9.17.2009

Traveler Magazine ranks Micronesian Outer Islands a "Paradise Found"




The remote Outer Islands of Yap, located in the Federated States of Micronesia, have been featured in the October 2009 issue of National Geographic Traveler magazine.

The article, focusing on the Ulithi Atoll, is titled "Way Out and Warmhearted." It characterizes the four inhabited Ulithian islands (Falalop, Asor, Mogmog, and Federai) as "strong[ly] traditional," and home to "clear waters rife with life."

Traveler's profile of the the Outer Islands of Yap is part of that magazine's 25 anniversary feature "50 Places of a Lifetime."

Neil Mellen, the author, explains:
Life on this paradise has its inequities and struggles, but people are warmhearted and friendly, and they willingly share their natural bounty. Sitting communally as the sun set, passing a cup of tuba and contributing my own stories, I realized that around this drinking circle the kindness of the Outer Island people shines the brightest.
Mellen, a former Peace Corps Volunteer who served on Falalop and Asor, Ulithi, is a Director of the Habele Outer Island Education Fund, a charity serving students in Micronesia.