First thing in the morning I got on the phone and tried to change my ticket to Guam to go via a stopover in Chuuk. The problem is there are no seats available between Chuuk and Guam. The frustrating thing is that I already have a seat on that flight (my current ticket is from Pohnpei to Guam via Chuuk), but I can't save just the one leg. Stacy and I spent some times discussing a plan - basically we're going to Kolonia (actually Ou - The Village) tonight, and we'll try the airline office on our way to Black Coral Island tomorrow morning - maybe they won't be able to say no to me in person, besides I need to confirm my ticket anyway. We also have the option of spending another night on Black Coral if we decide one isn't enough. Before lunch I helped Stacy move out of the house she's been house sitting - they're not due back until Sunday, but if we stay an extra night on Black Coral we wouldn't be back early enough to do it then. In the afternoon I checked email, did laundry, and packed.
We were planning to leave at 1:30, but somehow it was 2:30 by the time we left PATS. Nicole caught a ride with us as she is heading on to Koseri tomorrow. We'd planned on stopping at a couple waterfalls on our way in to town, but somehow we managed to miss all but the last one. Pahntakai Cave Waterfall was very cool. It's a very high volcanic grotto with a misty narrow shower falling across the center. It's spectacular for the falls, the view of the coast, and the incredible contrast between the bare volcanic rock of the grotto and the lush growth of the surrounding rainforest. Nicole wanted to buy some souvenirs so In Kolonia we went back to the carver Stacy, Corinne, and I had visited a few days after I first arrived. His studio was very disappointing - there was hardly anything there and the pieces he was working on more than two weeks ago hadn't been touched. I'd been curious to see the turtle cribbage boards he was working on last time I was there - he offered to finish one for me in the next three days, but one the price was more than I expected ($65), and also I wasn't confident he would finish it. We tried some other carvers in the village and I ended up finding a very cool and very expensive whale cribbage board. I negotiated the price down quite a bit, and then decide to think about it while out a Black Coral. We decided to have diner before going to the Village. We tried three restaurants but all of them were closed and we ended up at a bar for pretty good burgers and a great view over the water with Sokhes ridge looming in the darkness and of the occasional rain squall and lightning show. At the Village we stored our dive gear, took turns showering (hot water!), and then went up to the bar for a beer. After one drink we felt guilty for keeping the bartenders at work so we went back to the room and I sat up late with Nicole drinking beers from our ice chest and talking.
