One of the most astounding sites in all of Micronesia is Nan Madol in Pohnpei. These structures were constructed by ancient people with basalt logs that were transported from another site to the southern aspect of Pohnpei. There are many dozens of islets in fine condition that one can motor their dinghy through. These are every bit as fabulous as Ankor Wat in Cambodia or the pyramids of Mexico and South America. It's just amazing that we know very little about this "Venice of the Pacific."

Three couples of us yachties hired a local guide to take us down to the ruins of Nan Madol. The big cliff behind the driver's head is where the big basalt logs came from. It's also very hear where our boat is anchored.

As we approached the islands the water got very shallow and beautiful. This trip would not have been a good one with either our dinghy or Quest.

You see how big these walls are! They were built between 500 and 1450 A.D. by the Saudeleur Dynasty.

I just want to show you some more shots of this spectacular archeological site.

These basalt (rock) logs are hexagonal or pentagonal in shape. Sometimes just very large rocks are used for the construction.

We traveled around a lot of the almost 100 islands. We were in awe of the tremendous effort that it took to build this site.

Pohnpei is a very beautiful island, surrounded by a fringing reef. We traveled within the reef for a shorter and safer trip to the southern part of the island.

Our anchorage was very near the great stone prominence on the left. It's a spectacular view and is thought to be the site where the basalt logs were gathered and floated on bamboo rafts down to build Nan Madol in the south eastern part of the island.