October 16, 2025

Got to love a place that sells shirts saying "Where the heck is Yap? "

Colonia (population 3,100) is the Capital and Harbor town of Yap State (population 11,600) one of four states in the Federated States of Micronesia. We are in the Pacific Ocean or Philippine Sea just north of the equator, Papua New Guinea and Australia.

This is downtown Colonia on a busy Wednesday afternoon. We are the 5th  cruise ships they have had here, in the last 3 years. Notice no overhead wires, no electrical traffic signals. What Yap is famously known for is their Stone Money. For centuries, they used giant crystalline limestones disks, as their currency; It's noted on their license plates. Today they use USA dollars for their currency but they  still used the stones for birthdays, weddings, funerals and in conflict resolution. The most amazing fact about the stone money is that it didn't come from rocks here on the island. They were transported here on rafts from Palau, 250 miles away! They are scattered all around the island, along walkways and in the forests. There are an estimated 13,000 stones on the four Yap Islands. Some are huge, as big as 12 feet in diameter and weighing 8,800 pounds. The stones stay in place even when they change ownership. Their value is based on the stone's size, beauty and history! (Note: I borrowed huge stone photo from Basia's @Basiak.blog for reference)

Colonia also has a Living History Museum in the downtown. The men still use the community house for their men only meetings!

By Patricia Patrick December 4, 2025
Today we went to see the coastal Naidiri Village that has recently won the Top Prize in global restoration, for their ocean reef project. The reef restoration was borne out of necessity to solve their dwindling food/ main protein source for the village, of fish. It was started by 2 of the villages rugby players and today is run by the local teenagers (mostly boys) in the village. It was great seeing how empowered and proud they were of their amazing efforts.
By Patricia Patrick December 1, 2025
The port agent offered several trips to areas around Lautoka . We chose the trip to Serenity Island Resort which included van and boat transfers and lunch. It was a really nice day enjoying the sun, reef, pool, turtles and amenities!
By Patricia Patrick December 1, 2025
I organized a group tour for a fun day experience. We had a great day despite the rain that decided to join in. We started with a 45 minute van ride out through the city, into the countryside. Then we got in long boats and went up river to a waterfall, some swam or cheered on the guides to cliff dive. Then back in the boats to visit Sabata Village where 50 family members live as a community existing totally off the land, along the river. Next was a quick boat ride to our BBQ lunch spot. After lunch we got to tube down the river, through light rapids, for just about an hour. We ganged our tubes together with the guide - we had a chain of 14 in my group and the guides totally blew us away singing hymns for a good chunk of the journey. It was truly moving in that place with the rain drizzling and all of us linked together. Loved it!