Itchy Feet - Welcome!: Palau - An Underwater Paradise

Date: May 2013

Day 1:

The Republic of Palau is an archipelago of more than 586 islands in the Pacific Ocean. Our flight from Manila lands on the biggest of it's islands, Babeldaob, which, after Guam, is Micronesia's second largest. It's 1:15 am when we land, but the temperature is still hot, 27 C (81 F).

For such a small place the airport is quite large, yet laid back. If the speed of immigration processing is any indication, we will need to get used to a different pace of life here.

To reach our hotel we must cross one of the causeways collecting the various islands, as our hotel is on Ngerkebesang Island in Koror state. We are staying in the Palau Pacific Resort, or, as the locals refer to it, PPR. People love abbreviations in Palau!

We reserved the hotel starting from yesterday, so, even though it's the middle of the night, we can check into our room. The hotel reception is quite lively for this time of the night, with people checking in and out. PPR, as all of Palau's tourism industry, seems to be catering mostly to Japanese guests, which is obvious as soon as I enter the bathroom of our hotel room. The toilet seat is heated, with a sophisticated control panel, a common occurrence in Japan.

By the time we get to bed it's 3 am. We wake up just in time for a pleasant lunch in the hotel's Coconut Terrace restaurant. And that's pretty much the last thing which goes according to plan on this trip.

Palau Pacific Resort, Palau

My husband's old back injury started to act out while in Manila, and by now he is in agony. So we have no option but to see a doctor. I am very impressed by how organized the hotel is about this. They write up an incident report, then offer to drive us (for free) either to the public hospital or the private clinic next to it. We choose the clinic simply because they tell us the wait time is usually longer in the hospital, and we don't want to spend too much time of our vacation there.

The clinic is very clean (in fact we need to leave our shoes at the door), the staff super friendly, and everyone seems to speak perfect English. The young doctor sees us right away and he seems competent. So far things couldn't be simpler.

Of course the fact that my husband must rest is going to hamper our Palau plans in a major way. This was supposed to be an active, outdoorsy vacation. Kayaking is completely out of the question, though he might be able to do some gentle snorkeling (the doctor's words) if he starts feeling better.

Private clinic, Palau

We wait out the strongest sun in the hotel room, then around 4 pm head to the beach. The water on the beach is nice and clear, especially considering that it is a sand beach. We see a lot of fish, even quite close to the shore. The water is warm and shallow, more suitable for snorkeling than swimming, so we head to the pool to cool off.

We would like to snorkel a little, but the equipment rental is at a daily rate, so it's not worth it this late in the day. Tomorrow.

Palau Pacific Resort, Palau

Clear water at the beach of Palau Pacific Resort, Palau

Palau Pacific Resort, Palau

There are cocktails being served by the beach, but we don't feel like joining in. We do walk over however to look at the performance of a local men's dance.

Dance show, Palau Pacific Resort, Palau

Then our 9 year old daughter builds a sandcastle, while my husband and I enjoy a magnificent sunset.

Two people snorkeling in the sunset, Palau Pacific Resort, Palau

Sunset, Palau Pacific Resort, Palau

Tonight we have reservations for a buffet dinner of Palau specialties, complete with a dance show. But my husband has such a relapse of his back pain that he can't even move. So I cancel the reservation and we have room service instead. Obviously our stay here is not going to be as active and exciting as we expected, but we will just have to make the most of it.

Day 2:

My husband is feeling even worse than yesterday, so we take breakfast in the room. After a little rest my daughter and I head for an early lunch, while for my husband we stock up the room with food from the 24-hour hotel store. The store has a good selection of American snacks, even his favorite Planters Peanuts. It also sells fresh sandwiches, which is just as well, because they will be the major source of his lunches for the next couple of days.

As my husband insists that my daughter and I continue with our program, at 12:15 pm we are picked up by Dolphins Pacific and driven to their office on Malakal Island, which means we drive through a couple of inter-island causeways again.

