought by pirate and whaling ships in the s. The traditional skills of fine weaving from hibiscus, pandanus and coconut palm have not been lost and are handed down through the generations.
Wood carving, traditional canoe and cottage construction, fishing, farming and cooking skills are also regularly practiced as they have been for hundreds of years. Kosrae's attractions are varied and numerous, focusing on history, culture, and the environment. It is one of the places in the world that has true ecotourism. Trekking through jungles and mountains, quietly canoeing in the mangrove channels, marveling at Neolithic ruins, or diving pristine reefs and sunken ships are just some of the many activities awaiting the traveler.
Or you may wish to simply do nothing at all and unwind from the hectic pace of today's world. Be forewarned: It's contagious! You will be required to fill out an immigration form and a customs form. US citizens must show proof of citizenship and nationals of other countries must have a valid passport.
A day tourist permit may be obtained upon entry from immigration officials. All visitors must have a return or onward ticket. Customs checks are performed upon arrival entry to Kosrae. Visitors are allowed to bring one carton of cigarette, one pound of tobacco about 20 cigars , and 52 fluid ounces of alcohol.
An import tax in excess of these products will be levied. Fruits and vegetables, flowers, and other plant life as well as livestock, poultry, and meat products are either prohibited or restricted. FSM Division of Customs: How to Get to Kosrae? Where to Stay in Kosrae? Accommodation and Properties There are six hotels dotted around the island, with a total of 60 rooms.
These hotels offer pleasant but rustic accommodations. Reservations are encouraged, given the limited number of rooms. In the communal spirit, a few of the hotels offer get-togethers during the week. This is a great way to meet fellow travelers and residents. Most hotels have restaurants that serve a variety of Western, Asian, and local delicacies. The local fare — primarily fish, taro, breadfruit, bananas and pigs during special occasions — is highly recommended.
There are also a couple of restaurants sprinkled in Tofol. Prices are reasonable and the service is good. Kosrae pronounced " ko-SHRY " lies some 3, miles southwest of Hawaii, and getting there and back was like a grand tour of the western Pacific islands. The circle route was less expensive, so I flew from my home near Washington, D. And I do mean "hop," for we landed and deplaned briefly at the famous diving destination of Chuuk many still call it Truk Lagoon and at Pohnpei, capital of the Federated States of Micronesia, to which Kosrae belongs.
The hop home via Honolulu was equally interesting, with stops at Kwajalein and Majuro atolls in the Marshall Islands. As happens out here, we arrived early. No one was yet at the airport to greet Kosrae's only daily flight, so instead of landing on the deserted strip, the pilot took us flight-seeing around the island.
Frankly, I was surprised to find any place this gorgeous north of the equator. Only 42 square miles, rugged, beach-fringed Kosrae is up there with Tahiti and Rarotonga and just a cut below Moorea and Bora Bora , which nearly everyone considers to be the world's most beautiful islands. From the east, Kosrae's mountainous outline resembled a perky breast woman in repose.
It was easy to see why it's called the "Island of the Sleeping Lady. Once on the ground I found the answer to a question I am often asked: "Where can I get away from it all, preferably in a little grass shack beside a white sand beach on a remote island?
Katrina and Bruce left San Francisco in the mids and along with Madison constructed the resort entirely of pandanus thatch and other native materials to resemble a traditional Kosraean village. Their centerpiece is the island's best restaurant, which always serves a version of mangrove crab, Kosrae's favorite seafood, under its soaring ceiling. The ten guest bungalows are indeed grass shacks, albeit with hardwood floors, coffee makers, and modern, open-air bathrooms.
None has a phone, however, and only one bedroom has an air conditioner. All other units are cooled by ceiling fans. That's one great thing about native construction: It's always cool under a thatch roof. You don't get the luxurious amenities of the much more expensive resorts in Fiji and French Polynesia, but these ooze old fashion tropical charm. Both avid scuba divers, Katrina and Bruce are primarily responsible for Kosrae's unique system of mooring buoys, which mean dive boats don't damage the fringing reef by casting anchors or tying up to the species of coral living in the perpetually warm, extraordinarily clear lagoon -- in which visibility can reach feet.
The infamous Hayes was one of many rapscallions who prowled the Pacific islands for coconuts and beche-de-mer sea slugs in the early 19th century, often leaving in their wakes a trail of fraud, deceit and illegitimate children. Stretching along the southwestern shoreline between Utwe and Walung villages, the park protects one of the Pacific's last pristine mangrove ecosystems.
It's best explored in an outrigger canoe, which I did with the Kosrae Visitors Bureau's gregarious Grant Ishmael and expert local guide Tadao Wakuk tel. We wandered in and out of the mangroves, their huge boughs often turning the narrow channels into green tunnels, and up the winding Finkol River, where we scrambled up the muddy bank to visit Tulenkun Tulenkun, Jr. Yes, Tulenkin has a double name.
He still carves traditional dugout canoes by hand, albeit "with a little help from a chain saw starting out. Tadao Wakuk was born during World War II while the Japanese still controlled Kosrae and required all local boys to be given Rising Sun first names, but his Kosraean ancestors would have been proud when the propeller popped off the canoe's outboard motor after our lunch of fresh fruits on a small reef island including juicy tangerines, another Kosrae specialty.
Fortunately we were in shallow, crystal clear water. Tadao waded out to retrieve the propeller while Grant and I pulled the canoe to a nearby islet strewn with coral rocks by some long-ago storm.
Tadao made the repair by using one rock as a hammer, another as an anvil, just as his islander forebears might have done before metal tools made their way to Kosrae. Their most remarkable achievement was construction of what is now the Lelu Ruins, a mysterious walled city where the island's rulers and their retinue lived more than years ago. In all the Pacific islands, only Kosrae and Pohnpei, some miles to the west, have stone structures as large and impressive as those at Lelu.
Without even the wheel, they brought huge basaltic stones from the mainland to Lelu Island, off the east coast, where they intricately spliced them into houses, public plazas, and ceremonial graves. They even dug a network of canals so canoes could supply the royals.
The impressive ruins are overgrown and their explanatory signs a bit weather beaten today, but that adds to the mystery. It's like discovering some prehistoric Mayan ruin in the middle of present day Lelu village. The same apparently is true of the Menke Ruins up the Finkol River, which Kosrae's winter rains prevented me from seeing one should never follow a mountain stream during a tropical deluge. Your hotel will arrange a guide if you decide to make that or another of Kosrae's outstanding walks, such as the all-day trek to the marvelous view atop Mount Finkol, the highest point at 2, feet.
You won't be climbing any mountains or hiking, diving, swimming, or drinking on Sunday, however, for Kosraens have taken the Sabbath seriously since Congregationalist missionaries arrived from Boston in to save their souls.
Whitewashed churches are the largest buildings in all villages these days. I attended Sunday morning services in Malem village and was struck by the islanders' harmony. In fact, much of the service consisted of dueling choirs, each striving to outdo the other's rendition of hymns firmly rooted in Bostonian Presbyterianism.
I was at a loss to understand the Kosraean words, but the music was most familiar. Long before the missionaries set foot on Kosrae, the ancients also built a causeway across the shallow lagoon from Lelu Island to the mainland. Today it leads to Kosrae's other two hotels, both on a peninsula bordered by white sand beaches on one side, a winding mangrove channel on the other.
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