I’m starting an exciting new journey in my life and it’s one I never expected to begin in Palau. But then again expectations almost never coincide with reality. That is the beauty of travel. There are always surprises waiting. I expected Palau to be a place where I learned some bad-ass spearfishing skills and learned how to live off the land, island style. Instead I found a nation that has developed past the point of existing harmoniously with nature and instead relies on shipments of processed foods for sustenance. C’est la vie. I’ve known for a long time that at some
It is mid October and yet rainy season wares on. June, July, and August usually make up rainy season here, but September didn't see an end to the storms, and here we are in October and the winds are still too crazy to venture out with our little boat. It has been months since we last saw Ulong or Sies Corner, as dive boats are more often then not confined to the inner reefs. If I never see German Channel again I will not be disappointed. (German Channel is a famous dive site where people from around the world flock
You’ve all heard me bellyache about the food here by now. The locals live on spam and rice. Finding anything fresh at the grocery store is reason to celebrate. There will be days or weeks even when the produce isles run dry and there is not a veggie to be found. Our meals are planned around what fresh thing we can find in the store. Eggplants grow locally so we make lots of curries with those. Beets occasionally pop up so I’ve learned how to make a mean veggie burger by adding black beans and quinoa. Several other dishes have
The Republic of Palau celebrates its Independence Day on October 1. It became a free country on this day in 1994, after being a United Nations Trust Territory under U.S. administration for 47 years. Apparently they learned well from America, because this year they decided to put on a fireworks display! (I say this year because I have no idea whether or not they do this every year). We were very happy to hear this because when you are an American living abroad, the number one thing you miss every summer is fireworks on the fourth of July. Unfortunately a fireworks display
On Tuesday Fletch and I woke up to a tremendous thunder storm. Thunder storms are a rarity in Palau. We get no end of rain, especially this time of year, but tiny islands out in the middle of nowhere such as these experience a saddening dearth of thunder. Something to do with the ocean surface not warming up as much as land does. So low-lying air cannot heat to the capacity that is crucial for thunder storm formation. (That science lesson brought to you by NASA). Who doesn’t love a good thunderstorm? We woke up to booming and banging and rolling