a day in melekeok

We forgot to pack the camera yesterday, but I'm not sure our camera could have captured the imagery anyway. The automatic setting "sees" too much light and under exposes many pictures, which get deleted. It was our last day with the rental car and we took a drive back to the state of Melekeok. Their capital complex is situated there, high on a hill and looks completely out of place here. The money for this large monstrosity came from the European union, not sure how they decided on the design.

This environment seems to be hard on buildings, it could have been a wonderful architectural challenge for someone to have designed something harmonious and durable, almost anything would have been better than what they have. I wonder how long it will last.

We continued on past the governmental buildings to find the road to the shoreline and followed it to a little public park area situated on the waterfront that had a posted fee schedule for using the area. But then the rain started in and we decided to backtrack a little way to the internet deli we passed, and sit out the rain. The deli was a Wi Fi hotspot, but patrons needed their own laptops there. No one was inside, and the TV was blaring, but we spied an outside porch through the restaurant and decided on the sheltered outside seating. The patio was out over the beach area, but level with the deli, which was about 10 feet higher than the beach and gave a bit of a commanding view of the area. We shared the patio with one other couple and with a mother cat and her nearly weaned kitten.  Tiny little cats, maybe a pound combined, but beautiful calico coats.

From where we were seated, we could see a penninsula of land in the distance, all covered in various shades of green and also could see out into the ocean which was turquoise and grey. The tide was out, and a large area of the tidal flat of the beach was exposed. I'm guessing about 100 yards out is where the ocean waves were breaking onto the tidal flat area. There were little spots here and there holding a very shallow amount of water and the sky was reflected in them, so that it looked like clouds above and below.  It was so enjoyable just to look out and see the rain. At times the downpour was so heavy, it was as though a curtain of white was drawn across the ocean and the entire peninsula was hidden.  Wisps of clouds seemed to hover low to the ground.   It would have been the perfect place for a pot of tea, taken leisurely while doodling or reading...  but we had packed the snorkels yesterday...

I ordered some yakisoba noodles and E had fried rice and both entrees were good. We hung out there for nearly 2 hours before the rain was mostly done, then we went back to the little park. There was no need for the dive skin as it was about 4:30 and so overcast that there wasn't even a chance of sunburn. We walked out onto a jetty which is about 100 yards long. When you walk to the end of it, you can scramble down some stones to get into the water, which was shallow, even though the tide was coming back in.

E. got in first to check about currents and it was okay, so I lumbered into the water. By the time I was in and made all my adjustments, he was already over in the deeper water, approaching the drop off area. I elected to stay in the shallow area for a bit. There were some cement pylons from an old pier and old tires and other trash on the bottom and sea grass floating on the surface, but under the water I saw at first one, but then more and more of those velvety violet colored starfish. I was watching one whose arms weren't arrayed symmetrically, when another creature caught my eye. It was a deadly Lionfish. I was thankful that he seemed to stay on the bottom, with at least 9 feet of water between us.  E was somewhere behind me and too far away to call. There were also hundreds of brightly glowing violet fish that were about an inch or so long. Here is a picture of a seeing eye gobi and his blind companion from the other day.

I decided I better swim over to my snorkel buddy, who insists he was checking on me...  there were many juvenile fish,  and I saw one dinner plate sized flounder.

We didn't stay long, because the sun was setting, but I enjoyed it. E wasn't too impressed though.