Off to Blue Corner

This morning saw a beautiful sunrise, but we were hammered with humidity the moment we left the hotel room and headed for breakfast at 6 am.  The clouds overhead looked a little bit ominous, but rains happen here quickly, with some intensity, and then they break.

Rain first hit during breakfast, it was just a bit of a drizzle, not a downpour, and Jodi’s positive mental attitude sent it spinning away by the time we made it to Sam’s.  We geared up, and headed out.  And then the rain started again!  The sky in front of us was blue, but as we continued forward, the grey was encroaching.

We were hoping for German Channel, but the divemaster check showed us it was not quite the right current, we would have had to have left sooner to catch it correctly.

So off to the not so horrible Blue Corner!  We entered on the inner area close to Blue hole, and drifted up to the corner.  It was dark, and there were tons of pelagics, Current was minimal, so after hooking in for about 20 minutes, we went across the corner to the outgoing side, seeing sharks, turtles, clown triggerfish, and garden eels along the way.  The pelagics swarming on the outer wall were magnificent as well.

Since I’m just getting the hang of this new GoPro camera, my pictures are not quite up to speed, but I’ll get there!

The next two dives were Ngemelis Coral Garden to Blue Corner, followed by Big Drop Off.  We narrowly missed seeing an ornate eagle ray (insert sad face here), but were still treated to star puffer fish, juvenile sweet lips, batfish, sharks galore, and a good number of Napoleon wrasse.  Lunch between these was at Two Dog Island, where there are no dogs, and we indulged in bentos and crab racing while resting.                                         

Then back to Sam’s for dive gear maintenance, Red Rooster beer, and dinner at Kramer’s, a local favorite haunt.  Somewhere during the course of this blog, I will write about the local restaurants and provide links! 

It was a lot cooler on tonight’s walk as compared to last night, but Wayne and I still got lost despite Jodi’s good advice on a short cut road.  We now dub it Jodi’s road, and I promise to remember it always.  It was rather hot and still up at Kramer’s, and Jodi noted that the fans weren’t running, so despite a wonderful meal, it was still somewhat uncomfortable.

Then back to the hotel where we parted ways.  Wayne crashed and burned almost immediately, while I further logged dives, looked into my dive computer settings, and outlined this blog.

Friday means German Channel (we hope) and Jellyfish Lake, and perhaps a shot at “Sam’s Wall.”

Back in the (dive) saddle again

Woke up several times through the night, but finally got up at about 4:30 to a beautiful sunrise.  Breakfast was at 6 am, so there was time to get ready for the day, final checks were done on the gear, and we headed downstairs.

Uneventful breakfast, but it was a very pleasant spread.  Matt and Jodi met up with us for breakfast, and we parted ways until it was time for the boat to bring us to Sam’s.  We did use it this morning, but will probably walk the majority of the remainder of the time.

When we arrived at the dock, it was familiar, yet different.  Most of the staff has turned over, the operational layout has changed, some of the familiar sights are gone within the common area, and many amenities were repositioned.  But the most important part remained:  Joedyn was there, and he is our guide for the next 7 days of diving!!!!

Arson no longer drives for Sam’s, and we found out that the reason is that he is finishing up serving a sentence for dealing narcotics!  On the other hand, Shaft (former kayak guide) is back, and Matt (former tech dive advisor) has been allowed back in the country as he married a local national.

Oh, the drama of Sam’s.

We headed out on our boat, the Card Shark, with our new driver JC, and one additional passenger, a dive trade magazine associate editor out of Chicago named Joe.  He once was a divemaster, it seems, and he was very knowledgeable about his nudis and fish, and he carried a HUGE dive camera outfit.

Because of the unusually high incoming tide, we had a different first day schedule than Joedyn had planned.  Our first dive was Turtle Cove, one site not too badly affected by last year’s typhoon.  We descended, and we did indeed see a turtle or four, plus a fair number of sharks.  Near the end of the dive, we were encompassed by a large school of groupers, the largest number I have had that close to me at once.

