Sakau it to me

6/26

Nan Modol

This Sunday we visited Nan Madol some historic ruins on Pohnpei. These structures were built by the first settlers of Pohnpei and was the first religious and political center on the Island. They were made out of massive basalt stones piles to form large rectangular buildings. The walls in some places were 10-15 meters in height and the stones were huge. Similar to the Pyramids the mystery of how these stones were put in place is still in question. The stones had to be moved from quarries and then lifted into place with no cranes or mechanized equipment. The structure is still impressive to this day. Archaeologists date the construction, building, and use of Nan Modol from 500 A.D to the mid 1500's. The ruins were quite breathtaking and really made you think. Mostly just how did these people manage to build this. There was even a Sakau stone which they used to pound Sakau. This is part of the reason Sakau is such a spiritual and ritual experience because it has been part of Pohnpeian culture for so long. There are many myths and legends that surround Nan Madol some say it was modeled after an underwater city that lies offshore. The locals believe that two sharks guard this city to stop people from visiting it. Wayne said he had an Australian friend that tried to dive it, and two hammerhead sharks scared them off. The smaller of the two approached them and brushed up against the diver cutting his wet suit. Perhaps there is some truth to the locals superstitions and legends it was enough to keep me out of the water there. The visit to Nan Modol was very interesting and brought me closer to Pohnpeian culture it is a very impressive structure and a humbling experience.

Sayuri at the base of the largest wall of Nan Madol

Field 6/27 to 6/23

Compared to our first trek into the field this trek was like a walk in the park. For one we were not bush-waking through dense jungle. We still followed the same schedule hiking up to the site on Monday spending two days at the first site sampling upper and lower parts of the same stream. Wednesday we hiked to the second site did our work there and Thursday we came down. This time we hiked to the Sakau farms and we were looking at the stream biodiversity there. We still hiked up to around 500 meters and it was very sad to see the impact the farms have had. The locals simply clear out the forest around the stream and then plant it. We are trying to determine what kind of impact this has on the streams and the surrounding plant biodiversity. This is why we look at upper sites that are not farmed as well as farmed sites so we can then compare them. We look at everything from the critters in the streams to the nutrients in the water. The jungle was much less dense and there were trails all the way to our sites. We were also rewarded with some breathtaking vistas of the Pacific on our way up. At our camp there was even a hut and latrines we were able to use. This was really nice. Even our meals improved.

The first night there we had BBQ turkey tail and Turkey tail Ramen. These were both delicious mostly because they were hot. However, after that it was back to tuna, kim chi, Nori, and canned spaghetti all mixed together cold and served with warm rice. I found that if you pack the food in between warm rice you can kinda heat it up, but other than that its cold. The second night there Emos and Castino pounded Sakau fresh and we had some of that. The whole process of making Sakau is interesting to watch and it is even more interesting when you think this is how it has been done since people first settled here in Pohnpei. First they take the root and pound it till it is a fine mash. Water is added to the mash to make it moist. Once the root is mashed they take strips of bark from the Hibiscus tree and tie them together at the top. They then take the pounded root and place it into the strips of Hibiscus. The Hibiscus is then rolled around the pounded root resembling a giant joint. Then they twist the joint like one would ring out a wet shirt squeezing the juice out of the root. This brown liquid is collected filtered to remove the large particles and then drank. Drinking Sakau is still a very spiritual and ritualistic event. The first cup is always given to the person with the highest title or to the guest. After the first cup goes around then it is simply passed in a circle. Drinking the Sakau clears your mind and creates a euphoric, and numbing sensation throughout the body. I had a very good sleep that night from the Sakau because of this. However, the Sakau also gives you what the locals call Sakau legs. I had the pleasure of experiencing this when I got up to pee at night. Your not drunk and your mind is clear but your legs are like noodles under you body. You can not control them standing, and walking become very difficult. I had to grab a walking stick to walk the ten feet from the hut to the bush that I urinated on and I almost fell twice. It was a very interesting night and it was fun to drink Sakau with everyone, however the next morning was not.

Being hungover from Sakau is not like anything else I have experienced. Your body feels weak and you have a slight headache. I forced Ramen soup down my throat because I knew I had to eat, and was dreaded the hike ahead of us to our next site. However, once we started hiking I began to feel better the locals say that you have to sweat out the Sakau the next morning and it will not be so bad. They were right although the beginning was rough once I got moving I was fine. It was about a two hour hike to the next site but again we were mostly on trails and I was able to manage. A couple of the uphills were a little difficult, but other than that I was fine. It rained on our hike over to the second site on Wednesday. Rain is almost welcomed when hiking though because it cools you off. However, it does delay our work.

When we got to the second site there was another hut for us to stay in and we set up camp. We had to wait to begin looking at the stream because the rain had increased its flow making visual surveys impossible. This was good though because it gave me the opportunity to take a nap and recover. When I woke up it was time to set up the stream transect which was done with ease and excitement because this was the last one. We finished our work so early that on Thursday all we had to do was wait till noon so we could pull the sensors from the stream because they have to be in for 24hrs. We passed the time by telling riddles and eating Jungle birds that the locals shot. They were actually pretty tasty sort of like a gamy chicken. The hike down was relatively easy and it was nice and sunny. The only problem was that the storms Thursday morning and the Day before had flooded most of the trail. This however, is really no problem after a few days in the jungle you get used to being wet most of the time. Eventually you do not even realize that you are hiking is wet boots. When we got down we had lunch at Emos's our guides house. We had grilled turkey tail, grilled breadfruit, and rice. It was all really tasty especially after a few meals of cold tuna, kim chi, and nori. It is interesting to see how many of the people on this island live. Most of them live in homes that are little more than a few huts most of the living space is outside. Eating spaces are usually under thatched roofed huts. Lunch was still really good, and after that we headed back into to town.

After 4 days in the jungle a hot shower and a beer are most refreshing and a hot dinner even better, but the best is sleeping in a comfortable bed. Its Friday here now and I am debating going diving again this weekend, but I have not decided yet. I also found out today that we will not be going into the field till Tuesday so I am looking forward to a long weekend. Other than that everything is good here I am hoping to go out this weekend with Alfonso and Castino two of the interns and check out the local scene. Hope everyone is well state side I will keep in touch.