Mittwoch, Februar 23rd, 2011
Journey
I took a flight with United Airlines from Manila to Palau/Koror. The safety-procedures were really high class, the best I ever had.
Take a jacket with U, into the boarding area! It is fucking cold there – they must be nuts. I were freezing by approximately 10 degree and I asked one of the staff there to switch off the air condition, cause we are all freezing.
The flight duration is 2:30 hours and I arrived on Palau early in the morning at 01:30AM.
„Yeah mon!“
to freeze one´s ass off
arrival at one of my lifelong goals
„Yeah mon – I´m on the way to get U!“
If it happened, that U don´t get a pick up from the ANNEX Airai View Guesthouse, ask the shuttle bus-driver from Fish N Fins, if one is around. He will give you a ride to the ANNEX.
I got a special offer from Lazarrenna, the owner of the Airai View, standard is 35,-US$ for an Apartment for single using at my time.
That’s very cheap for that Apartment, you only have to know, that you are 15-20 minutes by car away from Koror town. That makes you feel lonely sometimes, because there is no public traffic (bus) on Palau. Once they tried it, but that Company went bankrupt.
The reason is, that every family usually has minimum three cars!
Peleliu
You can drive to Peleliu with a speedboat or the common ferry, which I took for 8,75US$ (one person with a big and a small luggage). It takes about 2,5 hours to reach Peleliu north dock. It´s better to be on time, maybe 45 minutes for leaving, there to get a nice place for your staff and you. Ask the Palau Tourist Center for the timetable. I went on Mondays there and came back on next Sunday. Normally it’s a supply-ferry-boat, what means that a lot of other staff for the island is on the boat. Take some drinks and maybe some food with you. The route of the ferry is well protected of the reef and not rough at all.
the ferry boat
I was the first passenger on the boat, in case of the wrong information of the tourist office
the captain allowed me to drive his boat
very relaxed passengers on the boat
I got some rain by my arrival
If you have to run to a toilet, right after approaching the jetty ….
…. but I would not use the closest one!
… not really, isn´t it?
You can see already on the way from the Jetty to the town artifacts from the WWII
a japanese bunker
the thousand men cave
the plan of that cave
the road to the town, the most of the time empty like that
japanese machinegun post
the local church
There are some accommodation on Peleliu and its better you book via mail or phonecall in advance. Because sometimes, especially in high season it can be easily fully booked. I stayed in the Mayumi Inn, without any other tourist beside me. The room was OK, air-condition, clean with three beds – maybe you will need a mosquito net and shared bathroom (also staff) for 25.-US$ (that was one of the cheapest). Wenty´s Inn, in which I was interested before is the same expensive and looked not so good (Wenty is sick and on Koror already). There is a big open restaurant for the meals, which you have to book in advance. The staff is quiet shy and didn´t speak much with me. Only the two Philippines girls Susan and Gemma are very nice and open for some talking’s and jokes. The use of the fridge is possible and the breakfast for 7,50US$ was good with sausages, egg, marmalade, juice, bread (but expensive!) and always free coffee and tea. You can find some corner shops, in which you can also buy your own food and drinks. In two of the stores you can get a WiFi access with a card for 2 hours for 5,-US$ or 4 hours for 10,-US$ and the speed is quiet OK. So the only life on Peleliu is normally in the village Klouklubed. But the streets were on my time nearly always empty. OK it was low season, but I was hoping for a bit more. There is also no bar or restaurant, where you can meet each other in the evening. The locals are sitting at home and visiting each other. Many houses, some in a bad condition, are empty. The owners are living now on Koror or USA. Some are also only “weekend-houses” of the richer peoples from Koror. It is possible to rent one of these houses for approx. 100,- until 150,-US$ per month. But some of them are really broken and trash like many cars, just staying around and waiting for overgrown of the bush. The American way of life. Around the island you can watch many WWII relicts. There was a hard bloody fight between the Japanese and the Americans going on here with an invasion at the 5th September 1944. You can book a land tour, but I recommend you to hire a bike for 10,-US$ (check it and the chain before) and do it by yourself. There are no signs for the directions on the roads, but you will remember the place if you come along the second time. So you will see bunker, tanks, memorials, guns and houses of the war. More information´s about the war you get in the Museum. Take sufficient drinks with you and make some breaks. The nicest (or only) beach is the “Scarlet Beach” in the south of the island. But you need to be there on high tide, otherwise it´s not possible to swim there. Electricity is guaranteed for 24 hours like the air-condition. I guess in the high season the guests are staying in their own hotels. The Peleliu Divers need minimum two divers for going out – unlucky my, I was the only one at that time, so no diving! The diving center of Maml Divers was broken and empty.
