Walking on Water

I finally found out what if feels like to walk on water – almost. The hiking group organized a hike to the Nalap Atoll. Walking may not seem to be the appropriate mode of travel to get from an island to an atoll but during low tide it’s possible. Like many things in life, timing is everything. During the low tide at certain places the water is only knee deep. It wasn’t quite the same as walking on water but I figure it’s as close as I’ll ever get.

A co-worker of mine who grew up on one of the outer islands in Chuuk had told me that his area consisted of several atolls separated by water. Walking from atoll to atoll was common and people just had to be aware of the changing tide so that they wouldn’t get stuck overnight on the other atoll. It sounded a lot like taking the bus from Jersey to NYC and having to be cognizant of the time so as not to miss the last bus out of the city, though I wouldn’t compare the Port Authority to a Pacific Island.

We hired a guide who knew what path to follow (the bottom of the lagoon is not flat) and for 2 hours we walked through the knee deep water which, at times, became chest deep. Eventually we ended up on the little atoll of Nalap which is a ten minute boat ride from Pohnpei. The family that owns the atoll turned it into a beach ‘resort.’ There are little huts that can be rented for overnight stays or people can pay a dollar for daytime access. The family also runs a boat taxi service so instead of trudging back to Pohnpei, we each paid $2.50 and took a boat back.