Dive two was Blue Hole to Blue Corner.  Because of the incoming tide, the water was darker and greener than I remembered, but the dive still magnificent.  We went down in the hole, where we saw my first eel of the trip (and of the year), a young Napoleon wrasse (female), and a large number of disco clams.  We ascended at 50 feet and proceeded to the corner, where we were treated to dozens of pelagics.  Breathtaking.

Our last dive started at Turtle Wall (formerly known as Fern’s Wall), and took us to New Drop Off.  Nice drift dive, and we hooked in for a bit as we were treated to a show.

Home to Red Rooster beer, sashimi, a bit of a hike to the Taj for dinner (ok, in the dark, on an unlit path next to the only road running through town, it did take a while to get there, and we were HOT when we arrived), and a spectacular meal, as remembered.

I love Palau!

Somebody please remind me to never book this way again

Today was a busy road trip kind of day - with a little heavy shopping to kick it all off.  Wayne had not been able to make the Babeldaob road tour the last time we were in Palau, so this was a new experience for him, as well as Matt and Jodi.  There was enough new in the travel that made it really worthwhile for me as well!

We started out at the prison gift shop after making a stop at the Bank of Hawaii teller machine.  Let me clue you in about that machine - you can take up to $300 out if you are not a BOH customer, BUT you can take the $300 out twice in succession.  Just in case you think you’re going to buy a lot at the prison gift shop.  I wound up getting a manta ray storyboard with sea life, no story, and Matt and Jodi got a turtle of the same persuasion.  Auntie was particularly helpful in negotiating sales.  I did find out that when prisoners leave, they have the option to leave their carvings there or take them along with.  If they are sold, the prison notifies them, and they can come pick up their cash.  It is a cash and carry business.

(BTW, I am writing this page a few days after being home, so my remembrance of site names where we visited will likely be sketchy).

From here, we took off over the Friendship Bridge, and hit the Compact Road that circles Babeldaob, which now seats the capitol building.  Our first stop was a traditional Bai, which had been badly damaged by Typhoon Bopha.  It remains in disrepair as the village chiefs continue to argue over how to fix it.  I had forgotten about the pee holes and spit holes in the floors...but they are still there!  Hopefully the Chiefs will come to agreement soon, or the women who appoint them may have to choose new ones!                                                                    

From here it was off to the terraces - you can see how they were built in order to defend against invaders based upon the surrounding steep slopes.  We got to see a newly discovered gun as well as the terraced farming areas.

Back on the road, we hit two more WWII sites where we saw defensive positions originally manned by the Japanese (I think it was them and not the Germans), with intact weaponry.  Some things still remain! 

One main location on our agenda was the Ngardmau Waterfall, where we saw a baby crocodile, and went down to the Waterfall itself.  Jodi and Matt hiked down and back up, and Wayne and I took the tram -- next time, better shoes for the redhead is a requirement.

Yes, there were zip lines!  The train ran along a bauxite mining rail line, which was mined by the Japanese for construction of their wartime materiels.  No mining happens any more, as it is not safe.           

The waterfall was spectacular, the tram ride a little freaky as it wobbled from side to side. 

After the waterfall, we were off to another WWII observation/defense site, and a bombed out lighthouse.  I will have to do a little more research on that at some point in the future.  It was well constructed, and utterly destroyed by the bombing.  There are still bullets in the surrounding area.

From here it was off to Badrulchau to see the monoliths.  Auntie surmised that people brought the basalt figures and faces on rafts, and that is how they were deployed around the Pacific (think Ponape, Kosrae and Easter Island).  I’m sure that there are plenty of theories.

Then a quick jaunt around the Capitol (and Auntie’s opinion of the folly of that investment has not changed since 2006!), and we were headed to the Taj for our final dinner.  Matt and Jodi got to enjoy the Chilli Crab (Mangrove crab), and the evening was deemed successful.  Our local cab driver (Len? Lou? I have his card somewhere!) picked us up and brought us back to the hotel where we napped before heading to the airport.

