CRUISE VIGNETTES 15, Enna G

PONAPE (Renamed Pohnpei in November 1984)
The next island we visited, Ponape, in the Caroline Islands, is completely different from Majuro. The MS Enna G docked near the town of Ponape, right at the end of the airport runway, but we don’t remember seeing any airplanes, the couple of days we were here.

There is a 2000 foot high mountain, and vegetation all over. It rained a lot as we walked downtown on the muddy streets to see the rather decrepit main shopping street, and it was difficult to find anything that we wanted to buy. This island is famous for pepper, so we did buy a bag or two of that.

It was also interesting to see the legislative building, the home of their “Congress,” but we didn’t get information about who does what, or how they are governed. I do remember that in some office there was a Radio Shack desk-top computer. No one knew how to use it, or what to do with it, it was sitting there, but not plugged in the electric socket. Remember, small computers were almost unknown at that time, I didn’t get my Macintosh computer for another 5 or 6 years.

THE GENERAL STORE
We talked with a family who ran the General Store. The man and his two daughters, had lived on Ponape all their lives. His dad had come to the island to make soap from coconuts and to operate a trade ship among the islands. They were put in jail by the Japanese during the war and would have starved, had not the natives fed them. Since Ponape was not an important military target, it was several months after the war before the Americans came and “liberated” the island, and them.

Their small trade ship was still tied up at the dock, but was in no condition to sail anywhere. It has been there for years, since WW II. They didn’t think there would be enough business to make it worth repairing. I admired the ship’s anchors, but they were much too large to take home, even if the people had been willing to part with them. I didn’t even ask!

I wanted a remembrance from their store, so bought a small “sickle” that can be used to cut grass or weeds. The price is penciled in as $1.93, and I wrote the date, 2-20-80.

Their business card says, “Carlos Etscheit Soap Co., Box 67, Ponape 96941, East Carolines Islands, Import-Export.” Just in case you want to order some soap.