Our next stop was Palau, known for it's diving, the rock islands and it's bloody Peleliu battle of WWII. It is a larger island with a population of 20,000 and they have much more western culture here than we had seen in awhile.
Upon arrival we immediately went to book some dives and found out that the whole week we are here for is shark week and sharks we saw! We did some amazing dives here and though the visibility isn't as good as Kosrae, the marine life is thriving. We saw eagle rays, turtles, lionfish and yes lots and lots of sharks. The most famous dive here is the Blue Corner which has a really strong current that carries all sorts of life by the wall. The current is actually so strong that you have to hook into the reef and float like a kite while you watch everything go by. At one point in the dive there were more sharks circling than you could count! It was really a sight to see.
We toured through the rock islands, there are more than a 100 of them, and enjoyed the beautiful water.
It was a short but steep hike up to their famous Jellyfish Lake, which has over 8 million stingless jellyfish. Well, almost stingless we still felt a little zing here and there. The jellyfish are so thick in some places that you were almost floating on top of them. It sounded a little like a tourist stop, but it was actually well worth it.
On our off days we went out exploring the island and rented a car. It has been over a month now since we have had a car and I must say it was nice. You forget the simple conveniences sometimes. We set out to see the tallest waterfall in Micronesia and enjoy some cool water. It was a very muddy hike along some old WWII train tracks,
and then you came out to a riverbed with some little pools. It was a good half way point to stop and take a swim.....
Then even more mud, up to your calves at time, until the waterfall. It was a fun way to beat the heat and enjoy the rainforest.
We got a little lost, their maps suck here, and ran into an old Japenese headquarter that was bombed out in WWII. It was a nice find.
We made our way all the way north to the monoliths that they really have no explanation of what they were there for. It's the only other place besides Easter Island, where they have these types of stone faces.
We were even lucky enough to score some chips and salsa on our trip! The first time in over a month! Angie loves her chips and salsa so she was all smiles. Palau was our final stop through the Micronesia area and though we have had a ton of fun and great experiences, we are ready for the next part of our journey! So on to Singapore and then.....
Upon arrival we immediately went to book some dives and found out that the whole week we are here for is shark week and sharks we saw! We did some amazing dives here and though the visibility isn't as good as Kosrae, the marine life is thriving. We saw eagle rays, turtles, lionfish and yes lots and lots of sharks. The most famous dive here is the Blue Corner which has a really strong current that carries all sorts of life by the wall. The current is actually so strong that you have to hook into the reef and float like a kite while you watch everything go by. At one point in the dive there were more sharks circling than you could count! It was really a sight to see.
We toured through the rock islands, there are more than a 100 of them, and enjoyed the beautiful water.
It was a short but steep hike up to their famous Jellyfish Lake, which has over 8 million stingless jellyfish. Well, almost stingless we still felt a little zing here and there. The jellyfish are so thick in some places that you were almost floating on top of them. It sounded a little like a tourist stop, but it was actually well worth it.
On our off days we went out exploring the island and rented a car. It has been over a month now since we have had a car and I must say it was nice. You forget the simple conveniences sometimes. We set out to see the tallest waterfall in Micronesia and enjoy some cool water. It was a very muddy hike along some old WWII train tracks,
and then you came out to a riverbed with some little pools. It was a good half way point to stop and take a swim.....
Then even more mud, up to your calves at time, until the waterfall. It was a fun way to beat the heat and enjoy the rainforest.
We got a little lost, their maps suck here, and ran into an old Japenese headquarter that was bombed out in WWII. It was a nice find.
We were even lucky enough to score some chips and salsa on our trip! The first time in over a month! Angie loves her chips and salsa so she was all smiles. Palau was our final stop through the Micronesia area and though we have had a ton of fun and great experiences, we are ready for the next part of our journey! So on to Singapore and then.....
I have always wanted to do Jelly Fish Lake! I was so excited to see pictures. Do you remember watching "Under the Sea" at Imax? It was all about Palau and Sting did the music and Meryl Streep narrated. The ruins look amazing. Stay safe!
ReplyDeleteThat nutty Sting! I remember the DVD. The poisonous jellyfish (they failed to tell u that huh?), and Palau's many islands all set to Sting's ambient and ethereal granola music. Kelly and Angie, it's always nice living life large thru your experiences! And it was so nice talking to Kelly tonight. And hearing Angie in the background was a special little gift from God. K-bye!
ReplyDeletePS: Oscar's gotta be missin his momma by now! Thank goodness the O-man has no clue how much his parents are livin large and havin the time "O" their lives. I had a vision he still remembers who his grandpa Thompson is tho.