YAP

Sam and I had been trying to put this trip together for about two years, ever since he had met a Yapese on an airplane, and I had gotten acquainted, via the Internet, with an expatriate American who was the Yap high school principal. And with their help, we finally sorted it out.

So at the appointed time, I flew to Hawaii, hooked up with Sam and we both flew to Guam, where, we caught this beat up old 737 island hopper. So far it had been a hell of a lot of flying and we hoped the trip would be worth it.

Anyway, after what seemed like forever, the old 737 touched down on the deserted strip at 11:00 PM. And, as we headed into the ramshackle terminal, a topless lady greeted us with a cheery “Welcome to Yap”. Well, maybe this trip won’t be so bad after all.

For all you guys who were asleep in Geography class, Yap is an island in the Western Pacific, at latitude 9 north. It is located in the Western Carolines, 4000 Miles West of Hawaii, 2000 Miles South of Tokyo, 1200 Miles North of Papua New Guinea, 1000 Miles Southeast of Manila, and 400 miles Southwest of Guam. Or to put it more simply, about a million miles from nowhere. It is served by Air Micronesia with twice a week flights from Guam.

The island itself is about 35 square miles and holds approx 10000 people. Yap is associated with the Federated Micronesian States, and bound to the US by a mutual assistance treaty.

Untouched Paradise
Looking toward the barrier reef

Although colonized by the Spanish and the Germans, then occupied by the Japanese, and later the US Navy, the island has not seen very much Western presence, because there is nothing there to exploit, and the islanders did not accept any missionaries.

Yap street kids

There was some Japanese influence, and a bit of American, but mostly the culture is pure Micronesian, dating back hundreds or thousands of years. There is little tourism as such, but the place is frequented by some intrepid divers, drawn by the certainty of sighting Manta Rays. There are maybe 50 whites resident on the island, and a very few European visitors.

Picking coconuts

It is really incongruous to see a topless lady in traditional garb wheel up in her SUV, or an old timer dig a cell phone out of his palm frond bag of betel nut accoutrements.

Teenagers hanging out

One unique Yap item is its stone money. Enormous discs of stone, with a hole in the center for carrying. These discs were quarried on Palau, and then carried to Yap in dugout canoes. They are still in use today as tender for some transactions.

John with stone money disc.

I had heard about Yap after the Second World War, but I first became interested when I was looking for Japanese Zero fighters for the Seattle Museum of Flight about 30 years ago. I did manage to track some Zeros to this island, but they were considered national treasures, and the islanders would not part with them. They were still there this trip, but now just piles of scrap, after 60 years exposure to the tropical weather.

Wrecked Japanese Zero fighter from WWII

But back to the trip


Along with the lady greeter, a resident American named Dave, who owned the “Beyond the Reef” dive operation was on hand to meet us. Dave had helped set the whole trip up for us, and could not have been more helpful during our stay.

The hotel turned out to be a rather rustic but clean place, consisting of seven Nippi Palm huts straggling up a hillside, connected by ramshackle wooden walkways and steps. It was native owned and operated, and the staff couldn’t have been more accommodating. The downside though, was that there were some cockroaches hanging out which were big enough to saddle and ride away. There was also a pet bat named Maggie, but she sort of just hung around the lobby, and didn’t really cause any trouble. There was, however, a bit of a problem with the toilet, although not as serious as our difficulty in the Amazon. Seems that the second day, the seat on the appliance broke. I duly reported this to the authorities and they said they would handle it. They did, alright. When I returned that evening, there was no broken seat, in fact, there was not even a seat. After a couple of days though, a new seat appeared and all was well.

Our hotel. The Pathways

We arrived in time for Yap days, the yearly local celebration. The main venue was an open field outside the only town. Booths were set up to sell various delicacies, and there were contests and dancing in a large field.

Open air cafeteria serving line

We found ourselves a spot in the VIP reviewing stand, along with the Governor, the local Chiefs, all in native attire, some big shots from Palau, other assorted high mucky mucks, and even the Ambassador from China. It was hard to keep one’s mind on the program though, as there were numerous topless women running around, old young and in between, with an amazing variety of boobs hanging out. Needless to say, gawking and photography were not appreciated.

