For months now we have been talking about taking a family trip to Nahlap. We went during Christmas break for the day, but everyone really wanted to go back for an overnight trip. After falling through during the Easter break, we finally were able to go this past weekend. I'm so glad it worked out!
On Friday afternoon we got Jay Jay excused from school (for this very important event, haha) and 12 of us and all of our stuff piled into a small truck bound for Kitti.
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| Squeeze! |
Friends and neighbors all joined in the trip. It made it even more exciting because it was the first time to Nahlap for many of them and certainly the first time to spend the night on the island.
As soon as we set foot on the island, the kids immediately took off to jump in the water. They were not going to waste any time! While they played we got everything settled to secure our cabins for the night. We got two cabins since we were told that they sleep 6 people each. I'll let you be the judge of whether or not 6 people can comfortably stay in these.
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| Cabin 6 & 7 |
So they're a little smaller than we expected, but we didn't care one bit. Who needs sleep anyway? We're on the island and we're gonna have a great time!
Half the fun of doing an overnight is the barbequing. Maryanna immediately got the chicken in the marinade, the boys got a good fire going, and the first of many pots of rice was put on to boil.
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| Our cooking hut |
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| There's breadfruit cooking in there for me! |
While they did the cooking I headed off to see all the fun going on by the slide.
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| Jay's going down the slide for the first time! |
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| Oh wait, maybe not |
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| Maybe I'll just scoot back up ;) |
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| Beautiful girls and great friends |
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| I love being on the ocean! |
After some tasty BBQ chicken, Melody and I found a nice spot to see the sunset. It's always beautiful over the ocean. While we waited for the sun to make its descent, Melody taught me how to make a local platter. I was so excited to finally learn how to do one of these!
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| First, find a good palm branch |
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| Cut it down to size |
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| Weave and braid |
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| And you have yourself a platter! |
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| My excellent teacher! |
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| Beautiful |
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| Amazing colors |
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The clouds blocked the sun, but they add their
own uniqueness to the sunset |
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| "The heavens declare the glory of God!" |
As the darkness set it we headed to the cabins for some music, dancing, and good old card games - Uno, Crazy 8's, Speed. All of that held us over until it was...
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| S'more time!!! |
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| Nice roasting Dira! |
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| Maryanna definitely goes for the catch-it-on-fire technique |
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| So she doesn't have to wait long for the chocolate and eating :) |
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| I love having s'mores with Jay-Jay |
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| and Melody |
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| We are... |
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| ...s'more... |
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| ...monsters!!! |
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| Give me s'more! |
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| S'more first-timers and loving it! |
The night passed; some slept and some did not. But the next morning brought the opportunity to watch the sunrise over the main island.
What's for breakfast on a Pohnpeian overnight trip?
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| Dohnas (donuts) dipped in sweetened condensed milk, of course! |
Melody and I decided to take a morning stroll around the island because there is a path around the outer edge. Along the way we made a friend. Meet Robby!
Robby became our travel companion. Melody had great talks with him.
He traveled the rest of the way with us, checking out all of the sights.
He eventually made it back with us to meet the rest of the group. By that point we decided that we had become too good of friends to eat him (as we had originally planned). So we decided to have mercy on him and set him free in the mangroves. Robby lives! Now time for some more swimming!
We took a short break for another barbeque - chicken and pot of rice #3 :) I also practice my platter making skills so that we could put them to use at lunch!
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| Maryanna was being goofy |
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| Dalia was taking a rest |
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| while Kulian slaved over the fire |
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| along with Melody |
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| and I did some basket weaving |
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| My collection - they come in a variety of sizes and colors :) |
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| Perfect for my delicious food! |
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| There's something special about food fresh off the BBQ fire |
After a short break, it was time for some more fun in the sun!
Everyone was having such a great time it was hard to get them out of the water. I think they would have stayed out there all night if given the chance. I think it's safe to say everyone had a great time and it was all we hoped it would be. I'm so thankful for the time I got to spend out there with my Pohnpeian family and friends. Trips like this always bring memories to cherish forever!