Inter-island causeway, Palau

We have rented snorkeling gear at the hotel earlier today, and I managed to make my daughter believe that we are simply going snorkeling. In fact what we are doing is swimming with dolphins. We get life vests in the office then wait for our boat to pick us up. My daughter is perfectly happy to wait, as there is an extremely cute puppy to play with next door.

Dolphins Pacific office, Palau

Puppy at Dolphins Pacific office, Palau

Koror state is quite built up, it is home to nearly two-thirds of Palau's population, and has one of the highest population densities in the Pacific. That means that on dry land it's not really tropical paradise-like. To appreciate the beauty of the place one really needs to get on, or preferably in, the water. Our 5-minute boat ride to the Dolphins Pacific center is our first time out on the water since we arrived, and it really does make me appreciate the magnificence of Palau. Turquoise water all around us, and we even see some of the small, mushroom-shaped islands so typical here.

Dolphins Pacific boat, Palau

En-route to Dolphins Pacific, Palau

The Dolphins Pacific facility is at a beautiful location. I think I would be very happy to snorkel here even without any dolphins.

On arrival they divide us into two groups, one Japaneses-speaking and one English-speaking. Our English-speaking group is quite international, in addition to us there are 4 Chinese, 2 Korean and one Italian tourist. Despite this being a kid-friendly attraction, my daughter is the only child in both groups.

Arriving to Dolphins Pacific, Palau

Boats arriving to Dolphins Pacific, Palau

Our guide, Bobby, is very nice and quite funny. First he ushers us onto the terrace of the main building, where we have a nice view of the entire facility, which, as far as I can see, consists of two buildings, an open lagoon and a couple of interconnected pools. Apparently it is "the world's largest marine mammal interaction, educational and research facility".

Main building and one of the pools, Dolphins Pacific, Palau

Second building and outer lagoon, Dolphins Pacific, Palau

Pools, Dolphins Pacific, Palau

The guide explains about the resident dolphins. Apparently they are not Spinner Dolphins, the type normally found around Palau, as there is no other facility in the world which has experience with keeping those captive. So these are the larger Bottlenose Dolphins, brought here from Japan.

The 6 resident dolphins of Dolphins Pacific, Palau

After this introduction we tour the facility. At this point only the trainers are interacting with the dolphins, but we are free to take as many pictures as we want.

Bobby with the dolphins, Dolphins Pacific, Palau

Dolphins, Dolphins Pacific, Palau

Dolphins Pacific, Palau

One of the trainers with a dolphin, Dolphins Pacific, Palau

We get to see how well the dolphins are trained to bring leaves to the trainers. There is a very practical reason for this. When leaves fall into the water the natural reaction of the dolphins would be to eat them, as they like the taste. But they are not capable of digesting them, so this could cause serious health complications. If a dolphin does eat many leaves it has to be pulled out of the water and someone needs to manually dig out the leaves from the stomach. It could be as much as 14 kg (31 pounds) of leaves. To avoid these complications, the dolphins are trained to bring the leaves to their trainers instead, getting a fish in return.

Dolphin bringing a leaf to the trainer, Dolphins Pacific, Palau

The fish the dolphins are fed is frozen and is imported from Canada. Considering that we are on an island in the middle of the ocean, this seems quite crazy to me at first. But there is an explanation of course. Apparently net-fishing is not allowed on Palau, which means that the huge appetite of these dolphins can't be satisfied from local fisheries. They each eat about 14 kg (31 pounds) of fish per day.

The downside of feeding them frozen fish is that they don't get any fresh water, which they would normally receive from the blood of fresh fish. For this reason these captive dolphins are given ice and are tube-fed fresh water.

Dolphin being fed fresh water, Dolphins Pacific, Palau

We get treated to a couple of dolphin-tricks, then visit the two resident turtles. They are brother and sister, and that's exactly how they fight over food. We end the tour with a photo-stop by the extremely picturesque Emerald Lagoon.

