Snorkeling in Palau

'Where is Palau, you ask?'. It is a little bit north of the equator between Australia and Guam, and west of the Phillipe3ns. It is wqrm all year - about 82 degrees F 82 % humidity and 20-22' of rain. It is a group of many volcanic and limestone islands, of which, only 8 are inhabited. All but 2 islands are inside a fringe reef, thus protected from the open ocean. Most of the islands are linestone coral reefs that have been lifted above sea level (can you tell I'm trying to impress my brother, the geologist!) and undercut by the ocean currents and wave action. This gives them the look of giant (or not so giant) green mushrooms.

Most of Palau's population (jjuust under 20,000) live in the capital city of Koror. It is technicaly not part of micronesia, but independent nation with its official political status being 'compact of free association with the USA'. This means they use US money and postage, and exist heavily on US aid. I was here in 1996 and quite taken with the place. It is the best snorkeling (and I suppose diving) in the world.

Our 1`st day in Palau was Constitution Day, according to our airport taxi driver. There was a big celebration at the north end of the island, free boat rides to the celebration, lots of Palaun food, and a grteat time to be had by all - we shouldn't miss it! The hang-up was that free boat ride part. Palauns, especially those related to the boat driver, were a whole lot fgaster at jumping aboard than we were. So, we did a whole lot of hanging around the dock waiting for the boats to return for the next load. In '96 I had taken several photos of people at the senior center. I brought them out and asked if anyone knew any of these people. I wanted to find them and give them their photo. There was quite a discussion (in Palaun) about who these people were, where they were, and who was related to whom. Actually, everyone seems to be related to whoever! I never found any of the people that day, but had a great time anyway. I did run into Winkler, one of the dive master/boat drivers from '96. It was good to see him and find out what waas new, what had changed, etc.

After 4 hours of waiting for a boat - we abandonded the project. We realized that many people had a head-start on the food, and we would still need to get a boat ride back. Instead, a Palaun man, who our taxi driver had told to 'look after us', his wife and young daughter, and some other man (probably related), Sal and I packed into a old van and set off to see the sights of Koror. We had a great time. However, Sal could have passed our stop at a croc. farm where a very depressed little monkey was tied to a short leash (sad!).

The next day we walked around some more, found the best internet cafe ($2.50/1/2-hr. ) Lined up a snorkeling trip and changed hotels. The lady at the new hotel loaned us her car so we could move our luggage. I bet no one at the Hiloton in Portyland would do that!. It was Sal's first time driving a car with the steering wheel on the right. However, she got to drive on the right side of the road - so it was hardly a challenge. We then walked down to the Coral Reef Research Center where one of the owners runs a non-profit vet clinic/humane society (PAWS). Needless to say, she was delighted to see Sal as there are currently not vets on the island. Sal offered to see any animals while she was here and do what she could. Too bad we hadn't arrived a couple days earlier as one of the Customs $14,000 drug and gunpowder sniffing dogs had gotten sick and died very quickly just the day before we arrived. That evening Sal looked at a couple of dogs. One was an old dog what a woman had brought. She had someone drive here there and she sat in the back of the pick-up holding the dog. So - there in the pick-up in the parking lot, Sal examined the dog. It was a pretty amusing scene (except that the dog was sick). The next night - same parking lot, same old dog - slightly better, and a very sick puppy. It looked like it was aboaut to die. Sal pumped it full of fluids and antibiotics and talked to the owner about what to watch for. Sal continued to see the puppy every night - and it started to get better. Several days later, we were walking down the street when the puppy owner pulled up honking. She was very excited because the lpuppu was up and eating. Love these happily-ever-after stories! The picture I didn't get was Sal examining a dog wile still wearing her wet suit.

Palau has the cleanest wat3r I have ever seen. It has more shades of blue and green that imaginable. It is sort of like swimming in a warm acquarium. One of the places we went was called the 'Big Drop-off'. Depending on the tide, you can start snosrkeling in water about 3' to 10' deep, and in just inches, the wall drops off vertically several hundred feet. Perhaps our favorite and most unique area is Jellyfish Lake. You have to hike up one side of a hill and down the other to a mangrove-lined lake, being careful not to touch the bark of certain trees that emit a nasty poisonous sap. Ther4 were many more jeffyfish in the lake than when I was here in '96 and I thought there were alot then. It is a very weird sensation to swim among millions of jellyfish as they pulsate themselves across the lake following the sun. By some quirk of nature, when they access to the open oceaqn was cut off millions of years ago - they have lost their ability to sting. With no predators - no need to sting! Amazing place!

Clam City is not far from there - it is an area with many giant clams about 10' down. As we would swim over, they would close their shells, then open them again. - very neat. However, it did make uyou think of those corny old movies about swimmers getting their foot caught by a giant clam!

One day, we kayaked around the Rock Islands near Koror, climbed up a hill to see a WWII Japanses Pill box and other stuff like machine guns and helmets, etc. We walked through caves where the roofs had collapsed, allowing in some sunlight. Trees have put down amazingly long roots, and vines, or have grown very tall (and skinny) to reach the sunlight. We expected to see Tarzan come swinging by on one of the huge vines. We ended the day Kayaking through a very shallow tunnel (the tide was in!) opening into an amazing lake-like area of coral. There were so many different types and colors. The only thing I didn't like about the day was when we were snorkeling in an area, and I was minding my own business, a sea snake came by direction only about 5' below me. As you may know - I really don't like snakes and most times they scare the hell out of me. As a matter of fact - I have a definate 'snake scream'. Unable to jump up and run across the water, I did the next best thing. I came up yelling certain explatives! Please - don't send me any snake stories! When I mentioned this to the folks at the research center, they tried consoling me with all sorts of facts about how I was probably not in any danger. They obviously didn't understand - I don't like being that close to a garter snake, much less one of the most poisonous snakes in the world!

Though we were having a great time snorkeling during the day and holding informal vet clinic by night - it was time to move on to Yap. However, My time is running out on the computer - and I have no more coins. More later. It is great hearing from folks. How else would we find out that Tonya Harding got another DUI!

Lynn and Sal