Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia. Stop #5 on my little adventure last month.
About an hour after leaving Pohnpei, Chuuk appears. I’m sure there were many interesting atolls along the way, but clouds had other plans.
Chuuk is by far the most populous state in the Federated States of Micronesia, with roughly 50,000 people living on about 46 square miles. Most residents live around Chuuk Lagoon. Weno Island, located inside the lagoon, is the state capital and the country’s largest city. It’s about 7.2 square miles, rises to 1,215 feet at its highest point, and is home to the airport.
Much of Chuuk’s notoriety comes from World War II, when Truk Lagoon was Japan’s primary Pacific naval base—until the U.S. destroyed it in Operation Hailstone in 1944, leaving one of the world’s largest shipwreck graveyards beneath the lagoon.
Haven’t a clue what Chuuk does for a living. There are a couple of hotels and a lot of great wreck diving.
All of our landings were perfect. Except that it rained, we mostly couldn’t get off the plane, and I missed my flight to Tokyo—it was a great trip. I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.
If I weren’t so old, I’d go back and spend a few days on a couple of the islands.
A flight like none other comes to an end.
Whatever happened was what I planned.