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Palau: My Favorite Island Escape

Posted in Islands, Micronesia, Palau, Photography, Travels, tagged , , , , on Thursday, 25 September, 2014| 11 Comments »

Palau is my ideal tropical vacation spot. Our 2007 visit was a trip of a lifetime. More than a few times, when I was there, I would pause to savor the moment and commit to memory some of the beauty I couldn’t capture in a photo. Especially the unbelievable night sky with stars so close I felt I could reach out and touch them.

On our way to Milky Way, Palau
Heading to one of the outer islands

Rainbow's End, Palau

Palau rainbow and rains
Seems every time it rains, there’s a rainbow

Kayak (Day 1) Palau
Kayaking

Palau racing the rain
Racing the rain in Palau

Milky Way 4
The Milky Way lagoon is a natural spa treatment which is supposed to make you look 10 years younger. I’m due to go back soon! The white mud felt great ~ cool and soothing.

Early morning swim Palau
Early morning swim

Palau The Rain
Beautiful arch

Palau Sunrise at the dock
Morning at the dock

Dolphin Kiss
One of the best kisses ever!

Palau Dolphin
Dolphins

Palau Community College
Gorgeous, colorful mural at the community college

Palau cocktail hour
Cocktail hour (for me at least)

Sunset at PPR (4), Palau
Sunset in Palau

Sunset at PPR (3) Palau
Another beautiful Palau Sunset

Palau Hammock
Ah, a great place for a hammock

Palau consists of approximately 340 islands across 400 miles of the North Pacific Ocean. There’s a small population of only 21, 186. In 1994, after three decades being under the U.S., the Republic of Palau became one of the youngest nations in the world. The official language is Palauan but English is spoken everywhere. If you get a chance to go, GO!

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Flashback Friday: Palau

Posted in Beach, Flashback Fridays, Palau, tagged , , on Friday, 12 June, 2009| Leave a Comment »

All this talk about the 18 Guantanamo detainees moving to Palau certainly has me thinking about our wonderful trip we enjoyed back in Feb 2007. Ah, true paradise…

Kayaking through the Rock Islands, Palau

Swimming with the Dolphin

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Flashback Friday: Palau February 2007

Posted in Flashback Fridays, Micronesia, Palau, Travels, tagged , , , , on Friday, 13 February, 2009| 1 Comment »

Two years ago, we were spending the President’s Day weekend in Palau. From Guam, Palau is only a two hour flight and had we stayed longer than one year in Guam, I would have gone back to Palau as often as possible. For a beachbum, it IS paradise.

On our way to the Rock Islands:

Favorite Girl at the “Milky Way”:

Touring the Rock Islands:

All last week, I searched Expedia, Travelocity and Orbitz for a cheap getaway to Puerto Rico, St Thomas, Orlando and Charleston but all flights/hotels were too much for just a couple days. So instead, we’re embracing the winter and heading further north. We’ll be stimulating the Canadian economy this weekend…

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Palau Wrap-up

Posted in Micronesia, Palau, Travel, Travels, tagged , , , , on Sunday, 25 February, 2007| 2 Comments »

Sunset at Palau Pacific Resort

None of us wanted to say goodbye to Palau ~ we still had a few things we wanted to do and see. On our last night, we enjoyed a beautiful sunset dinner.At the end of our trips, we like to recap a list of highlights, top five and what surprised us the most. For me, I didn’t expect quite so many eastern European tourists. We also ran into quite a few German visitors but I expected that since the website for Palau had the choice of English, Japanese or German.Another thing that was a little unexpected was that they drive on the left side of the road but most of their cars come from Japan so the steering wheel is on the RIGHT. The roads were pretty narrow,and more than once, I held my breath thinking we were going to hit someone walking/running on the road. It was a little crazy.We decided on our own top THREE favorites:
FG:
3) Milky Way and the white goop
2) Kayaking and snorkeling at Risong Bay
1) Dolphin Encounter

FM:
3) Snorkeling at the Big Drop-Off (seeing the shark)
2) Dolphin Encounter
1) Breakfast on the beach each morning with the family

Me:
3) Giant Clam snorkel
2) Big Drop-Off snorkel (seeing the sea turtle)
1) Dolphin Encounter

We will definitely go back to see the Dolphin when we return. I say “when” and not “if” because this place is so special and I’m already trying to plan a return visit.

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They Call It Paradise

Posted in Travels, tagged , , , , on Thursday, 1 February, 2007| 3 Comments »

They call it paradise
I don’t know why
You call someplace paradise
Kiss it goodbye

(The Eagles)

John came home the other day and mentioned that Palau officials might have to close Jellyfish lake due to the large number of visitors. I was reminded of the lyrics of the song called “The Last Resort” sung by The Eagles. It’s a song about how any time a place is called paradise, it’s ruined: Providence, RI; The Great Divide; Malibu and Lahaina, Maui.  Call someplace paradise, kiss it goodbye.

Jellyfish Lake in Palau was sealed off from the ocean long ago and the jellyfish, having no natural predators, have lost their ability to sting. Hundreds of thousands of jellyfish swim around this lake, following the sun. Just looking at the photo below of Jellyfish Lake makes my palms sweat:

 

I’ve had the misfortune of being stung by jellyfish while swimming in Hawaii ~ the pain is intense. I hope I can get over my fear long enough to swim in the lake.

From what I understand, the problem is so many people are visiting Jellyfish Lake and when they go swimming in the freshwater lake with sunscreen and sadly, urinating, it’s changed the alkalinity of the water. The jellyfish are dying due to the change. I’m glad the people of Palau are looking out for their natural resources and hope they do close or severely restrict access so the lake can return to it’s natural state.

Once I heard about a possible impending closure, I decided we’d better make the trip to Palau sooner than later so we can enjoy the site before it’s closed completely. If all goes well, we’ll be able to make a trip this month ~ it’s only a two hour flight so it’d be a shame to miss it since we’re so close. I promise I won’t wear sunscreen or pee in the water 🙂

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