Dear Friends and Family,

This is Majuro, the capital of the Marshall Islands. This island chain was a territory of the US after WW II but now is an independent  country which makes country #128 for us. People kept asking us why we came to visit as it seems this area does not receive many visitors. We were staying at Robert Reimers Resort and the first photo you see is of our bungalow which was very nice. At least we had TV reception so we could enjoy the Winter Olympics in the evening.  It is amazing that we even had electricity as many of the outlying islands of this group do not have electricity or running water, much like Truk.  In Majuro though there is a thriving shipping business with exports being copra, fish, and coconut . We rented a car for a day and drove from one end to the other, 62 miles of this island.  The raised graves were different but necessary as these islands are coral atolls very close to the water.  The lagoon is ringed by islands with the open ocean on the outside. The two pictures of the atomic blasts were taken of photos in the museum here.  Yes, the US conducted nuclear tests on Bikini and other islands.  Today the inhabitants cannot return to their homes as these islands are still very radioactive.  This fact is demonstrated in health issues as a result of the tests.  Here this topic is a very sensitive one.  There has also been a high incidence of deafness and health officials believe it is from a gene and intermarrying in the tribes.  We were hoping that we did not “glow” in the dark.  The nuclear testing could be why the tourist industry is not in full swing.

Susan did dive in the crystal clear waters.  Outside the lagoon, the coral is huge and very healthy. Turtles, sharks, lots of schools of fish and beautiful coral varieties were all sighted during the dive outside the lagoon.  Inside the lagoon, the rare three banded clown fish found only in Majuro waters was guarding the babies.  A ferry, DC 3 plane, and a helicopter were also found in the lagoon. The snorkeling was also fantastic with great visibility. One day we took a boat out to Eneko Island, one of the islands in the lagoon surrounding Majuro only serviced by boat. We certainly found empty idillic beaches and great snorkeling, but we also found lots of bugs.  We ended up soaking in the water to stay cool and away from the bugs.  From our bungalow we enjoyed lovely sunsets.

So if you do come to Majuro, 3 days would be enough.  It is interesting and you should consider a trip here.  Our next stop is Hawaii.  We will spend 8 days in Maui and 7 days in Oahu.  Since many of you have been to the 50th state, we will end our blog reporting here.  Our journey through Micronesia has certainly been an adventure.

We wish you all a wonderful Valentine’s Day.  Until our next post, remember to be good to yourselves.

Cheers,

Susan and Jim