Located about halfway between Hawaii and Australia in eastern Micronesia, the Republic of Marshall islands(RMI) is one of two countries in the world made up entirely of low-lying coral atolls and is also among the world’s least-visited countries. The Islands were once a major battlefield during WW2, before becoming an American colony and eventually getting a semblance of independence in 1986 through the Compact of Free Association, which means the USA still acts like its big brother.
Majuro is the capital island of the Marshall Islands and everybody enters via there unless you are a member or relative of somebody in the U.S. military in which case you can enter at Kwajalein. So we chose to explore Majuro.
A little bit of History
During World War II, when the country served as a Japanese base, Allied forces bombed the outer islands for 75 straight days. After the heavy fighting- like in the other parts of the Pacific - the Marshall Islands were taken over by the United States as a part of UN ‘Strategic Trust’. From 1946 to 1954, the US conducted 67 nuclear tests in, above and around the Bikini Atoll - the reconciliation of which remains an sensitive issue between the Republic of Marshall Islands and US even today. On the dark and sobering side of this history - the 67 atomic bombs detonated were roughly the equivalent of 1.6 Hiroshima's a day for 12 years!
On the lighter side, Marshal Islands has also contributed to the Fashion industry in its own way. While the two-piece swimsuit as a design existed in classical antiquity, the modern design first attracted public notice in Paris on July 5, 1946 when French mechanical engineer Louis Réard introduced a design he named the "bikini", taking the name from the Bikini Atoll (which is part of the Marshall Islands). This was supposedly because, four days earlier, the United States had initiated its first peace-time nuclear weapons test at Bikini Atoll. Réard hoped his swimsuit's revealing style would create an "explosive commercial and cultural reaction" similar to the explosion at Bikini Atoll!
Arrival into Majuro
The first glimpse of the island I got to see - as the flight made its final descent towards the Majuro airport - was a wavering line of sand and palm trees ringed by Vibrant turquoise reefs. It was as spectacular as the descent into Tarawa (in Kiribati) but with its own character.
If Kiribati was a mild headache in terms of Arrival experience, the RMI Immigration experience at Majuro was a nightmare of a Migraine! The entire set of passengers exiting at Majuro from a Boeing 737 were processed through a single counter and by a very slow Immigration officer. And that was so tantalising considering we already got a taste of whats in store outside, through the gorgeous views we got from the flight window! It took around 70 minutes for us to exit after queuing up at the counter. But the, its hardships like these that make a visit to an off-the-radar destination like this even more exciting - in retrospect of course :-)
What a welcome sight!
The pain from the immigration queue was very quickly erased by the spectacular sight we were treated to as soon as we exited the arrivals lounge. The picture below would do more justice than whatever phrases I might try to use to describe the scene. If a Taxi drop off zone of an airport can look like this, then I just cant wait to explore the rest of this island!
Checking In
While the fact that the Republic of the Marshall Islands is among the world’s least-visited countries presents boundless opportunities for cultural immersion, it also translates to a dearth of restaurants and infrastructure: even the “big city” of Majuro has just two hotels. We chose the Hotel Robert Reimers over the only other good option called Marshall Islands Resort, since it seemed less plastic and dated from the limited number of pictures available to view online. But what we were not prepared for, was a lovely thatched-roof waterfront bungalow, that made the stay even more romantic and rewarded us with stunning views of the sunset and glittering ocean - right from our balcony!
Meal with a Million Dollar View
After checking in, we took a cheap $0.75 shared ride(in one of the taxis that frequently flow through the main arterial road) to Marshall Islands resort , as we figured out that might the only option for a waterfront dining with a view. Surprisingly (or not so surprisingly) none of the hotel staff at RRE hotel (or other folks we spoke to) seemed to be aware of any place with a waterfront dining option. W had to do our own research in Google and made the call based on a few traveller images that caught our attention. And boy oh boy, were we surprised to find out what waited for us at the restaurant! I will let the picture below do the talking.
Drink with a Devilish Sunset
As the sun went down, of course it was time for a cold one and in this island we decided to get a little bit more creative and do something out of the ordinary. So we took a taxi to this sweet spot near this shack called “Yummy Barbecue” (on the road to Marshall islands resort) and found ourselves a lovely rock next to the Boat launchpad to park ourselves. And for the drink, we just dropped into the gas station right across the road and picked up a few cold Budweiser’s (Note: you are in an island where Budweiser is really crowned as the king of beers and dont have much of a choice unless you are ready to hit the Hangar dive bar at the airport!). The experience was so different and local that it was one of most tranquil sunsets we have experienced in our travels. Absolute Zen!
A Quiet Drink with a Loud View
Talking about tranquility, we couldn't just stop with one sundowner in an island - that was such a thin strip of land - where you could easily hop across the road to the other direction and see a different range of colours on the cloud canvas. There are not many beach destinations in the world where you can checkout the loud colours of sunset in both the east and west horizons. That is how flat this atoll is - no hills, mountains or any kind of elevated constructions!
The sad part of this session was that what could have been a visually arresting sight had gotten completely polluted by the loads of garbage and trash that the pristine sandy beach had been smothered with - almost in a way of insulting mother nature instead of worshipping her for shaping their livelihood. It was heartbreaking to see how the locals were not celebrating, cherishing and protecting what they have been blessed with unlike another western nation where a beach like this would have been treated like the city’s priceless bank balance - and loaded with lovely bars, cafes and restaurants. But then, probably thats what makes Marshall Islands stand apart from a place like Martinique - in the wrong fashion!
Go before the islands become uninhabitable
Of course there is a lot more to do in the Islands and you can even do a day trip to Eneko Island - which can be arranged by RRE hotel if you are staying there. And also some more locally arranged tours to check out the relics from World War - II. The important thing is, reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that global sea levels will rise between 26 and 98 centimetres (10 and 38 inches) by the year 2100, and some scientists consider that conservative. Either way, it’s conceivable that the entire population of the Marshall Islands—some 80,000 people whose language, traditions and cuisine are inextricably tied to these atolls—may soon be forced to leave their home. Go now, and help their culture live on.
Comments