Yap trip, february-march 06

ok here's the situation:

having perused air mike's schedules and my travel plans i can probably find myself in yap between 22feb (arrival in the evening on the flight from mnl) and depart yap on 8mar (the 845am mnl flight).

now i'd like to maximise what i do out there, but on the other hand i don't want to waste too much time on the inter island travelling and hence non diving, so i am turning to you experienced micronesia travellers and inhabitants for suggestions on an itinerary.

is 10 days in yap too much? (is there such a thing )

i will be going back so it's no as if i have to do everything this one time.

thanks in advance for all your help and suggestions.

/paul

Hi Paul,

I have been here for a year if that helps...

10 days is a good number. Most people from Europe do a week here and a week in Palau.

Nice thing about 10 days as a photographer is you will get a ton of chances with the mantas. Viz and action will change a lot over 10 days so that will really up your chances for the perfect day. That is also the best time to be here, peak mating season. (You might even meet 3 WPers, not sure when Boi is leaving)

well if can get accomodation to fit into all this (am exchanging emails with bernard right ), then you can add another wpers to the list ...

hope to see you soon

/paul

Paul

For me 10 days on Yap alone is too long... but I've been a few times :-)

I'd stretch out to Ulithi if you can. It's a little more developed now, I would think.

not really, Ulithi shop not gettin much business, last time i was there the hotel was closed....

However, would be nice if you could get them to open the hotel. I haven't actually been diving there. Not sure if they open it for just 1 or 2 people but they might.

Keep in mind Drew, that is peak mating season...depends on if you get sick of mantas or not. I don't....

But after 7 days you may want more variety, and then hop to Palau

(See that!? i am not biased at all )

Hi Mike,

I was looking through my old mini dv tapes and found my Yap trip..Fantastic, good memories.

There was a girl there who was a guide and dating a mexican or spanish bloke..Quite fit as I remember..and they were just renovating an old Thai fishing boat to be used as a restaurant..?

Anyway your a lucky bloke..

Dive safe

DeanB

That would be Olga....

Indonesian boat...

She is quite fit, no longer here though...

sigh....

Keep in mind Drew, that is peak mating season...depends on if you get sick of mantas or not. I don't....

i LOVE mantas and have been deprived of them for quite some time now

but i will look into spending a few days in palau as well.

thanks for all the input guys... now for time to go by quickly

see you over there Mike

/paul

paul, you will not be the only frenchy (right?) around yap!

bring us cheese and wine, yummi

mel

not really, Ulithi shop not gettin much business, last time i was there the hotel was closed....

 

However, would be nice if you could get them to open the hotel.  I haven't actually been diving there.  Not sure if they open it for just 1 or 2 people but they might.

 

Keep in mind Drew, that is peak mating season...depends on if you get sick of mantas or not.  I don't....

 

But after 7 days you may want more variety, and then hop to Palau

 

(See that!?  i am not biased at all )

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well that's just it... I'm so over mantas really, unless there are like 60 of them in squadron formation. I wish I weren't but I am. I think Sangalaki and Yap pushed me over the edge

It's a pity Ulithi closed down. When I was there, the hotel wasn't a hotel. Just a shack but this was in 98 or 97. The diving was better than around Yap esp the black corals. Hell it was just different.

Olga (dutch) and Alberto? I'd forgotten about their boat. So where are they now?

Btw I sorta was more partial to Trudy who was before Olga.

Yea but Jeff woulda kicked yer butt!!!

Luckily for Paul he should be here when they are 20 or so strong in formation...

The boat i was talking about is the Mnuw (our bar/restaurant)

Olga and Alberto are in Indo now, on one of the Komodo liveaboards...can't remember which one off the top of my head...Kararu i think

When was the last time you were here? And were you ever on Palau Aggressor?

There was a Spanish guy operating a Pinisi from Maumere in Flores a few months ago -the name of the boat escapes me.

I saw them in both Flores and Alor last October.

I recall that the stewardess's on our boat were pretty excited about this guy............

Peter

paul, you will not be the only frenchy (right?) around yap!

bring us cheese and wine, yummi 

mel

mel, i'll try and do that but if i get to yap, i will have been travelling for 3 weeks already, so not sure if there will be any wine left

i will try and get some in SIN or MNL on the way over...

now as to me being french well not really, but i have called the south of france home for the past 30 years though...

looking forward to meeting you all out there...

/paul

Yea but Jeff woulda kicked yer butt!!! 

 

Luckily for Paul he should be here when they are 20 or so strong in formation...

 

The boat i was talking about is the Mnuw (our bar/restaurant)

 

Olga and Alberto are in Indo now, on one of the Komodo liveaboards...can't remember which one off the top of my head...Kararu i think

 

When was the last time you were here?  And were you ever on Palau Aggressor?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

yeah they are! I actually saw them in Bali...doh!

The last time I was in Yap was 2000. I was finished with the mantas and the Air Mike plane broke down so I flew over to Ulithi. Had to extend my visa and everything. Never been on the Palau Aggressor...just the Galapagos and Cocos ones. and never again!

Paul, buy the wine in SIngapore. MNL sucks for choice unless you go out of the airport.

I had the big chance to be in Yap, but unfortunately, I could't stay more than three days and that was really too short. Even than the life in Yap is going much slower than in the crowded city where I live, I would enjoy to be there again and stay one more week or ten days. Diving is wonderful over there, especially in the manta's mating period. And you will be exactly at the good time!

You may read a short article I've written about my trip in Yap. Here's the link: http://www.braunstein.co.il/articles.asp?id=8

Have fun!

Michel