I was very lucky, that the “softball goodwill tournament” was running on Peleliu during my stay from Wednesday until Saturday. So I had always the chance to watch the games and getting food and drinks there (some for free after the invitation of players). The players are peoples, which original from Peleliu, but living now in Koror, Guam or Siam. So the tournament is going around from country to country every year. It is a great fun for all and on Saturday was a big farewell party with Palauan music, dance, food and a lot of drinks.
snack´s for the players and the audience
folks from all ages were welcome
I really liked the show of the referee called „Blue“
girls were the better player 😉
men the better watcher 😉
They had party until 06:00 AM in the morning. If you want to get a nice dry place on the ferryboat, it´s better to be also on your way back on time (one hour before) at the jetty. So the one week in low season (no tourists and no diving) was more than enough to visit Peleliu.
The visit to the island “Angaur” in the south of Peleliu, you do best from Koror, because there is a separate ferryboat going, with no stopover at Peleliu.
Babeldaob
map
I rented a car for 29,-US per day and made a roundtrip on Babeldaob. The main street, which you normally never have to leave is very good. In the beginning I was driving strict in the signed speed limit. But later, as I saw I am nearly alone on the road I drove my own wise speed.
mein Mietauto für 29,-US$
So I made the round anticlockwise.
The first what I visited was the “Bai of Airai”, which is the oldest on Palau, built in 1890. It´s a men-meeting house, so a place of paradise without women. On the way there I saw beside the road some WW II relicts.
a tank
Bai von Airai
After that I drove uo to the Chapitol in Melekeok. It´s a really big building and still used from the government with many offices inside.
Capitol
Afterwards I drove further to the north, to see the 37 Stone-Basalt-Monoliths. You gotta buy the entrance-ticket on top of the hill by the Shade places. Watch nicely for the sign on the ride side on the road while you driving, it is not so big. Then you will walk down the steps through a garden to the monoliths, which laying there around, unknown from where they are.
the sign on the road
at the ticket place
down to the stones
„Blümchenfotograf“ again – hi Poppi
the first of the monolithes
thats one of the typical photo you´ll see or you saw already
trying t0 turn up the monolithe in right position
a nice view from the top to the north point of Babeldaob
places for a break
It takes you around 15 minutes from the main road, up to the monoliths.
Afterwards I visited the waterfall in the “Palau eco theme park”.
The way down to the waterfall was very quick.
I recommend you shoes for using on wet slippery stones (beach shoes or outdoor sandals). You have also the oppertubity to take the Canoby skid down.
a cog railway
for the easy way back.
the way through the riverbed
a chain bridge
The waterfall is about 15m high with an very shallow pool, in which you can maximum stay. A fancy visitor terrace with a small shop (which was closed at my visit) and loveliness, where you can hang up hearts with an lock are also there. The “one-eye-fish-pool” was empty and looked like, that no fish could survive inside.
the waterfall
…. happy Harry ….
the pools, those you can jump into
On my way back I were swatting a lot. Don´t forget to take enough drinking water with you. If you are lucky like me, you will find a wooden stick for using on the steps upstairs.
… just to hot and humid for me …
far to many steps …
… Blümchenfotograf!!! – hi Poppi
I needed 45 minutes from the waterfall back to Koror. You don´t have to fill up the tank completely, even when the car renting man tells you, that the gasoline is much more expensive in Babeldaob. You will never use a full tank for that roundtrip.
remains of a plane, just beside the road
Antelope Dive Shop – Palau Marine Club
The Dive Center with some rooms and cottages are a little bit hidden. You will find it close to Krämers Bar & Restaurant directly on the beach, behind the big “Shell gasoline storage”. It´s a medium sized house with two floors and a balcony around. In the first floor are also the rooms of the staff.
They have a small swimming pool, which is clean and a bar/restaurant, where they offer breakfast and other food to average prices. Here they offer 24 hours free tea, coffee and cold drinking water. What I really liked was the roofed terrace over the ocean with a sitting round, hammock and beach chairs. You will look directly to the harbor, where the fishing ships are going in and out, bad that´s not so bad (you hear a bit a noise like a running air-condition). There is no beach, just a wall going along, where sometimes the “Dingis” landing from the boats for a “land gang” or the daily excursion-boats starting.
They have a small office and shop with souvenirs. The most of the guests are Japanese, like the guides there. Small framed pretty slim girls, which are quiet friendly . The single rooms are small, clean (daily service) with a small fridge and air-condition and shared bathroom for 25,-US$. But if you go diving, you are anyway out the whole day, so the rooms are really sufficient. It´s one of the cheapest accommodation I found on Palau/Koror but with the nicest place and atmosphere. Beside the small rooms they are offering also cottages.
