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.

Palau: Ngasech

The main reason for the trip to Palau was for my friend Dave to visit his friend Emadh who had given birth to her first child some months ago. As a Palaun, Emadh was celebrating this birth during a week or so of cleansing (Palauns used to deliver babies via C-section, and the ensuing cleansing was performed to ensure the survival of the mother).

Dave got a rare chance to take some amazing and quite memorable pictures (you can read all about it on his site - just follow the link). As a friend of a friend, I mingled and took part in some of the celebration. I managed to take a few photographs, but the feeling of the celebration can't be recreated at all.

An intricate fruit display, all of which is taken by participants after the party's over.

Friends of the mother, contributing dollars as part of the ceremony.

Palaun singer. This woman had a seriously strong voice.

VIP bento, which I was very surprised to receive. The nuts in the middle are served only on special occasions and are delicious.

The baby, Coco Bella, father (right), and various family.

Palau: Getting There

My trip to Palau started on August 3rd, when I began the two day journey to get there from Okinawa. While there are direct flights from Okinawa to Palau, there were none available when I made my reservations some months ago. To get around this problem, I figured out a route that took me to Osaka, where I spent the night, flying to Guam then Palau the next day.

Who wouldn't want to get to a place like this as fast as they could?

That was the plan anyway.

As I checked in at Kansai Airport en route to Palau, things seemed to be taking longer than expected. I asked the check-in staff if there was a problem. There was.

Palau requires that incoming travelers have at least 6 months validity remaining on their passports. I had 5 and a half. I stood there, elbow on the check-in counter and my forehead resting on my palm while I thought of all the ways I could convince the staff to let me get on the plane. Nothing worked - they knew I wouldn't get into Palau, so they didn't let me board.

I asked them for the phone number to the U.S. Consulate in Osaka, gave them a ring, and told them my situation. The man on the phone said it would take about a week or so to get a new passport - no good, since I was only going to be in Palau for a week or so. At this point, I really thought my trip to Palau was canned. The man on the phone suggested I come in and meet with staff to talk about it. Luckily, the people at Passport Services knew their stuff and were able to issue me a temporary 1-year passport within a few hours, which then allowed me to rebook my flights just two days (and a good bit of money) later.

I spent an additional two days with my buddy Mac, a Japanese I met in Taiwan this past April. And not wanting to waste my time sitting around waiting for planes, I took a day trip to Kyoto, rented a bike, and got to one of the famous temples I was not able to see when Brent was here last year.

清水寺, Kiyomizu dera, or the "clean water temple", Kyoto.

Two days later, I approached the same check-in counter with high hopes. They accepted the new passport and everything went smoothly from there.

Good News While Away

I got back from Palau tonight, after 17 hours of travel. I can sense myself missing the adventure of such a naturally beautiful place already. And while I'll have much more to say (and show) over the next few posts, I thought I'd share a little bit of good news I got during my time away.

I submitted some photographs for the 2010 JET Programme calendar and one was chosen! Here's the email:

Hello Vaughn,
Congratulations!!!
One of your photos has been selected to appear in the 2010 JET Programme Calendar. The attached photo will appear in the 2010 desk calendar as the cover.

As I told Dave (who was sitting right next to me and also had a photograph accepted for the contest), "I have officially entered the world of amateur photography."

Title: Shisa

Taking Off: Palau

It's 7:25, sitting in Nago waiting for the 8:20 bus that will take me to Naha Airport. In a few hours, I'll be in Osaka. Then tomorrow, around 11:00, I'll board a flight that will pass through Guam and take me to Palau.

In case you were wondering just exactly where Palau is or what it might look like, try following this link: http://www.visit-palau.com/

I'll be back in two weeks.