Hey! Surprise! I’m Back!

Posted on September 23, 2012 by Katrina

Hi Folks!

I’m so sorry that I’ve been AWOL for the last couple of months. Life has been busy and frantic.

Sonya Koshuta of S K Design in New York was kind enough to send me her experience in purchasing the Star Alliance Micronesia Airpass and I thought that her info might help some of you.
—————————————————————-
From Sonya:

Hello there!

Your site greatly helped me!

After being transferred thru 5 desks and too many people via UNITED AIRLINES yesterday on the phone, I was able to reach the “Alliance” desk.

As of 9/19/12, the Micronesia Air Pass still exists and the way it is priced is via what cities you plan to go through.  I understand these prices to be cheaper than what you would normally pay if you booked on your own, but in order to get the cheapest route, you do not want to back-track through 2 zones at a time.

There is no base price to pay for the pass, but you just have to know it exists.

There is a 3 days stay minimum at each stop-over, and you must complete at least 2 stop-overs in order to get the discounted fares.  I believe that you can “start” at any of the airports they service with the Micronesia pass, however they do include Tokyo as a starting point…

Additionally, you might want to know that you can only buy the airpass discounted fares following the purchase of a round-trip ticket to one of the origin cities, using award miles or money on a Star Alliance / United partner….

Best,
Sonya
::::::::::::::::::::::
sonya koshuta
S K  DE S I G N
p 646 245 7916
—————————————————————————————-

I hope this is useful!
Cheers,
Katrina

 
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New Kosrae Island Video!

Posted on July 27, 2012 by Katrina

The Kosrae Chamber of Commerce (http://www.kosraechamberofcommerce.org) has produced a great promotional video for Kosrae Island.

You can view or download the video here: http://vimeo.com/39022220

Enjoy!
Katrina

 
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Wildlife R Us!

Posted on June 9, 2012 by Katrina

We’ve got a great young family staying in one of the cottages close to the restaurant and the other night Mom came rushing over, totally excited because of a huge crab they were watching. I went over to check it out and saw that it was a young coconut crab, which is terrific news!

We’ve been trying to establish this area as a coconut crab sanctuary (they are VERY tasty, equally slow growing, and pretty endangered on Kosrae) and now that we are beginning to get sightings of young crabs, it looks like our effort is beginning to pay off. Here are some photos:

Young Coconut Crab at Kosrae Village, Micronesia

Young Coconut Crab

I don’t know if you can see it, but the crab is just starting to develop the blue color on it’s body that will be very distinctive when it is fully grown. This guy is pretty little – if he was all stretched out he might be 12 or 15 inches from one foot to the other.

 

Young Coconut Crab at Kosrae Village, Micronesia

Young Coconut Crab

 

 

 

And wait – we aren’t done!

Last night they thought someone was playing pranks by throwing pebbles up on their roof. So early this morning when they went to see what was going on, they saw at least eight (yes, EIGHT!) huge fruit bats (our fruit bats or flying foxes are really big) feasting in the trees over the cottage – and dropping small fruits on the roof as they were eating breakfast.

I think that everywhere, all of the time, amazing things are happening all around us. We just have to look.

Cheers!
Katrina

 
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Salmon!

Posted on June 7, 2012 by Katrina

Well, no maybe not in Micronesia. :)

Those of you who know me, or who have been reading this blog for a while, know that a couple of years ago I revisited my roots. I went commercial salmon fishing in Alaska with my sister Liz. And (barely) lived to tell the tale.

Right now, I’m here in Kosrae where it is warm and snuggly, but Liz is back in Naknek  for this year’s fishing season – where it might not be so warm!

You might also remember my post about the proposed Pebble  Mine, right smack in the middle of the prime salmon spawning grounds, and the associated controversy. Yesterday, or maybe the day before, the EPA held a hearing in Naknek to present their findings re the proposed mine and also to collect testimony from various stakeholders.

Liz posted an account of the hearing here http://naknekseafood.blogspot.com/. Check it out, it is informative and interesting reading. And if you care about this issue, she lists various ways to make your thoughts known.

Liz normally writes everyday during the season, and I always read her posts – she’s funny, insightful and writes well, and she’s my sister. :)

Where do I stand on the Pebble Mine issue? Guess. NO Pebble Mine!

Cheers,

Katrina

 

 
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Micronesia Airpass Secrets

Posted on May 5, 2012 by Katrina

Those of you who have read my blog for a while know that I told you about the discount Star Alliance (United) Micronesia Airpass quite awhile ago. The tricky thing is that no one seems to be able to buy the pass.