We went through the same problem at the Palau airport as we did coming in because of the separate reservations.  Because Matt and Jodi had three legs, their baggage ticket had to be hand written.  We kept our fingers crossed for their bags.

We were delayed by the late arrival of the flight from Manila.  I found out that the flight from Guam was being held for us, so I felt better about that.  We arrived one gate away from the departing flight, but we unfortunately had to process through customs and wait to be allowed to re-enter the airport (did you know that means going through security screening again?).

We dashed to the plane, boarded, and headed back to Honolulu.  This time, the flight was without event.  And Matt and Jodi’s bags made it!  They had plenty of time for their connecting flight to Houston, so we were all on our way.

Looking forward to the next dive trip with Matt & Jodi (BVI, here we come), good diving companions!

Hello, old friend

May 28, 2013

Today we head out back to see a place that is very familiar to us (although we understand that it has changed greatly!), Palau.  We will be diving with our standard favorites, Sam’s Tours, where we hope to be teamed up with our favorite pair, Joedyn and Arson, dive guide and boat driver extraordinaire.  We are staying at a new location, the Sea Passion, which was under construction when we were there last, 2008.

Palau is part of the larger island group of Micronesia, and there are about 20,000 natives and 8,000 foreign nationals spread among over 250 islands.  The country was initially settled by migrating Filipinos, but was eventually made part of the Spanish East Indies in 1885.  Palau was sold to the Germans in 1899 after the Spanish American War, and the islands were conquered by the Imperial Japanese Navy in WWI.  As part of the League of Nations South Pacific Mandate, Palau was ruled by Japan.  During WW II, Palau was the center of many battles between the Japanese and Americans, and afterwards it was made part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands in 1947.  In 1994, Palau became a republic under a Compact of Free Association with the United States after voting to not become part of the Federated States of Micronesia.  It is still under US military protection, and its citizens can migrate freely to our shores (they even are a part of  our military). 

The main populated islands are Angaur (although a large part of their population is monkeys!), Koror (which houses about 2/3 of the population), Babeldaob and Peleliu.  All the islands have their own elementary schools, but when the children are ready for junior/senior high school, they have to go to Koror, which has the country’s only high school.  And the country’s community college as well.

One of my favorite facts is that Palau is the world’s first shark sanctuary - all commercial shark fishing has been banned.  The sanctuary protects about 230,000 square miles of ocean. 

We take with us Jodi & Matt Zajac for their first visit.  We have had a nice 5 days with them here in Hawaii getting ready for our vacation away from just about everything!  This is Wayne’s 13th visit, and my 8th, so I’m hoping for a little more luck in seeing mantas in German Channel.

I will be writing the blog daily, but not too sure about our connectivity, so there may be a mass upload at the end, or it may work out while we are there.

Have a great week!!!

And for those who want to know:

Hello, Look out!                  Alii. (a-LEE)

Stop, that's enough!            Merkong! (Murr-GONG)

Don't forget.                        Lak mobes! (Lokko-mo-BESS)

Let's go.                                Dorael. (do-RILE)

Go away!                               Bom cheroid! (Bom-a-ROYD)

Have something to eat!       Bo momengur. (Bo-mo-mung-OOR)

Come in.                               Bemtuu. (Bem-TOO)

Come!                                    Mei. (MAY)

Like that.                              Ng uai sei. (WIGH-SAY)

No.                                        Ng diak. (In-dee-AHK)

Yes.                                       Choi, O' Oi. (OH-OY)

Thanks.                                 Sulang. (Soo-LAHNG)

Thank you.                           Ke kmal mesaul. (Kuk-MAHL-ma-SAHL)

What happened to you?      Ke K'lsakl? (Ke-K'LSAKL)

What are you doing?            Ke mekerang? )Ke-mugga-RAHNG)

What's the latest?                 Ngera chised? (N-RAH-ee-SEDD)

