In this latest series, I will be going through all the countries I’ve travelled to on my mission to visit every single country in the world. In this article, we will be covering country #78: Micronesia. If you haven’t gotten a chance already, read this story first to find out why I’m trying to visit all 193 UN-recognized countries.
After my girlfriend Karen and I finished our trip to Madagascar, we went to Manila to spend Christmas with my family. Manila is the starting point of the famous United Island Hopper. How this works is you board a United Airlines flight that would hop over to Palau, Guam, Chuuk, Pohnpei, Kosrae, Kwajalein, Majuro, and Honolulu in that specific order. During this journey, you’re allowed to do an overnight stop in Guam, Chuuk, and Pohnpei. This is great as it gives you options to go sightseeing in those places before continuing on your journey.
VIDEO – Country #78: Micronesia
Blog post on Micronesia
- United Island Hopper Spending Breakdown (Guam, Micronesia, Honolulu)
- My Experience Flying In The United Island Hopper From Start To Finish
- My Experience Exploring The Ancient Ruins Of Nan Madol In Micronesia
Manila to Palau to Guam
After seeing my family in Manila, Karen and I were off to fly to Guam which is our first long layover.
On the flight towards Palau, I sat on a very uncomfortable seat. It was horrible as it was upright the entire time. This is why I hate United Airlines sometimes. Because of this kind of BS I have to deal with when flying on that carrier.
The layover in Palau was roughly 1-hour long as the airline crew came in and cleaned up. We were also allowed to switch seats and I sat away from that horrible seat I sat on.
Before long, we landed in Guam which is an overseas United States territory.
I was feeling ill because I have yet to recover from food poisoning from my trip to Madagascar. Originally, my plan was to rent a car. Then, Karen and I would go sightsee the island. We ended up just staying at a hotel near the airport and resting for the vast majority of the day.
We did get hungry at one point and we ventured out to eat some delicious BBQ chicken with rice.
Before long, we headed back to the airport to go to our next destination.
Guam to Chuuk
Our next flight is to Micronesia on the island of Chuuk. The flight wasn’t too bad but the tax to exit Chuuk was super expensive at $30 USD per person.
Again, we stayed at a hotel near the airport to save time transiting both places. The accommodation we stayed at (High Tide Hotel) wasn’t too expensive. We soon learned why. The accommodation had giant spiders and cockroaches and it was scary to stay in that place.
The customer service was friendly and the breakfast was decent as we purchased food in their restaurant. Because I was still feeling sick, all I ate was some congee.
The hotel also provided airport drop off and we were now on our way to Pohnpei.
Chuuk to Pohnpei
Pohnpei is the island capital of Micronesia and we would be staying for 24 hours in this place.
Our accommodation offered airport pick up and off we went to 7 Stars Inn. Originally, we had booked a tour to the ancient ruins of Nan Madol for $70 USD per person. However, the owner told us that he doesn’t have a vehicle for us that day and we’d have to go on tour the next morning instead.
We were a bit bummed but I was also feeling ill so I didn’t mind the extra time to rest. We ate more delicious food in their restaurant (Micronesia has great food) before calling it a day.
The next morning, we indulged on more yummy Micronesian food before joining our tour.
Nan Madol
We got lucky as a European couple decided to join us for this trip. The owner then dropped the price to $50 USD per person plus the toll fee of $2-$5 to reach Nan Madol.
To reach Nan Madol, we hiked through the jungle with the final part requiring us to cross knee-deep water. During high tide, the water apparently goes up to your chest.
Nan Madol was cool as we checked it out and took pictures and videos.
I messed up here when I flew my drone. Somehow, I only captured 1 second of flying over the ruins which left me disappointed when I checked up on the clip later on.
When we drove back to our accommodation, I insisted we go to the airport as soon as possible to catch our flight. But, the hotel owner was so relaxed and said they’re not strict about when you check-in.
Pohnpei to Kosrae to Kwajalein to Majuro
Turns out he was wrong as we were the last one allowed to check-in by the time we arrived. Had we arrived 5 minutes later, we would have not been allowed to board our flight.
The flight to Kosrae was neat. Kosrae is a mountainous island compared to Chuuk and Pohnpei.
After Kosrae, we flew to Kwajalein which is a US military base. Pictures and videos are not allowed in that place.
Then, we landed in Majuro, Marshall Islands for a 1-hour layover before continuing our flight to Honolulu.
Majuro to Honolulu to Seattle to Vancouver
The final destination of the United Island Hopper was Honolulu where Karen and myself just rested to recover from both our food poisoning bout.
And of course, we ate some delicious Hawaiian BBQ.
The flight home wasn’t too bad as we both gradually recovered from food poisoning.
By the time we reached Vancouver, Canada, we were both recovered.
Conclusion
I wish I wasn’t sick when I travelled through Micronesia. The country seemed really nice and it would have been fun to explore Pohnpei. We also stopped in Guam which looks like a cool place to explore.
I’m probably never going back to Micronesia again just because I’ve already seen the major sightseeing spot there which is Nan Madol. But I might do the United Island Hopper again at some point so I can properly visit the Marshall Islands.
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