Palau: Jewel in the Pacific

Mention Palau to me and my mind conjures up images of a distant, exotic place, with clear blue water all around, fishes, birds, flowers, peace and quiet... So when this paper's Lifestyle executive editor Mayen Tan asked, "Are you free to go to Palau on May 30?," the wanderlust in me said yes right away.

I flew to Palau with a group of travel agents, dive operators and press people from Cebu and Davao. Other than the group itinerary, I didn't have a personal itinerary except to go shopping for some souvenirs for my family and favorite friends. I only wanted to enjoy and savor the place: touch, smell and taste. Asian Spirit took off at 8:30 p.m. from Davao International Airport and touched down in Palau International Airport in Airai at 10 p.m. (11 p.m. Palau time) after a pleasant 1 1/2 hour flight. We were welcomed in the airport by representatives from the Palau Visitors Authority (PVA) and Joy Whipps, our designated tour guide. Joy is a Filipino married to a Palauan and runs a travel agency there. After a briefing at the airport, Joy whisked us off to our hotel in Koror, the Palau Royal Resort, to get some rest.

Alii and welcome to Palau

Palau, an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, is home to the world's most beautiful tropical paradise punctuated with cultural and archaeological attractions, not to mention year-round pleasurable climate with a kind and gentle population to match.

The island group, fondly referred to as Belau by the natives, is divided into 16 states each maintaining the traditional clan system with English and Palauan as the official languages. Only eight of the more than 300 islands dotting the archipelago are inhabited with Koror, the capital and the only city, accounting about 12,000 of the total 20,000 Palauan population.

Palau is famous for carved wooden storyboards recounting ancient legends; fine pandan weaving; unique postage stamps; and contemporary paintings and prints.

Culture is an important part of all that Palauans do and gives meaning and significance to any event. According to Darin de Leon, PVA managing director, Palauans are proud of their unique cultural heritage. "We still practice traditional customs and hold values unique to our heritage."

Some of the old traditions that are still practiced to this day are weaving and storyboard carving. Darin said schools are even mandated to have weaving and carving lessons so skills will be handed down to the younger generations. Aside from keeping the tradition, Darin said the learning of weaving and carving skills also creates livelihood, as weavers and carvers are paid well for their work. The storyboard carving is even considered as one of the thriving industries in Palau and storyboards as the ultimate Palauan souvenir.

Another traditional practice that got me interested was the one Joy shared to us about rites of passage. Because Palauans value interpersonal relationships and are generally group-oriented, ceremonies that mark the major events in a person's life such as birth, marriage and death involve large numbers of people and bring together relatives. One example is the Motuobed or Ngasech, a joyous occasion which celebrates the arrival of a new baby (first child) and ensures the health of the mother. The new mother undergoes a hot bath ritual which is culminated by her presentation, dressed in traditional wear, to a waiting crowd. The ceremony is culminated with dancing, singing and feasting.

Like the Philippines, Palau is influenced by a series of colonial powers. The island came under the rule of Spain in 1885, Germany (1899), Japan (1919) and finally the United States at the end of World War II in 1946. In 1994, Palau gained its independence when it signed the Compact of Free Association with the United States.

The Philippines and Palau enjoy good relationship which dates back to the time when former Navy servicemen were hired to commission Palau's first postwar power plant. The relationship became even closer when Filipinos started to come to Palau in substantial numbers in the 70s.

"As of end of 2005, there are 4,577 Filipino workers here," says Philippine Ambassador to Palau Ramoncito S. Mariño.

It's a waterworld

Palau's main attraction is its waters - in all conceivable hues you could imagine: blue, green-emerald, jade, navy, olive, indigo - and the most popular pastime is, of course, water sports. Take your pick: scuba diving, sport fishing, boating, water skiing, outrigger canoeing, kayaking and ocean exploration of inland marine lakes, caves and wrecks. Famous for its magnificent barrier reefs (rated by marine experts as among the seven underwater wonders of the world), sublimely verdant isles and extensive network of sugary white sand beaches, Palau is paradise for water sports enthusiasts, especially scuba divers.

I had the chance to experience the majesty of Palau in its premier attraction - the phenomenal Rock Islands courtesy of Sam's Tours, the biggest tour operator in Palau. Sam's provided our group with a speedboat, two guides JR and Icka who are both Pinoys, a flamboyant Palauan Jake who captains the boat, and the equipment for snorkeling and scuba diving.

One of the natural masterpieces of the Pacific, the Rock Islands is the collective name for the hundreds of luxuriant limestone outcrops which jut straight up from aquamarine seas. Formed from the weathering of ancient uplifted reefs, the islands have secluded beaches, lush rainforest, tranquil channels, clear, tropical aquamarine water, and unbelievably rich coral formations and marine life. A whole day is not enough to explore the special treasures of the islands so we opted for the attractions that most visitor see.