Jumping dolphin, Dolphins Pacific, Palau

Dolphin, Dolphins Pacific, Palau

Turtle, Dolphins Pacific, Palau

Emerald Lagoon, Dolphins Pacific, Palau

Fish in Emerald Lagoon, Dolphins Pacific, Palau

Now it's time to get wet, though we are not jumping in the water yet. The next part of the program is called Close Encounter, and it's mandatory for all first time visitors, which I find a bit silly. We take turns touching the dolphins, shaking hands/fins with them and making them jump with a hand gesture. It's mostly just pretend for the camera of the photographer, who will be charging us a fortune for these pictures (we are not allowed to have our own cameras at this stage, and who wouldn't buy such cute pictures of themselves).

Some people are complaining that the Close Encounter doesn't include a dolphin-kiss, but we have already done that on the Bahamas, so I don't mind.

Dolphins, Dolphins Pacific, Palau

We put on our snorkeling gear and move onto the next part of the program, called Dolphin Symphony. I can't wait. Swimming with dolphins is so much more fun than just touching them! I have already done it on Hawaii, but this will be the first time for my daughter.

Before we can hop into the pool with the dolphins, we must do a practice run, to make sure that we are all comfortable snorkeling and that we know how to behave with the dolphins. So we head to the outer lagoon, which is a beautiful snorkeling spot. There is plenty of coral, some of it bright blue, and lots of fish. There are even some giant clams (more about these later), and our guide dives down to touch them to show us how they close. He even entertains us by blowing underwater bubbles. But this is not all just for fun, he is simply making sure that we are all relaxed in the water.

Well, I am mostly relaxed. I am keeping an eye on my daughter who is doing very well. She is used to snorkeling, so doing it with a life vest is a piece of cake for her. What makes me a bit tense is that earlier Bobby explained that the net protecting this lagoon broke in a recent storm, and that now sharks and crocodiles sometimes swim in. Are you kidding me? Sharks AND crocodiles? I am terrified of both.

Outer lagoon, Dolphins Pacific, Palau

Crystal clear water, Dolphins Pacific, Palau

Plenty of fish, Dolphins Pacific, Palau

We finally move into one of the pools, with two dolphins. At first we are simply touching them, looking at them above and under the water. Then comes the fun (and bit scary) part - riding on a dolphin. We get into the water one by one, swim to a specific spot, turn our side to the dolphin with the right hand stretched out in front. Motionless. Waiting for the dolphin to approach. Once the dolphin bumps it's nose into the outstretched hand we grab the fin and it pulls. Pretty fast. But not too scary. It's fun!

We climb out of the water and another pair of dolphins is demonstrating to us how fast they can swim. It's very fast! What I find the most incredible is that even at that speed they don't crash into the wall. They turn amazingly quickly!

It's time to go. Back to the boat, back to the Dolphins Pacific office, where I spend 70 USD (gulp!) on the pictures which will be delivered later to the hotel on a CD.

Boat leaving Dolphins Pacific, Palau

Staff weaving goodbye, Dolphins Pacific, Palau

Leaving Dolphins Pacific, Palau

It's back to the hotel, where my poor husband spent the entire day in bed. Because of that (and some painkillers) he actually manages to sit through dinner in the poolside restaurant. The air is perfect, there are not too many bugs. I am having the fresh catch of the day with finadene sauce, which the waiter says is from Palau, but the internet seems to attribute mostly to Guam. I love it and it seems so easy to prepare (soy sauce, vinegar, green onions and green peppers) that I will definitely make it at home.

Cocktails at the poolside restaurant, Palau Pacific Resort, Palau

After dinner it's stargazing on the beach. The stars are so bright! Our daughter makes a new friend, a French girl her age.

Day 3:

My husband is feeling worse, so breakfast is in the room again. We call the doctor who prescribes stronger pain medication, and a very nice hotel employee takes me and my daughter to the clinic. There are a lot of people waiting at the clinic today, so I am glad that I am just picking up the prescription from reception. The doctor comes out to talk a bit, then we walk over to the hospital next door. This medication is only available there.

