For Bryan's birthday, I decided to treat us to Palau. Apparently, if you live on Guam and have never been to Palau, people think you're weird. Part of it is because due to some ear thing I have, I can't ever dive, and I didn't think there was much left to do other than that.
Lucky for me, I was enlightened by a couple of non-diver friends so I got to see a side of Palau very few people speak of. The hotel which would be our home for the weekend was the Palau Pacific Resort. I was a little nervous, because when I researched the hotel, reviews didn't recommend it for people with disabilities. I think it's one of those situations when you just have to see for yourself, because they were more than accommodating and provided us with free wheelchair use as well.
The streetlights were scarce so since we didn't get in until dinner time, we decided to just eat at the hotel. I was warned that it's pricey, but we decided to splurge. We ate at Meduu Ribtal, the fine dining spot at PPR, and had the Mangrove crab. For $70, it was enough for
both of us, and VERY VERY well worth it. The staff threw in a song and cheesecake for dessert for Bryan's birthday.
The next day, we were up pretty early, so we watched the Palau Visitors Channel. I know, we're dorks. But it did help us get a sneak peek at sites we wanted to see. We started at the Palau Aquarium. And although it's small, there are some cool things to see, including the Mastigias papua etpisoni, or the jellies you would see at Jellyfish Lake. Although many say that's one site you have to see, we didn't get to go there because we heard the hike is pretty steep, and it was recommended that Bryan doesn't go. Still, one of these days, I'd like to do it and see for myself.
After the aquarium, we went to the Etpison museum, which has a lot of cool photography and affordable souvenirs. The souvenir shop is on the second floor though, and they don't have an elevator.
We grabbed some lunch at the Riptide Bar & Grill before heading to our next stop. When I was looking at the menu, I thought the servings would be small,
because they were around $7 a dish, but to my surprise, I got six wahoo fillets for that price. Bryan got six pieces of fried chicken for the same price. Yum yum yum.
Dolphins Pacific was our next adventure, where we got to swim with dolphins. I actually did something like this at the Hilton Waikoloa in the Big Island of Hawaii, but Dolphins Pacific was WAY better. For half the price, you got to actually swim and interact with the dolphins, rather than just being able to pet them when the trainer says it's okay. Of course, DP has its own set of rules, but there was lots of interaction with the dolphins. My hat's off to them, because it's a non-profit organization and their purpose serves as awareness so that people can stop slaughtering them in countries like Japan.
When we told friends we'd be going to Palau, at least three people told us we had to eat at The Taj, so we did that for dinner after the dolphin adventure. So good. The highlight is the naan and the variety of flavors it comes in.
Our third day would be consumed by kayaking through
the Rock Islands. I was a little disappointed because we were supposed to run into some baby rays, sharks, and crocs on our trek through the channels, but we didn't see any. We also didn't get to see the waterfalls. Still, the clear waters were beautiful. Toward the end of the tour, I really had to try hard to appreciate everything because I was tired from all the rowing and the waters were especially rough that day. Yeah, my untoned arms weren't appreciative of that.
A few months ago, the Palau government finished a seven-year project that paved the road around Babeldaob, Palau's big island. Up until this point, people mostly hung around the Rock Islands and Koror because it took an off-roading vehicle to go around Babeldaob. Now, it became much easier to drive around the ""53-mile road" and visit little villages, surf spots and my next adventure, the Jungle River Cruise.
The cruise is the brainchild of Billy Takamine, who just so happened to work with my dad on Guam a few years ago. Small world. Anyway, his family owned some land where a river runs through, leading out to the ocean. He set up shop
with a few friends and offers river cruises in which people are 99% guaranteed to see crocs, and the boat captain feeds them so visitors can see them up close. The cruise is also great for birdwatching and spotting the fanihi, or fruit bat.
I feel like there's still so many things I haven't seen. I'll definitely have to go back.
Palau's Flag
Map of Palau