The
word Micronesia means “Small Islands”. Of the 1240 islands scattered on
an area equalling the United States, only 100 are inhabited. Few flights,
few hotels and consequently few tourists.
Yet
are gratified by an untouched nature, wonderful sea-bottoms and exquisitely
kind folk. There are direct flights from Italy to Guam via Manila, then
a flight to the islands of Yap, Truk and Ponape, Palau and Kosrae.Guam
belongs to the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas and is a US Protectorate.
From a touristic point of view, the Marianas are less interesting
for their US military bases.
 For
the many marines living in the island efforts have been made to re-create
an American style of life, including rodeos, barbecue and topless bar.
Even though controlled by the American military forces, Guam is actually
owned by the Japanese. Armed with yen, the Japanese have quietly seized
it again in fifty years after their defeat in the Pacific.
Real
Micronesia is more to the South. You fly over a turquoise sea, white beaches
and huts all made of palm branches. In Yap, an island belonging to the
Federation of the Micronesian islands, the landing strip looks tiny for
the huge DC9.
At
the small terminal, the islanders wearing flower necklaces are waiting
for their friends and relatives.The capital Colonia is a handful of painted
houses. There is only one bar, two hotels and few restaurants. When strolling
around, you are welcomed by hearty smiles. Yap is the most traditional
and culturally intact island of the Federation. Today, huge stone rings,
one and a half mt, high and weighing quite a number of pounds, are still
used for payment.
 Surronding
the houses, these rings, together with the coco-palms and the pigs, are
indicative of the social status and wealth of the owner.
In
the majority of the Micronesian islands, the habits, the style of buildings
and the way folk are dressed have not undergone great changes over the
past 100 years, despite the foreigners. People live mainly on what nature
generously supplies: fish, pork,chicken, yam, manioc and an enormous variety
of exotics fruits. Coco, besides supplying cooking oil and wine to cheer
up evening parties, offers the building raw materials.
People
who prefer stretching in the hammock and doing nothing, can listen to birds
singing and enjoy a nature of extraordinary beauty.Active people can attend
local entertainment, practise diving, horse riding or they can book a boat
to visit the neighbouring islands.
Another
very beautiful island belonging to the Federation is Ponape', some 780
miles north-east of New Guinea. Here some of the most interesting and mysterious
ruins in the world have been discovered. It is a town built on artificial
islands with plenty of temples, fortress, graves and other buildings.
The
other islets are separated by channels and protected by a dam from the
open sea. This Venice of the Southern Seas is called Nan Madol, “Spot among
the spaces” or “Spot of the channels”. The archaeologists know little or
nothing about the builders of such splendid works and why the town was
left before certain walls had been completed. It is surrounded by the virgin
forest and by a wonderful lagoon. For people fond of sea wreckage, no place
is more congenial to them than Truk. Sheltered from the wind and currents,
the Truck lagoon has been described as a lake in the middle of the Ocean.
In 1941 Truk became the major Japanese base in the Pacific area and the
main port of the imperial war Navy. Here the huge submarines let down the
anchor and sophisticated airports, fortifications, underground and stationings
for coast artillery were built.
During
the II World War, a Japanese fleet was entirely sunk, including a few submarines.
In the tongues of water separating the islets, laying a few yards deep,
airplanes and tanks witness the terrific battle of the Pacific, where Japanese
and allied units clashed. I
n
the Japanese version Truk became Pearl Harbour and since the wreckage had
been neither set off nor recovered at any time the impressive ghost fleet
is still there, on the lagoon bottom.
Dancing
is where Micronesia reveals itself at its best, and the island of Palau
is the State most proud of its dancers. The dances take places during the
festivities of the island villages.
For
these events, the girls spread their bodies with spiced oil and put flowers
in their hair before exhibiting, when they wear only skirts made of coloured
grass. By ancient tradition, the visitors hold twigs as a friendly sign.
Palau
is also famous for the Rock Islands, two hundred emerald-green, desert
islets, scattered over the velvet blue Pacific on the same number of miles.
 You
can rent one island as an ideal experience, if you are fond of a close
contact with nature and are looking for peace and being just alone, like
a Robinson Crusoe.
Like
Palau, also Kosrae, another island of the North Pacific, has the right
man's size.
Like
Truk, it attracts divers because on the sea bottom around the island they
find precious coral reefs, requiring pure water to live in.
You
just ask a fisherman to row you to the chosen island. He will shelter you
in a hut roofed with coco branches and for the following days your only
company will be the Herons, which tirelessly plunge in the water for darting
to the surface.
Rowing
past atolls and desert islets, our boat arrives at a lagoon, where I noticed
a village totally lacking gates and locks.
For
dinner the women in the village have prepared a pork slowly cooked in an
oven arranged underground , serving it with Yam and coconut.
After
dinner, the men go to their “baj”, “the men's retreat”, to drink Kava they
get from the roots of a slightly hallucinogenic plant.
“Alii,
bo momengur!”, “toasting to you”, says one of the men. The answer is “sulang”,
“thank you”, which is the first word you wish to learn when visiting these
untouched spots.
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Italian
Mensile di scienza medica e attualita`