The hospital looks slightly less modern from the inside than on the outside. The pharmacy has a whole bunch of windows, and I hand in the prescription at the first one. The lady behind the window asks me for my hospital number. I ask: What is that? Her answer: your hospital number. We repeat this exchange a couple of times, as if repeating "hospital number" to me would make me eventually understand what it is. We conclude I don't have one, so I am sent to the second window to apply for it. There are two complications here. One: the prescription is for my husband and he is not with me. Luckily the hotel employee jumps in and explains that he is bed-ridden, so can't possibly come. Second complication: I forgot to bring my passport. But the lady very nicely overlooks these shortcomings (people are so nice here!), and after a short wait I get my number. Then it's back to window number one to pay, then yet another window to actually get the medication. Seems like a cumbersome process, but there is nobody in front of me, so I finish quite fast. I can't imagine having to go through all this when the place is busy.

Hospital, Palau

Back in the hotel room I get a phone call from reception. It's the gentleman who took us to the hospital. I mentioned to him that my daughter and I will be going on a tour this afternoon, and he is checking if he should send someone to look after my husband while we are gone. While it is not necessary I still very much appreciate this thoughtful gesture. I don't cease to be amazed by the niceness of people here.

At 1:15 pm my daughter and I are picked up and driven to another hotel, the Palau Royal Resort (or, as everyone here calls it, the PRR), on Malakal Island. While we wait we admire the many colorful fish this hotel has in their ponds.

Palau Royal Resort, Palau

Fish at Palau Royal Resort, Palau

My original plan for today was kayaking and snorkeling at the Rock Islands (locally known as Chalbacheb), the most beautiful part of Palau, if not the entire Micronesia. They are small, mushroom shaped limestone islands, completely covered by green jungle. Even though the islands themselves are picturesque, it is the waters surrounding them which attract visitors from around the world. They contain some of the most rich marine life on the entire planet, making them a diving, snorkeling and kayaking paradise.

Unfortunately all snorkeling and/or kayaking trips there take at least 6 hours, and I don't want to leave my husband alone for such a long time. Another option would be to charter a boat for a couple of hours, but that I find too expensive. I don't want to leave Palau without having visited the Rock Islands! The only option available seems to be the glass bottom boat, which offers 2-hour trips. I can't say that I am terribly excited about going on a glass bottom boat. I would so much more prefer snorkeling! So when I board the boat of the Magical Meduu Company I am less than enthusiastic.

The captain is friendly and the boat is modern and well kept, so my first impression is very favorable. My daughter and I are the only passengers, so it ends up being a private tour, which is always nice.

Magical Meduu glass bottom boat and her captain, Palau

Interior of Magical Meduu glass bottom boat, Palau

First we are heading toward the Dolphins Pacific center, so it's an already familiar scenery (above the water anyway). We make three stops in this area, one of them above the Coral Garden at the Lighthouse Channel. The underwater world here is absolutely amazing! There are so many beautiful coral formations, some of them bright blue. We see giant clams and blue starfish. And lots and lots of colorful fish (if my pictures barely show any fish that's the result of my meager nature-photography skills, and not the lack of fish in the water). Also, I think I need to re-evaluate my feelings about glass bottom boats. It is a very enjoyable way of seeing the coral reefs. And I don't have to worry about sharks and crocodiles!

En-route to the first stop of the glass bottom boat, Palau

Coral under the glass bottom boat, Palau

Coral and giant clams under the glass bottom boat, Palau

En-route to the second stop of the glass bottom boat, Palau

Coral under the glass bottom boat, Palau

En-route to the third stop of the glass bottom boat, Palau

Giant clam under the glass bottom boat, Palau

Coral under the glass bottom boat, Palau

Coral and fish under the glass bottom boat, Palau

Coral under the glass bottom boat, Palau

En-route to the fourth stop of the glass bottom boat, Palau

Now we are on our way to one of the calmest of Rock Islands' coves, Nikko Bay. Because it is so sheltered, it is home to an incredible variety of coral formations. To get there we must first pass through the Japanese Channel, which, according to the captain, was blasted with dynamite by the Japanese. It is so pretty, I would have never guessed it was man-made.

