The morning began well. It was very quiet. It rained a few times during the night. I expected that. I actually brought three umbrellas and a rain suit with me. I needn't have bothered, but as a former boy scout (maybe once a boy scout always a boy scout or is that marine?) I wanted to be prepared. The day began with a nice blue sky and a few ominous clouds that looked like they wanted to rain on someone's parade.
I sat in the restaurant drinking coffee, orange juice and eating breakfast. I had a tuna omelet. The tuna was very fresh and the portion large. I sat there reading my book and looking at the bay. There were 13 sailboats in the bay. Frequently there would be a small boat leaving the east shore and motoring around the point (the point is where the South Park hotel is but I didn't know that yet). The staff at my hotel were very friendly and courteous. I suspect they had few guests staying with them. The rain clouds finally got their act together and attacked. I just put my feet up, drank coffee and continued reading. 
I actually like the rain and of course in the tropics the rain is warm. It also chases away the ants who were exploring for food while I ate my omelet. The cats however came by in hopes that I would drop some tuna. About 10am the rain quit so I walked into town to the Telecommunication Center. A large, new government building with a huge antenna. Here I bought a $20 phone card and used half of it to buy Internet time. They provide two computers to use, a place to plug into and wireless access. All of it pay as you go. Later I would learn that even electricity is pay as you go to using swipe cards. The telecom center also had a large screen TV (52" or more) that many people would just stay there and watch. The A/C may have been an attraction too. People would wander in and out buying phone cards. Usually in $3 to $5 amounts.
On the way there, I would wander into many shops, a few were closed because it was Sunday of course. One of the surprises was Wall Mart, not associated with Wal-Mart in the states.
This was a very good upscale general store. The selection here was better than the selection on Kwaj at Surfway and Macy's. Fresh fruit and produce very, very cheap (you can pick it up in the jungle for free). Other things are a bit more spendy. A nice sharp cheese was $10 a pound. On my way back to the hotel I saw a pickup truck with three men in the back and a full grown pig--the latter no doubt the guest of honor at the feast. The rain threatened to return so I took refuge in the overhang of a closed business. A cab found me within five minutes. My experience in Seattle, San Francisco and elsewhere is that you cannot get a cab when it rains. The rain had stopped by the time I was back at the hotel...probably less than a five minute trip. I read for awhile. Had lunch, foolishly I ordered a ham and cheese sandwich, which is on of my favorites, but I forgot this is a country that likes Spam. Spam is okay but not something I want in a restaurant. After l
unch I took a short nap, read more then took a cab to The Village. By the way, cabs in Pohnpei cost one or two dollars. Chatting with the cab driver, he wanted to know where I was from which I told him. He had worked in Kentucky but returned because he missed his family. On our ride the cab driver stopped to buy an onion, then he stopped to deliver it. Such is the life in Pohnpei. Many of the vehicles on Pohnpei are recycled from Japan where they drive on the left hand side of the road (apparently that has something to do with Samurais). However, the Pohnepi laws require you to drive on the right hand side. This makes for some interesting feelings as you speed by in the front seat looking at oncoming traffic.
The Village is a collection of nice separate thatched huts that are screened in with great views. Dennis and Angie who worked with me on Kwaj were staying there with their kids. I arrived at about 4pm and found a thatched gazebo with a great view. The gazebo competes for space with a huge mango tree which hurled missiles at me from time to time. Sadly they were not yet ripe. The gazebo was occupied when I first arrived so I began talking with the people there. I met Joel who is doing a one year apprenticeship as a Seventh Day Adventist Minsiter. Later I met his mother and father. They are from Australia. I was about to see if they would join me for dinner when they announced that they needed to go into town to have dinner with the local minister. Joel spent most of the time with his face in his iMac and said very little. After they left, I continued to drink iced tea, watch people, read and just enjoy myself. One of the employees came out with a broom about 5:30 and climbed up on the railing you see in the above picture (I was setting in the little thatched area in the photo above. It is 
about a 30 foot drop straight down. He was cleaning the bug zapper. If he fell he would have been badly injured. When he finished, he began removing planks from a central area. This eventually became the bar which is known as the Tattooed Irishman. No one could explain the meaning to me. A bit of research found a legend of a Irishman who became shipwrecked and was spared by the natives in 1828 after dancing an Irish jig. If you read The Sex Lives of the Cannibals you will learn that dancing is a big tradition here. Apparently he married the chief's daughter (this is a familiar pattern in legends) and had his body covered with tattoos. In 1833 he was rescued, toured with P.T. Barnum and wrote a book about Pohnpei and his experiences.
A couple, Jack and Misu wandered out to my gazebo. I invited them to stay. They did. It was obvious they were a couple and enjoying each other's company. He was from California and she from Japan. I also suspect they each had spouses too. They were fun to talk to. There had been a wedding the day before. A Japanese couple reaffirming their vows. I did see a young Japanese couple sitting at another table. He had is face in his laptop she would sit patiently and when he would look up she would smile and look deep into his eyes which seem to say "Let's go fuck." He would shut his laptop and run off with her. They would be back in 30 minutes. This pattern kept repeating every hour or so.
I ordered the Louisiana tuna. It was truly awesome. They served a nice soup and salad too. I did see Dennis and Angie briefly. I asked for a cab about 8pm. After waiting about 40 minutes, I asked again. I was told that since it was Sunday the gas stations had closed at 7pm and that two cab companies were closed. Also, the restaurant was having an emergency. They were out of white wine!!! They located a cab to bring them wine and take me home. I did see an elderly couple that had to be the owners. He was very unhappy that someone had parked incorrectly and had blocked him in.
The restaurant came complete with two cats, two dogs although they stayed below the restaurant, many geckos chirping nearby and a few roosters crowing in the jungle somewhere.