Things to Do in Palikir
Coconut radio static, reef-cooled beer, decisions made under breadfruit trees
Top Things to Do in Palikir
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About Palikir
Palikir greets you with the wet slap of flip-flops on the causeway from Kolonia and the low hum of a single FM station drifting from tin-roofed kitchens. The capital of the Federated States of Micronesia is less a city than a loose string of villages, Palikir itself, Nett ridge, the administrative cluster around the College of Micronesia, where geckos click against plywood walls and the morning air already tastes of salt and fermenting betel nut.
Government offices in pastel concrete blocks sit uphill from the campus tennis courts where students trade reef fish for photocopies. The real commerce happens down at the dockside Nakas Market: five stalls selling canned sardines, green papaya, and reef fish so fresh its fins still twitch. All prices are in US dollars because this is Micronesia and that's how it works.
Three reef snapper for $5. A cold Pohnpei lager for $1.50. The downside is the pace, everything runs on island time. The National Museum might be locked on a Wednesday because the curator went spear fishing. The coastal road to Sokehs Rock can vanish under king tides that roll across the runway at Pohnpei International.
But sitting on the seawall at dusk, watching flying foxes cut black arcs against a sky that turns the exact color of bruised pineapple, you'll understand why people who come for a week end up extending their plane tickets twice.
Travel Tips
Transportation: There are exactly two taxis on Pohnpei. Both owned by cousins who might or might not answer their phones. Rent a car from Ace Hardware in Kolonia instead. $45 a day for a beat-up Corolla with reef scratches and a radio that only gets the coconut station. The circle-island road is 62 kilometers of potholes and sudden chickens. Allow two hours with stops at the Sokehs Bridge viewpoint. For local runs, flag down any pickup truck. Wave two fingers and they'll stop for $1 per person. Download the offline map app Maps.me before you land. Cell data costs $10 per 500MB and drops out entirely past Sekere village.
Money: Everything runs on US dollars. Bring small bills because the Bank of Guam ATM in Kolonia sometimes spits out $100s that no one can break. ATMs charge $5 per withdrawal and close at 4 PM sharp. Most places, including the roadside barbecue stands, take cash only. The College of Micronesia cafeteria accepts student meal cards. Exchange leftover bills at the airport before security. There's a tiny booth that converts USD into Yap stone money for novelty gifts. The stones obviously won't fit in your carry-on.
Cultural Respect: When you enter a nahs (traditional meeting house), sit cross-legged on the pandanus mats and wait to be invited to speak. Never walk through someone's taro patch, it takes seven years to grow and one misplaced foot to destroy. If offered sakau (kava), drink the entire coconut shell in one go. The muddy, peppery taste numbs your tongue for ten minutes. Sunday is church day. The entire island shuts down except for the Seventh Day Adventist bakery open from 6-8 PM for emergency cinnamon rolls.
Food Safety: The night market at Palikir's causeway serves reef fish grilled over coconut husks. Look for smoke curling up from oil drums, not the fluorescent-lit stalls that reheat yesterday's catch. Drink only bottled or boiled water. The tap water comes from rainwater catchment tanks that occasionally grow algae. The best poke bowls come from a woman named Maria. She sets up under the breadfruit tree by the college gate, $3 for raw tuna marinated in soy and lime, served in a Styrofoam cup with a plastic spoon. Avoid anything containing reef fish liver. Locals call the resulting food poisoning 'the Pohnpei flu' and it lasts exactly 48 hours.
When to Visit
January through March turns Palikir into a postcard. 85°F days, cooling trade winds, and water so clear you can see parrotfish nibbling coral from the causeway. This is peak season. Hotel rates jump 35% and the single flight from Honolulu fills with Peace Corps volunteers on leave. April brings the start of rainy season.
This doesn't mean drizzle but sudden 3 PM downpours that turn the airport road into a river. Rates drop 25% and you'll share Sokehs Rock with three other hikers instead of thirty. May to August runs hot and wet. 90°F with 95% humidity that makes your passport curl. This is when the mangoes ripen and fall splat on tin roofs all night long.
September through November is technically typhoon season. Pohnpei sits just south of the main storm track, expect two weeks of gray skies and $99 inter-island flights instead of the usual $200. December sees the return of the trade winds and the College of Micronesia's graduation ceremony. Families roast entire pigs in pits dug behind the tennis courts.
For surfers, November brings the best swells to P-Pass reef break. Budget travelers should aim for May or September. The Manta Road guesthouse drops from $80 to $50 and the owner throws in free use of his battered kayak.
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