EVS-Islands

This atoll seems like the place where one could leave this busy world behind.  About 200 hardy souls live on the main island of Pingelap.  The other two islands, Tugulu and Takai, are uninhabited.  The main island has a large area dedicated to taro farming.  The main island also has mangrove growth.  Besides taro, I am sure they cultivate coconut.  As all Pacific Islander do, the inhabitants derive much of their sustenance from the sea.

There is a lengthy article, written in 1998, entitled Micronesian Diary-Pingelap.  Written by Dr Felicia Beardsley during a visit to Micronesia, she speaks of a trip to the atoll and of her extensive exploration of it.  Wikipedia has an article about the main island of Pohnpei.  This article cites a book by Oliver Saks that discusses color blindness on Pingelap Atoll.  Seems this happens when you have a small gene pool to draw from.

Yes, this atoll seems like the perfect place to leave our hectic world behind.  I wonder if the folks on this atoll are concerned with high gasoline prices or about the consequences of a tumultuous Middle East.  I would hope that the burning topic of the day is whether to fish or cut bait.  If I were there, I would walk about and see what I could see.  After a few hours and numerous dips in the ocean to cool off, I would string up my hammock, cover it with a mosquito net, read for five-minutes before falling asleep.

Enjoy!

Posted by Mr Minton on Sunday, September 17, 2006 at 9/17/2006 08:01:00 AM | Permalink