It never rains in Southern California

And it’s not supposed to rain in Palau this time of year. But, just our luck, Palau’s weather patterns are changing and this year has seen an inordinate rainfall during this, the supposedly dry season. Chalk up another one for global warming and its effects on the world’s weather. We make it to the beach on Saturday afternoon after checking into the Carolines Resort. We’ve been traveling since Wednesday morning so we need to relax and unwind. Lather on the sunscreen and get ready to soak up some rays. Maybe 26 seconds worth. Then the skies opened up and we got soaked. So much for our first day in this island paradise.
We didn’t have a whole lot of fun getting here either. We started with a short 45 minute hop from Toronto to Detroit. But only after an extra 30 minutes of de-icing thanks to our lovely weather. At least, we’ll be leaving winter behind. The second leg took us from Detroit to Tokyo, a distance of almost 19 800 km (probably the longest single flight we’ve ever taken - maybe surpassed only by Los Angeles to Sydney). We went north over Hudson’s Bay and passed over Russia before heading south to Japan. The flight seemed even longer because the electronics on the plane weren’t working properly and we lacked the constant updates of our progress on the tracking display. We just flew on and on and the sun kept shining. Two saving graces–we had an empty seat between us which made things comfortable and the airline did a good job of feeding us (a nice dinner, sandwich snack and breakfast).
After a three hour wait in Tokyo, we flew on to Manila (a mere 2200 km) where we overnighted at the Oasis Hotel. The taxi driver had some trouble finding the hotel so it was close to midnight (on Thursday night) before we were able to hit the sack. The flight to Palau doesn’t leave until ten o’clock on Friday night so we have a day to wander around and see some of Manila, particularly Rizal Park, the old walled city of Intromoros and the church of St. Augustin (easy to tell it was a Roman Catholic church as it shared many similar features with St. Patrick’s in St. John’s).
The taxi ride to the airport was an exercise in frustration for our driver. Traffic was horrendous and driving habits left a lot to be desired. Signaling lane changes must be against the rules. Drivers rely on accelerator, brake and horn. Check in was a breeze as were immigration and security. There was a second, much more thorough security check at the gate. The flight landed in Palau at 1:50 am, immigration, customs and luggage went quickly, the pick-up from Lehns Hotel was on hand and the hotel was only a short ride. Still in all, it was past 3 am when we finally closed the door of our hotel room. We’ll check in after we get some sleep.
Actually, we’ll check out at the same time as this was just an overnight rest. We’re off to the Carolines Resort, which has beach privileges with the Palau Pacific Resort. We’re in a bungalow up in the hills with a gorgeous view. The downside is that this ‘resort’ doesn’t have any facilities beyond the eight bungalows. The people are terrific but we’re dependent on the resort’s shuttle service to get back and forth to the beach and to the restaurants in town. The shuttle service used to be free but now it carries a small fee.
We spend the next two days at the PPR. The beach is adequate, the resort is beautiful and the prices for lunch are surprisingly reasonable. The snorkeling is generally very good with plenty of colorful fish and outstanding giant clams. We even see a ray, a turtle, an octopus and a sea snake (note the singular). Two things keep the snorkeling from the terrific category. There isn’t as much coral as we’d like to see, particularly the soft corals. The biggest drawback is the visibility factor. The water just isn’t very clear. Maybe the daily rains have something to do with this because there’s a lot of sediment in the water. It certainly isn’t coming from wave action stirring up the sand because this is about the flattest stretch of ocean I’ve ever seen.
On Tuesday morning, we have time for one last snorkel at the PPR before we check out of the Carolines. Just as we’re about to begin the transfer of our luggage to the shuttle, the skies open and it starts to pour. It’s still raining heavily when we check in (again) at Lehns. The rest of the afternoon swung back and forth between downpour and drizzle. At least we don’t have to worry about sunburn today. Incidentally, this is the closest we’ve ever been to the Equator and the sun is really strong (when it shines). I’m finding that even my 30 and 15 SPF lotions aren’t quite up to the challenge. Using an 8 gives me about fifteen minutes before I burn. I think I need to find some new sun screen before we begin taking some of these full day boat trips.

Packing for Palau

It’s almost here. We leave for Palau on Wednesday. Of course, we don’t get there until Friday (it’s a long trip and we cross the International Date Line). It’s been a long time coming. We first started thinking/dreaming about Palau more than ten years ago when we learned about Jellyfish Lake. Just think–snorkel with jellyfish and don’t worry about stings. In 2002, we found our first magazine article with information and pictures and, in 2005, “Survivor” was sited in Palau’s Rock Islands. One of the rewards given to the winners of a challenge was a visit to Jellyfish Lake.
The big problem with Palau has always been its location. It’s out by itself in the North Pacific. You can’t just swing by on your way to somewhere else. You fly into Palau and then you fly back to where you started. For years, that looked like Hawaii to Guam to Palau. This trip we’re going Tokyo to Manila to Palau so we’ll stay over in the Philippines for a couple of weeks afterwards and check out a few more snorkeling spots.
But first we must get through the packing. I just love those magazine articles (and the Tilley catalogue) which suggest you can get all you need for an around-the-world trip into one little carry-on. Most times, we seem to travel with ‘the kitchen sink’. This year, I’m determined to travel light. Northwest and Continental both have generous baggage allowances but PAL has a 15 kg limit on their fights. So, I select my clothing carefully with an emphasis on mix-and-match and washability and I’m pleasantly surprised. I have a neat little pile laid out (emphasis on little). Maybe it will fit into one carry-on piece.
But, wait. I need to add my toiletries. And my shoes (how many pairs?). And my snorkel gear. Guess I will need a big bag. Have I forgotten anything? Oh, yeah, suntan lotions or I’ll be a lobster. Adaptors and such to accommodate the electrical system and plugs in Asia. My vitamins and pills (it was a lot simpler when I was younger). Some basic foodstuff just in case I don’t like the local cuisines. Tea bags, of course. And what would tea be without Carnation milk. A couple of books to read and some crossword puzzles to while away down time. Now, we’re into one checked bag and one carry-on. Two carry-ons, actually because I need to take my laptop if I’m going to keep blogging and posting pictures. Doreen’s having similar problems. Guess we’ll have to put excess baggage fees into our budget.
I bought a travel vest from Magellan’s last year and it’s many pockets will come in handy for all the left-over things–iPod, camera, Gorillapod, peppermint knobs, etc. Yes, sirree, I’m really traveling light this year.