Pohnpei, Part 3: Liduhduhniap Falls

(Note to those who weren't with me on Pohnpei in 1988.  You are welcome to listen in, but I am writing mainly for my fellow teachers, myself, and my family.  There will be some things you won't understand.  Just skim those parts, if you wish.)

We stayed in this lovely building.  I think it used to be painted blue.  The lower floor used to be Mr. Quail's house.  The lower left apartment was Mr. Keith's.  Remember him?  The maintenance man?  We stayed in his apartment.  The building is still in good condition, but the cupboards and cabinets need help.  The particle board has swelled after all these years, and the drawers no longer work.  The building behind "Mr. Quail's place" is a cafeteria on the ground floor with  girls housing up above.  The boys are in the building that the nice Philippino lady, I think her name was Ramie, who taught typing lived in.  And there are a couple guys in the apartment in the top left of the elementary building.  I think that is where Marc and Byard lived.

Here is all that is left of the duplex that Lori, Neta, Heather, and Kris and I lived in, just inside the gate, under the mango tree.  The foundation is still there, and some of that lovely blue tile from our showers.  It must have really been glued on well.  

The school has some unique forms of transportation.  This is just one of them.  I am guessing this is some kind of Japanese truck for construction workers.  I think the bed even raises.  It has a crew cab, and lots of room in the back

 It is now against the rules on the island to sit on the edge of the back of the pickup while travelling down the road.  You have to be down inside, sitting on the bed of the truck.  There must have been enough brain injuries from people jolting out on all the bouncy roads for them to add a tiny bit of safety requirements.  It really is amazing that all the SMs who have travelled in the back of a pickups over the years made it home, spine intact.

Now, some of you will be interested to know that we were not the only visitors at Pohnpei SDA School.  I was very surprised to greet a friend from college days, and fellow staff member from Sunset Lake Camp, Pastor Bill Roberts.  He was there, with a couple nice academy students, and a friend, Ken, giving week of prayer talks for the school and church.   Bill had been a teacher on Pohnpei in 1986-87.   They were headed out to jump off a waterfall, and we were all glad to go along.  Frankie was our driver and guide.

 Liduhduhniap Falls, not that far from Kolonia, was our destination.

It was just amazing to be there.  Memories surfaced of other people jumping off these very falls.  This is a view of the upper falls that people jump from.  There is a lower falls a little farther down the trail with a large pool to swim in under the falls.  Kris, didn't you take your students there for some kind of class party?  It seems like a large group of us walked here from the back side of the school one time.  That's what I loved!  Hiking through the jungle.  You couldn't get me to jump off of anything back then, and you still can't now, but I love getting there and watching everyone else jump.  I can't get enough of the beauty of the jungle.  I'm still in awe of tree ferns and ginger plants, and water pouring over the edge of the rocks.

 

 Do any of your remember when we hiked back behind the school one day, and found a hidden falls we had never heard of?  I don't think we were really supposed to be there, as it was part of a protected watershed area.  It was like we were in the Garden of Eden.  Rain started pouring, warm rain, and we loved it.  Longings for heaven haven't subsided since then.

 I still haven't gone as far into the jungle as I'd like to go.  I'd love to see what it looks like up in those mountains in the center of the island.  I hear that the temperature changes, and so does the foliage and the birds.   I am hoping that next time I get to Pohnpei that I get to go on an inner island jungle stomp. 

The hike to the lower falls was beautiful, and yes, slippery.  But even Ken, Bill's friend, who had recently had brain surgery made it there and back safely.

 The water was refreshing, not chilling.

 What a great privilege to take my kids to a place like this.  Pohnpei is amazing.