A kind United  employee has shared the following information on how to purchase the airpass and said that it was OK for me to share it with you. So here you go:

Our (United) Alliance Desk handles all of the bookings.  Here are their phone contacts:

UA DATA PAGE      MICRONESIA AIRPASS    CAT:RUL SUB:STR PGE:MIC\
1            *** STAR ALLIANCE MICRONESIA AIRPASS ***        \
2                                                            \
3 MAINTAINED BY RATE DESK             LAST REVIEW 02/03/12 JM\
4                                     LAST UPDATE 02/27/12 JM\
5                                                            \
6 ALL STAR MICRONESIA INITIAL BOOKINGS AND MODIFICATIONS ARE \
7 HANDLED BY THE ALLIANCE DESK. TICKETING CAN BE COMPLETED   \
8 BY INTL RES PROVIDED NO ITINERARY CHANGES ARE MADE.        \
9                                                            \
10 ALLIANCE DESK IS OPEN 24/7 AT EXT. 1033 OR CISCO EXT. 81033\
11 RES ANYWHERE 71947 OR 1-877-726-7282 ..OR..1-801-359-9719. \
==

These phone numbers are US numbers. I’d suggest that if you are not in the US start by contacting your local United reservations people and asking for the “Alliance” desk.

I’d like to hear from anyone who has been able to purchase the airpass. If you get totally stuck, let me know that too, I might be able to find someone to help.

Cheers!
Katrina

 
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Kosrae Village Milestones

Posted on March 25, 2012 by Katrina

Since FaceBook will be releasing their new timeline presentation at the end of the month, I decided to take advantage of new design and post some of the Kosrae Village milestones, going back to our construction days.

I scanned in some photos and slides from the “pre-digital” days and added them to the Kosrae Village timeline.

Somehow we were all a lot younger back then!

Take a look and let me know what you think of our new look and old history.

Here’s the link to the Kosrae Village FB page.

Enjoy!
Katrina

 
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The Anatomy of a Special

Posted on March 20, 2012 by Katrina

Bruce and I are working on the special for his show marathon in April and May.

We came with a couple that seem like great ideas. :)

  • A free cat or kitten (Genuine Kosraean Wild Cats, how can you go wrong?) for every visitor or
  • “stay for 4 and pay for 5″. :) :)

So, what WOULD be a good special? Something that would be good for you and not break the bank for us???

Let me know…

Cheers,
Katrina

PS – if you know a vet that would like to trade some lodging for spay and neutering, put them in touch – we are about to be overrun.

 
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Kosrae Village Wins Outside Magazine Travel Award!!

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Katrina

Wow!! Kosrae Village is the runner-up for “best eco-lodge” in the Outside Magazine 2012 Travel Awards!

The award, announced in the April print edition which just went on sale, and on the Outside Magazine website is an exciting honor.

We are celebrating! and tomorrow we go back to work. :)

Cheers!
Katrina

 
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Great Trip – Incredible Price!!

Posted on December 7, 2011 by Katrina

Kosrae Village has donated 4 nights lodging with meals and some diving and island exploration to The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) for their ecoAuction in support of ecotourism!

Visit http://www.biddingforgood.com/auction/item/Item.action?id=146135431 to learn more and to place your bid!

This is a great opportunity for those of you thinking of visiting us. We don’t have any blackout days, all you have to do is bid, win, and reserve! I hope we see you soon.

Cheers!
Katrina

 
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Kosrae Village Juicy Orange Cake

Posted on November 25, 2011 by Katrina

Ok, you asked (begged?? :) ) and finally! here is the recipe for the Kosrae Village incredibly Juicy Orange Cake.

This is a wonderful cake, rich and very flavorful. We bake it in a bundt pan, but it would make amazing cup cakes too.

Mix all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
1 3/4 cup sugar
2 ½ cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoon baking soda

Put 1 tablespoon vinegar in a measuring cup, add enough milk to make ½ cup.

Add all liquid ingredients to dry ingredients
Vinegar / milk mixture
½ cup milk
½ cup oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup orange juice
3 tablespoons orange peel
½ cup coconut cream
1 cup fresh grated coconut

Beat for 2 minutes at medium speed, scrape bowl once.

Bake in greased and floured bundt pan at 350 for 35 to 40 minutes.

Cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then turn out of the pan to finish cooling.

We squeeze the oranges fresh and also use fresh grated coconut and coconut cream. Whatever you use, try to get the freshest and most flavorful products.

Enjoy!
Katrina

 
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