A week at sea and we arrived at a amazing lagoon teaming with the best underwater wildlife the pacific has to offer; Sharks, sea turtles, Spotted Eagle rays, Puffer fish, Large bump head and grouper fish, lobster and pristine coral. The Island currently occupied by four individuals, the Chief two teenage boys Lionel and Larson and Dixon a large effeminate male who fell in love with a few of the male crew. At one point Dixon blurted that he was going home and that "YOU (Ralph was to) COME!"
We shared a wonderful pasta dinner with Lionel and Larson we were informed that there was another dinner to come which consisted of 12 boiled lobsters. WOW what a treat! Of course we had a renewed appetite. What a lovely night spent enjoying each others company. It is a basic life consisting of weaving baskets (a famous trade of Kapingamarangi Atoll which populate this Island) collecting bread fruit, copra, (cocoanut used for trade) water run off, and bringing up pigs and green sea turtles, spear fishing in the lagoon.
The Lagoon itself is many miles in radius in comparison to the Island that spans a couple hundred feet. Discovered by Japanese and Maintains by the Islanders since the 60's the island has flooded under the stewardship of the native Kapingamarangi but is not attributed to global warming nor has any of the residents heard of the term "global warming" The people are quite content with this lifestyle with out the modern comforts of electricity, plumbing and local amenities. In fact accounts meeting Islanders now living in larger centers come to find opportunities pine for the comforts of simple Island life.
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