I thought I would deviate from the usual “we did this today”
post (as riveting as they are) and talk a little bit about Palau, specifically
for those cruisers who are deciding where to go next.
If you’ve followed our blog, you know we never intended to
end up here. We were to leave the
Marshall Islands and head back down to Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu, New Cal, and then
Australia like everyone else.
Given the wind patterns up here along with our very conscious decision
to go the wrong way all throughout the Marshalls, I pressured our beloved
Captain into heading “downwind.”
My insides couldn’t take it anymore. He might as well have been single-handling. It was a win-win for everyone.
And we have never looked back. Micronesia has truly been the highlight of our adventure so
far. The people here have a unique
culture and such a warm way about them.
While the area is visited by more and more cruisers every year, you can
still find atolls and islands that are virtually untouched by western
civilization (or not…whatever floats your boat). And there’s no need to tell you that the diving is
outstanding, particularly if you’re interested in WWII and wreck diving. After spending a year in FSM and
enjoying all it had to offer, we decided to continue west to Palau. We couldn’t come this far and miss it.
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| This is what Jake and Andy have been doing while I'm gone. |
…another decision we have yet to regret. The first and most obvious benefit of
Palau after traveling through Micronesia (or even PNG and the Solomons) is the
wide variety of “stuff.” You can
take a break from taro and rice and actually visit a real grocery store (or 3). Vegetarians be prepared to be
delighted…not only are there actual vegetables, but due to the large population
of Seventh Day Adventists here, there are all kinds of healthy meat substitutes
and alternatives to the pork, pork, pork seen throughout the area. There are hardware stores, restaurants,
taxis, and diving. The diving is
phenomenal. Which leads to the
second benefit that some, but not all, may be aware of. Sam’s Tours. Hands down, the most hospitable place
to cruisers we’ve ever been. Sam’s
is also home to the Royal Belau Yacht
club, providing services such as a dedicated dinghy dock, showers, water,
ice (when available), mail services, and of course, there’s always a cold Red
Rooster for those who want it (the local beer). Since being here we’ve participated in movie nights, Cinco
de Mayo Cookoff, and a kayak race just for kids. There are many other activities we either didn’t participate
in or weren’t here for. The point
being, there’s always something to do.
Sam’s also offers very competitive prices for diving and any of his
other tours. You can rent a car
right at the bar and Sam’s drivers even stop and pick you up for a ride every
once in a while when they’re not full of tourists and space permits.
Palau itself also has lots to do. You’ve read enough about the rock islands on this blog (and
don’t forget jelly fish lake), but there’s plenty to do on the main island(s)
too. There are two museums, the
National Museum and a privately owned one whose name escapes me right now
(Etpison?). The private one is
actually cheaper than the National Museum and is really fantastic given its
size and location. It’s actually a
museum for all of Micronesia so it’s not limited to just Palau. The gift shop rivals most medium size
museums in America and on the outside there is one of the famous Wyland murals
(of which we love…Jake likes to keep track of all the one’s he’s visited – I
think he’s up to 7). Incidentally,
there’s one at the airport, too. There
is a fairly decent public library and the college has a library as well. If you have kids and plan on being here
for a whole season, there are numerous sporting activities: soccer, judo, baseball, tennis,
etc. Go to the National Gym and
you’ll find a plethora of information.
There’s a dolphin awareness program that while a little costly is a very
fun event for the whole family.
Jake actually got to ride a dolphin…no joke.
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| He caught this all by himself :) |
For the culinary sorts who got hooked on mangrove crabs in
Pohnpei, it is possible to get them here too. It’s a bit harder though. You see, there are saltwater crocs in Palau so being a
mangrove crab fisherman takes on a whole new meaning here. The prices go from $2.50/lb (Pohnpei)
to $8.50/lb and you still have a very hard time finding anyone to sell them to
you (most crabs are reserved for the restaurants). But, if you really really really want some crab, you can
drive up to the north western side of the island and find the crab farm (it’s
on most of the maps). They don’t
have a ton of them, but they’re usually very eager to sell what they do
have. If you call first, even
better. At the very least, it’s an
interesting tourist opportunity to see how they fence everything off and then
watch them actually catch the crabs.
There are a few downsides and if you asked me 6 months ago,
I probably would have focused more on those as they seem to have a direct affect on cruisers. The
bureaucracy is nuts and they’re constantly trying to find ways to squeeze
another dime out of the few cruisers who stop here. Sam’s and the Yacht Club work diligently on our behalf to
keep these things under control.
We’ve had a few run-ins with the rangers, namely in Nikko Bay. I don’t think it’s the entire force;
just a few that we apparently rubbed the wrong way. Unfortunately, the result is that no one can take the big
boat back to Nikko anymore. For
that we apologize…although we, along with everyone else, are still not sure
what we did. It’s not a huge
impact as very few cruisers ever go back there in the big boat (so few in fact
that we didn’t meet any others), but frustrating none the less. Maybe it will be like all the other rules
and change very soon. We’ve had
time to get over it and let all the good things outweigh the bad.
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| I think Jake took this picture. |
The biggest problem in Palau seems to be felt by at least ½
the fleet that comes through here.
Where do we go from here?
The possibilities are literally endless. Philippines, Solomons, PNG, Indonesia, Hong Kong,
Japan. There are even a few, more
adventurous folks that go back through Micronesia. But it is always a hot topic
here. We’ve considered every
single one of those options and I think we’ve finally settled on the
Philippines. When I return from
the states we’ll be packing up and moving on.
I could go on for pages, but I won’t (you’re welcome). If anyone has any specific questions
about the area, please don’t hesitate to ask. I haven’t been too diligent about my “cruising notes” on
Palau because there is so much information in the guide book we use (I don’t
have it in front of me, but I think it’s Cruisers Guide to Palau…google it,
it’s worth it). I’m attempting to
just document the changes and /or our unique experiences and post that before
we leave.
