Palau: North

Having arrived a few days before the first-born ceremony for Dave's friend, we had quite a bit of free time. During one of our free days, we decided to rent a car and take a trip up north.

Dave had three homes when he was in Palau: a home in Koror for the times he came into the city for conferences and such, a home on a southern island, and a home on the northern mainland of Palau. Part of our drive was to get back to the northern area and meet up with some people Dave hadn't seen in years. On the way, we spent a few hours exploring, including hiking a trail to a waterfall.

The start of the path to the waterfall, seen in the distance on the left.

Our path took us down into a valley and along a river leading up to the waterfall. Walking sticks in hand, we took our time and jumped in a few pools that had been carved into the rock by the river.

Dave holds onto his walking stick - we were required to take one despite our insistence that we'd be alright.

A few rivers crossings later, we came to a clearing and it was easy to tell we had arrived.
Unlike the two or three waterfalls that I know of in Okinawa, this one was impressive. The sound, the spray, and the invigorating feeling on our shoulders as we stood under the roaring water made the hike well worth it. It was also a small foreshadowing of our immersion into nature that we would experience the next week during our kayak trip.

Dave and the waterfall.

After plenty of time in the cool water, we continued on. We drove to and hiked a somewhat neglected trail (that Dave helped design) near Micronesia's largest fresh water lake. During that walk, we came across a Palaun boa. Not liking the fact that it was being handled, it defecated all over Dave's hands, which became an issue later on, when he had to constantly wipe spider webs out of his face.

The poopy boa.

One of our last sightseeing stops was the Palaun government offices. Modeled after the Capital Buiding in Washington, D.C., this recreation couldn't have been more out of place. We discussed how a modernization of traditional Palaun architecture would have been ideal, but in a move that seems to have been a cheap flattery of the U.S., the president at the time decided on the current design. Needless to say, we had to document its ridiculousness.

Those chandeliers cost approximately $10,000 a piece! We counted at least 15 around the premises, and those were only the ones we could see.

After sunset, we had what I would describe as a "Palaun Rally" experience - trying to get a small-sized car past roads and obstacles not meant for normal traffic. Dave's skills were solid, though, and with a little precision and despite the sounds of undercarriage distress and crushed coconuts, we passed the roughest roads in Palau and had a good laugh after it was all over.