How many?                           Ngtelag. (ngtel-AHNG)

What is the price?                Ngtelang a cheral? (ngtela-ah-RAHL)

My name is _____.                 A ngklek a ____. (Ahng-KLEEK-a ____)

What is your name?              Ngtecha ngklem? (ngte-AHNG-KLEMM)

I'm fine.                                 Ak Mesisiich. (Ahk-mess-ee-SEE-uh)

How are you?                        Ke ua ngerang? (ka-wanna-RAHNG)

Come again (goodbye).         Mechikung. (may-ee-KOONG)

I am leaving (goodbye).        Ak morolung. (Ahk-more-oh-long)

Where are you going?          Ke mo er ker? (ke-MORE-GARE)

Good evening.                      Ungil kebesengei. (ong-EEL-kebba-sung-AY)

Good afternoon.                  Ungil chodechosong. (oong-EEL-OTH-o-O-Song)

Good Morning.                    Ungil tutau. (oong-EEL-too-TOW)

Forget DC United, We're Going to NASA!!

Wayne woke up early this morning all excited about going to see the DC United opening match tonight.

I woke up excited about going to NASA - thank you Matt very much for suggesting that rather than picking up a space suit for Will at the airport!  I was practically giddy - total geek, am I.

We had a circuitous route heading to NASA.  Our first stop was to go down to a lake area in Jodi & Matt’s community - they have resident bald eagles!  We walked for a while along the path and saw houses that would fit our little shack in the foyer.  Wow.  The air was pretty crisp, but we were both comfortable out on the path.  We didn’t see any bald eagles, unfortunately.  Nevertheless, it is an absolutely beautiful community.

From there we proceeded to Jodi & Matt’s dive shop (they arrange what appear to be great dive trips), and then headed out south (I think) of Houston.  The city skyline is very impressive, and much taller than that of Honolulu.

Lunch was Indian cuisine en route, and then we got to NASA!  My first stop was the gift shop, where we picked up goodies for Will and Kate.  I think he will love his orange space suit!  Then we walked through exhibits on the floor of the entry building, before seeking out one of the tours.

The first stop on the tour was the original mission control center, which is located above the current mission control center.  We got a detailed history, and we got to look around quite a bit before heading back onto the tram.

We then rode over to the rocket park, and we toured around outside and inside - both were equally cold!  And amazing.  You get to look inside the space capsules/rockets/etc and see how very small the living space is inside.  It is amazing that people have been able to withstand the journey up and back again without excessive claustrophobia! 

Afterwards, we returned on the tram to the main exhibit floor (you may NOT walk back through the NASA property, you must travel only by tram), and then we headed back to Houston to meet up with fellow DC United Screaming Eagles fans.  We met up at the Home Plate, a bar across from the stadium.  There was no room for us downstairs with the rest of the fans, so we grabbed our four tickets (Jodi and Matt agreed to sit with the DC fans!), and went upstairs to nosh.  The main body of the group left before we did, so we weren’t part of the police escorted group.  Didn’t really miss out on much, I don’t think.

Seating was a little fluid (we wound up near the banner, which was good since it served to hold off the wind), and the weather was frigid!  The Eagles screamed themselves hoarse during the course of the match, which started off pretty well defensively.  Bill Hamid (my fourth husband) fended off multiple shots on goal successfully - for a long while.  Unfortunately, Houston then scored off of a DC United own goal.  Totally depressing.  And the punishment continued thereafter, with DC having no shots on goal at all during the game, and losing 3-0 at the end.  We (as part of the larger group) were asked to stay and wait, and then we had the police escort back tot he parking area.  Despite the loss and the freezing cold weather, it was good to be out of Hawaii and visiting with friends.

We will have to come back and spend some more time in Houston - Jodi thinks a week - and see more of what it (and surrounding areas in Texas) has to offer.  But maybe in April or May, not in the winter!  :)

Thank you Jodi & Matt for hosting us this weekend!