Japanese Channel, Palau

Now we are really surrounded by the Rock Islands. Wherever we look there are green mushroom caps sticking out of the turquoise water. Our captain explains that there are so many of them that they are hard to remember, so they have roman numerals painted on them. The water is so clear and shallow, that in many places we don't even need to look through the glass bottom of the boat, we can simply gaze at the coral and fish by the side of the boat. Magnificent! Now I really feel bad that I am not snorkeling here.

Rock Islands, Palau

Nikko Bay, Rock Islands, Palau

Roman numerals painted on a mushroom island, Nikko Bay, Rock Islands, Palau

Nikko Bay, Rock Islands, Palau

We approach a snorkeling platform and our captain instructs us to look through the glass bottom of the boat. Suddenly there is an entire school of fish swimming under us. It's amazing! At some point I do realize that we are cheating, as the captain is feeding them to attract them to the boat. Doesn't matter, it's a beautiful sight anyway. And my daughter very enthusiastically takes over the feeding from the captain.

Snorkeling platform, Nikko Bay, Rock Islands, Palau

Fish under the glass bottom boat, Nikko Bay, Rock Islands, Palau

Same fish on the surface, Nikko Bay, Rock Islands, Palau

We see some more incredibly beautiful snorkeling spots, and by now I have decided that we must come back to Palau one day, and see this all the proper (getting wet) way.

Coral, Nikko Bay, Rock Islands, Palau

We are heading back now and, in addition to a countless mushroom-shaped islands, we also see a well-hidden Japanese bunker from WWII. The captain let's my daughter drive the boat for a while, so she is thrilled.

Rock Islands, Palau

WWII Japanese bunker, Rock Islands, Palau

Rock Islands, Palau

We check on my husband then go for a late lunch. We get some excellent Udon noodles, but for some reason they take really long to prepare, so by the time we eat it's 5 pm.

Then it's off to the hotel's beach to snorkel (or in my husband's case, to lie on a beach bed). I am surprised that there is so much fish so close to the shore. It's nothing like the Rock Islands, but it's a pleasant snorkeling spot nonetheless. We are joined by the French girl my daughter befriended yesterday. Of course the issue with snorkeling with two 9-year old girls is that every two minutes they must stop for a five minute chat. Two white Parrotfish are following us wherever we go, and soon the girls declare them their pets and name them Petite Etoile (Little Star) and Petit Ocean (Little Ocean). They claim that they can actually tell which is which, but I doubt it.

Both girls are fluent in both English and French, and are switching between the two languages frequently. So a lady who is in the water with her family asks me where we are from. She simply can't make out what language are the girls speaking. I start with the usual: "Well, I am originally from Slovakia...", which elicits a huge gasp. Turns out she is from Slovakia too. To give you a feel how unlikely this meeting is, there are only about 5 million people in Slovakia, and Palau seems pretty much like the end of the world from this Central-European country. So for the two of us to meet here like this is absolutely mind-boggling.

The lady's name is Danka Ledgerwood, and she lives on Palau with her husband and daughter. As it turns out, all the postcards we just purchased at the hotel shop were made by her (you can check out her website at: http://dankainmicronesia.com/).

Sunset, Palau Pacific Resort, Palau

Day 4:

For the first time since we are here my husband is well enough to come to the breakfast buffet. The food is good, though mostly geared to Japanese tourists. I love Asian food, just not for breakfast, but I do find enough dishes to eat.

Dolphins Pacific doesn't do refunds, but they did give us credit for my husband who couldn't come with us the last time. He is still not feeling up to it today, so, to use up the credit, my daughter and I set out to swim with the dolphins again.

It's pretty much the same program as last time, with a couple of differences. Today we came for the morning session, so we get to see the morning health-checkup and preparations. Everything seems a bit more disorganized than last time. Not sure if it's because the day is just starting, or because it is raining today.