As the festivities wound down, we repaired to our hotel bar, an outdoor affair, where we were joined shortly by the Governor and most of the Chiefs. It was apparently the best watering place on the island, as all the big shots seemed to hang there. Soon we were all knocking back beers, and became fast friends, which didn’t hurt us a bit for the remainder of our stay.

Village Chiefs Council
These guys actually run the island.
Note the mix of western and traditional garb.
They seem to be well supplied with beer, as well.


Matriarch "Holding Court"

These "mature" ladies seem to be the power behind the throne.
They give "suggestions" to the village Chiefs
Who then govern, subject to these ladies' concurrence.

This system seems to work for the islanders.

Getting to know the big shots paid off in invitations to some of the secondary celebrations held in the villages scattered around the island. These villages were mostly collections of huts along dirt roads, populated by families with scantily clad children and assorted dogs. At one of these celebrations in particular, we noticed numerous cases of Bud Light, and were plied with beer after beer. When I inquired about the easy availability of so much beer, the Chief explained that if some of the younger people did not wish to participate in the traditional ceremonies they were allowed to opt out, but were fined a case of beer. Seemed to work out OK for everybody.

The next best bar in town (After the hotel bar)

Almost everyone on the island chewed Betel nut, a mild narcotic, which acts as a stimulant. It is mixed with lime and wrapped in a leaf, with vodka or tobacco, or both, being sometimes added for an enhanced effect. The near term effect is a bright red mouth, gums lips and teeth. Long term, it appeared to be hard on teeth, as no one over fifty seemed to have any. The fixings and accoutrements were carried in a purse kind of container made of palm leaves. And no adult seemed to be without one.

The island boat launch

BUT WE WENT FOR THE FISHING, SO I HAD BETTER GET TO THAT.


Dave set us up with one of his dive boats, a 22 foot open cockpit affair, sort of like a Boston Whaler, with two native boys as crew. The tackle probably would not have been fit for the bargain table at Goodwill, but there were so many fish that who cared. We even sometimes set the poles aside and used the traditional hand lines that the Polynesians had fished with for hundreds of years.

Handlining for Tuna
Just like the ancients fished.


We fished the open ocean for Tuna, which were there by the millions, and along the reefs for Shark, Wahoo, Marlin and Barracuda.

The ocean literally boils, as a school of Tuna jump for bait fish.
And birds get into the action as well.

Actually, we used the birds as "fish finders" to lead us to the schools of Tuna.
Just like the Micronesians have done for hundreds of years.

The tide rips and winds were tricky, even miles from land. Twelve foot seas were not uncommon, and between them and the rain squalls, one was constantly wet. The native boys, though, were excellent seamen, so we were not concerned. Except maybe for their habit of smoking around the open gas cans and spilled gas.

Two nice Tuna



A typical day’s catch would be maybe a dozen or so Tuna. Yellow fin up to 60 pounds, Skipjack, and a colorful variety called Rainbow Runner. Along with this would be a couple of Barracuda, a Wahoo or two and an occasional shark.

We would take a couple of each variety back to the hotel for supper, and have Dave distribute the rest . So each evening we would sit down to a plate of assorted raw fish, a plate of assorted grilled fish, and a heaping bowl of rice. All eaten with chopsticks, and washed down with copious quantities of beer.


Afterwards in the bar, a few drinks with the locals would be in order, and we would then repair to our private veranda for a beer and a cigar, before heading for bed. Next morning it was up and at ‘em to repeat the whole drill again.


Barracuda







This is a Wahoo
























Freshly caught raw Tuna
A feast fit for a king.


Relaxing on the veranda after a tough day

So how could one beat this? A tropical paradise, with world class fishing, and shore attractions running to topless women, good food and drink, and Cuban cigars. Things don’t really get much better than that.

But all good things must end, and all too soon it was back on the airplane for the long flight back to civilization.

Yap is certainly not for the faint of heart or thin of wallet, but if you are healthy, have a taste for adventure, and appreciate out of the way places, it might be worth a try.