Most people travel to the Islands of Yap for the great diving. It is known as the Manta Ray capitol of the world, with a renowned diving facility Manta Ray Bay. Although I am a diver I chose not to dive on this 15 day excursion, my photographic trophies if any, were going to be above the water. This proved to be a difficult task. The people of Yap cling to their ancient traditions and customs more than any island in the central pacific. One custom all of us would envy is that they believe in the privacy of the individual. so much so that the old paths made of stone connecting one village to another are not placed evenly, making it easy to stumble and forcing a traveler to keep their eyes downward on the path rather than looking upon their neighbors houses. Upon arrival I was informed because of this value of privacy I could not photograph any land or people on Yap without their permission. This obstacle would turn into the photographs of a lifetime, I’ll detail in another post. One place photographs were unrestricted was at the traditional dances held one a week in a traditional village if … a big if, there were enough paying customers to make it worth while. The first week I was on Yap there were not enough tourists and the dancing did not take place. The second week there were 8 of us, which was enough and we were taken to a remote village and experienced the hospitality and the dancers of Yap. I found this moment as young dancers were preparing. Boys will be boys in any culture.
Lee
