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For visitors, islands are lands of great discovery and adventure.  More magical than continents and capable of turning ordinary experiences into memories.  They are places to wander in, to laugh in, to love in, and to refresh the spirit in, and like islands of a dream, you will certainly choose Ponape if you seek the adventure of a lifetime.

Located about midway between Honolulu and Manila. in the Federated States of Micronesia, Ponape is the greenest gem in the Eastern Carolines.  It is an enchanted fairyland shaped like a jagged circle and full of lush jungle. Waterfalls and mist-covered mountain peaks.  A coral-reef surrounds this island paradise, sliced here and there by emerald passages that linnk the calm lagoon with the open sea.

You will  not be the first visitor, of course, to seek adventure on Ponape.  Many have landed here in the past; some accidental, others just to have fun.  During the early 1800's, when the great whaling ships roamed around Micronesia, the island attracted a large colony of castaways and Robinson Crusoes.

Perhaps the most celebrated of these was James F 0 Connell, "The Tattooed Irishman." He came ashore here in 1828 after his ship was torn apart on the reef.  IT is life was miraculously spared by the native Ponapeans after he entertained them by dancing an Irish jig, Later he married the pretty daughter of a chief and was heavily Tattooed in the island tradition.  After he was rescued" in 1833, "The Tattooed Irish man" joined P.T. Barnum's traveling carnival and eventually wrote a famous book about his Ponapean experiences.

Unlike O'Connell, Bob and Patti Arthur came to Ponape on purpose.  They wanted to build a hotel here that would fit the times, the people.  The local economy-and above all-the romantic mood of Micronesia's most beautiful island.

Many people told them it couldn't be done.  Ponape would never be ready for tourists.  Their first-class island style hotel was too much of a dream.  "So what?", they replied.  "Let's give it a try."  Once they had looked the island over and consulted with the local chiefs, the Arthur's decided on a spot near the little village of Awak, five miles east of Kolonia, the district center.  The area had been long used for subsistence farming and copra production but the environment there remained virtually undisturbed.

Patti and Bob Arthur like to think of it as a dream come true.  That phrase may sound too sentimental to some, but that's exactly what happened, The Arthur's hung on for seven years; raising a family while they planned and built their unique hotel.  Finally, in early 1976, the Village-for that's what they called it-opened its doors.

It's hard to describe the Village in words.  Even to call it a hotel seems strange.  When you're a guest here, if feels like a home away from home.  You don't stay at a hotel when you visit Ponape, you stay with the Arthur's.

The Village itself, consists of individual cottages made out of local materials and constructed using timeless Ponapean carpentry techniques.  While the exterior would pass for an island chiefs house, the interiors are far from primitive.  Stepping inside, you'll be pleasantly surprised by the elegant bathrooms, oversized beds, white-wicker, furniture, whirling wooden fans and attractive island-print fabrics.

You wilt enjoy the Village's imaginative bar and restaurant complex, the largest thatched-roof structure in Micronesia.  It's called, naturally, "The Tattooedlrishman' in hnor of the legendary beachcomber who first introduced the outside world to Ponapean hospitality.

The Village Tours will take you to the ancient ruins of Nan Madol, a breathtaking waterfall and a leisure tour through the island.  Enjoy sunbathing, snorkeling or just total relaxation in Ponape's clear lagoons.  Beyond the Village, Ponape is still very m non like O'Connell found it over 150 years ago.  You can still witness tribal ceremonies. sip a narcotic drink that's pounded from the roots of the pepper plant, and get yourself tattooed.  If you can dance an Irish jig, you might even charm a chiefs daughter.

If you're interested  in seeing the sights, there's nothing quite like a visit to the stone fortress of Nan Madol, a prehistoric that was built by the ancient rulers of Ponape. This Pacific Venice" is approximately 65 acres in area lying upon a foundation of artificial islands separated by canals. The walls of this lost city comprised of massive basalt slabs, are visible today but their mysterious origins have never been satisfactorily explained.  O'Connell had to see Nan Madol by bribing an Islander to take him there Village tour.  The Village, Nan Madol and the spirit of "The Tattooed Irishman" are only three reasons why you will want to stay with the Arthur's in Ponape.  There's more but you'll have to find out for yourself.