Dolphins Pacific, Palau

Dolphins Pacific staff member, Palau

Morning check-up of dolphins, Dolphins Pacific, Palau

As it is not our first time here we could skip the Close Encounter, but my daughter wants to do it. So we do the same circuit as last time: watching dolphins bringing leaves, taking pictures by the Emerald Lagoon and visiting the resident turtles.

Dolphin, Dolphins Pacific, Palau

Emerald Lagoon, Dolphins Pacific, Palau

We also see some new things. For example this time we are shown the giant-clam nursery. According to wikipedia, giant clam is one of the most endangered clam species. It can reach more than 200 kg (440 pounds) and it can be 120 cm (47 inches) wide. Because of it's size it has once been considered a dangerous, man-eating creature. Of course now we know better. The ones we have seen here in Palau waters were large, but not that huge. And the ones in the nursery are cute and little. We even get to touch one, and our guide explains a lot of interesting facts, such as that the young ones are mobile, they only "settle down" later. Or that some adult giant clams get so fat that they can't close anymore, making them more vulnerable.

Giant-clam nursery, Dolphins Pacific, Palau

Another thing I didn't notice last time is that one of buildings is decorated with a drawing of the local legend of the Meduu (legend of the magical Breadfruit Tree). I like the story, so here it is, copied from the pamphlet of the Magical Meduu glass boat Company:

"Palauans long time ago planted an enchanted breadfruit tree whose roots were connected to the ocean. If one broke a small branch off of the tree, a fish would emerge to provide food for the day. Unfortunately, greed set in. Some men decided to chop down the entire tree so they could harvest all the fish at one time. Instead, the ocean poured in on them from the roots of the tree, flooding and destroying their entire island. To Palauans, the lesson from this story is to conserve their precious marine resources through careful and wise stewardship."

What a wonderful story. I suppose that is a lesson we all need to learn.

Legend of the Meduu, Dolphins Pacific, Palau

After swimming with the dolphins (can't help it, it's just not as special second time in 3 days) it's back to the hotel, to the Coconut Terrace restaurant for my favorite chicken wrap.

At 5 pm my daughter and I join the fish feeding at the hotel's Fish Pond. She is not too excited about the idea, at 9 years old she thinks she is above this sort of entertainment, but she ends up loving it. There are a lot of fish in the pond, and they get fed bread. There are also some turtles and sting rays, they get raw meat. The most fun part is the feeding of the string rays. First they have to be attracted to the edge by splashing the water. Then they need to be gently lifted up and the meat pushed under them. They seem to be incapable of getting to any food floating above them.

There is also a bit of a drama, when an extremely loud and ill-behaved boy, about my daughter's age, manages to push his poor aunt into the pond. She looses her balance and lands right on top of one the string rays. Not sure who is more traumatized, the aunt or the sting ray, but I feel sorry for both of them.

Feeding of sting rays, Fish Pond, Palau Pacific Resort, Palau

Turtle in the Fish Pond, Palau Pacific Resort, Palau

Feeding of sting rays, Fish Pond, Palau Pacific Resort, Palau

Back to the room to change, then we head to the hotel beach to snorkel. Visibility is worse than yesterday, but we do see some beautiful, colorful fish. And, to my daughter's delight, we do find Petite Etoile and Petit Ocean and their family, so that she can say good bye to them.

After packing we take the 10:30 pm bus to the airport, to catch our flight to the nearby island of Yap. But first we pause to rub the head of the little statue in the hotel lobby, which is supposed to have magical powers ensuring that we will one day return to Palau.

Let's hope the statue works! There is so much we still didn't experience here. I would definitely like to snorkel and kayak at the Rock Islands one day. And let's not forget Palau's most bizarre attraction, the Jellyfish Lake, teeming with 21 million stingless jellyfish. Swimming with these is definitely on my list for our next visit. Add to these natural wonders the fact that people are so incredibly nice here, and that tourist services are well developed, and it's a no-brainer that I want to come back again. Preferably with no health issues plaguing the family.