We started off with Milky Way Island. Enclosed in sky-high limestone rocks, it is the product of eroded lime that has settled deep down the sea floor a long time ago. The highlight here was the creamy mudpack-like sand which according to locals are effective skin exfoliant. Some of us in the group lost no time to try the mudpack madness, spreading the fine sand on the whole body. Those who tried said they felt refreshed - like a newly scrubbed baby.

Next on our Rock Island itinerary was Mecherchar Island, home of an intriguing natural wonder - the Jellyfish Lake. Getting into the lake was a fitness test as we had to climb the mountain to go down to the lake. It was a difficult climb but the lake that awaits below was well worth the effort. I was greeted by a magical stretch of water trapped inside a Rock Island. JR said the lake is fed by rainwater and is home to thousands of jellyfish that have mutated from salt to fresh water habitat and who have lost their sting. No sting, eh? I hurriedly put on my snorkel and took a plunge into the water. At first I only saw small fishes then further on I met my first jellyfish- a small one- and then my friend Lesley signalled for me to go deeper into the lake as there are more jellyfish in there. True enough, more and more jellyfish started to pick their way to me (or was it I picking my way towards them?). Whatever! All I know was that there were lots of them anywhere - in front, beside and behind me. Snorkelling with them - and there are thousands upon thousands of them crammed together as they have no natural predators - was a fascinating, surreal experience that will forever be etched in my mind.

After being "smothered" by the jellyfish, we decided to take a break from all the underwater sight-seeing and proceeded to Long Island for lunch. One of only few islands that have beach fronts, Long Beach has white powdery beach dotted with coconut and other shady trees. It is here where most Rock Islands visitors converge for lunch because after picnicking they can swim and the island's nice scenery provides postcard-pretty backdrop to all the photo shoots. Perhaps I should also mention here that Palau has very strict rules to follow when you visit the Rock Islands. For one, some islands are off-limits. Meaning you can't go near or set foot on these islands. You just have to admire them from your boat. And why is that? Jake said it is to protect the environment and to preserve the islands' "virgin" state. The strict rules are well complemented by the locals' discipline and obedience. "No ma'am, it's against the law. This is the nearest we can go," was Jake's reply when we pleaded with him to go into one of the restricted islands. Another island rules that the locals strictly adhere to is the "take nothing, leave the island as you found it" policy. I personally witnessed the Palauan obedience to this rule when we packed up after lunch. JR and Jake picked up our garbage and carry this back to our boat to be disposed of properly when we get back to the mainland. Strict rules and a people that see to it these rules are carried out. No wonder Palau is clean and has remained an earnestly enchanting land, a tropical paradise of untouched coral reefs rife with exotic sea life.

We continued our island hopping after lunch, riding through glistening waters and passing through the other islands - some smaller, others bigger but all the same offering the same breathtaking rock formation. We dropped anchor in an island but its name has elapsed my memory so let me just call it Shark Island because it is here where we saw sharks. As in sharks in shallow water. You can see clearly the coral formation and the shark gliding through it. The sighting encouraged the group to get into the water but what if the sharks will bite? "Don't worry sharks in Palau are vegetarian," was Jake's inviting reply which illicited a laugh from all of us. So off we jumped and swam with sharks and other marine residents for an hour.

From Shark Island, our guides led us to another snorkeling episode in Cemetary Island. This is the site for my most unforgettable - ultimate!-snorkel experience in the Rock Islands. I was able to feed the fish and saw a wealth of underwater creatures: yellow tails, groupers, napoleon wrasses, jack fishes, and others that I can't identify. Never in my life had I been swarmed with such a number of fish in such dazzling colors: yellow, blue, green, pink, white, silver depending where you look. Palau is truly a water enthusiast's fantasy!

I bade farewell to the magical Rock Islands and went back to Palau Royal Resort with a treasure trove of experience tucked in my memory.

Going To Palau?

Let Asian Spirit take you there. Utilizing its new British Aerospace (BAe) 146, the airline flies three times weekly to the island from Davao every Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday at 8:30 p.m. They even have special tour packages of 3 or 4 nights starting at US$460. For reservations, call the Asian Spirit Ticket Sales Office at (032) 2334261 to 64.

FOR A TRULY SATISFYING PALAU EXPERIENCE. We recommend the Palau Royal Resort (+680 488-8877; www.palau-royal-resort.com); and Sam's Tours (+680 488-1062; www.samstours.com)