I took my self-made breakfast (pancakes with peanut butter and marmalade, toast from the Mini Mart shop and coffee) always on the terrace by a nice ocean breeze. I was listening to my music from my laptop, for which you find also some plugs on the terrace. Some mosquitos are flying there around in the evening, but the staff will bring you automatically mosquito defense. They don´t offer their WiFi for the guests, because the resource should be very low.
te diving boats
the diving there is only on „air“ – I like that!
diver´s, next time on Palau, we will dive hete!
and we stay in the …
If you need WiFi, I recommend you a visit at the “Drop Off”, max. 10 minutes apart from the Antelope dive shop on the main road towards to the town on the right side. If you taking there a drink or food (you can find small cheap staff – the burgersteak for 7,50US$ was quiet good with rice), you get the WiFi-access for free, ask for the password. You get always a refill for water and the ice tea!
the sign on the mainroad
with ocean view
also well protected by rain
and a common meeting point at nighttimes
An alternative is to buy the WiFi-cards for 5,- or 10,-US$ on the main road, which you can use in the Antlelope.
The whole staff (mostly from the Philippines) is very friendly and helpful by any question. They offer also an airport-shuttle-service for 10,-US$ per person, which is OK.
Sometimes Sam´s Tour renting the dive guides from here per day (Sam´s tour is across the road, about 10 minutes by feed on the other side of “Malakal-island”.
The diving center is small and looks not so professional, but a lot more flair than in Sam´s tour. They have here in high season four boats going out. It is very nice to watch from the terrace, how the divers are getting ready (preparing their equipment on the boat).
Besides the diving you can book here all other excursions like a visit by the jellyfish-lake, kayak-, snorkel- or land-tours and Rockisland-tours.
ANNEX Airai View Hotel or guesthouse
It’s a medium big white house only with Apartments. Just beside is a more expensive Hotel, with exactly the same name, pool and waterslides – don´t ask me why.
So the most peoples, which I told the name of my Hotel, thought I stay in the big Hotel. Make clear that is not the right Hotel.
„Frankenpower on Palau!“
It´s not easy to find out where the reception is, cause all rooms look the same. Some rooms are private from the staff, family, the office (1. Floor last door) or the kitchen (parterre in the middle).
Lazarrenna is a quite nice person and always helpful for getting information’s or bookings. Just ask her and don´t be shy. She is really happy if you ask her joining a visit at the church on “Saturdays”.
So my Apartment was a surprise, cause we had an arrangement only for a private room. The apartment has a big living area with kitchen (check if it is fully equipment).
A nice bathroom with a bathtub “(Badewanne), a sleeping room with two single beds, a closet, a desk, two small side-desks and a big balcony with the view to the bush and mountains. I let the two big doors completely open also at nighttime’s, cause I didn´t use the air condition. I got no problems at all with mosquitos or other staff. Punctually at 05:30AM and 06:00AM the rooster gives you a wake up call.
living area
cooking area
bathroom
balkony view
view to the left
planning my activities – kloa mit am Bier am Best´n (only for Prager´s)
Food is available, if you order it at the right time. I bought some of my food in the two small corner shops, down the road maybe 100 meter both on the left-hand side. It’s a very good and necessary Alternative to the WCTC supermarket, which is in Koror town (far away).
It was raining quiet often during my stay there (especially in the night) and the humidity (Luftfeuchtigkeit) is by around 85%. So to get your wet cloth try, it´s better to hang them up in the room.
If you are lucky you can use the free WiFi of the neighbour in a room in the 1st floor. Or you walk up to the big Hotel, having a small meal in the restaurant and getting during that time the Internet for free.
You can always use the telephone in the office in the 1st floor and the dial up there.
All the staff is very friendly and it happened often, that you getting an invitation of them.
If you want to go out more often during the day or in the evening and you don´t hire a car for the whole time, I recommend you a accommodation in Koror town. The “Antelope dive center” and the “Lehns” offering also cheap rooms for 25,- and 30,-US.
There are of course some more upper class Hotels in Koror, but they are out of my budget range.
DIVING
The most of the tourist are divers, because PALAU is one of the best diving destinations. The low season had just started on my time and all of the diving schools were not so busy. So some of them like Maml divers or Fish N Fins couldn´t promise to go out every day or to all diving spots.
That was the reason I choosed “Sam´s Tour” for diving, cause they are the biggest with the most divers. So the best chance for me to see as much different dive spots as possible. I took twice a five-days-package with 2-Tank-Dive including lunch, a visit to the Jellyfish-Lake, a 3rd dive into the “Chandlier cave” (you gotta do that! – like the Cenotes in Mexico) and free diving at the Jetty of Sam´s (not much, but Mandarin fishes and other small staff.
Sam´s Tour
It´s busy in the diving center like in a factory. Many staff is running around, also for the snorkel-, land- and Kayak-Trips. I couldn´t feel the typical familiar flair of a dive center. You will find a big white board with the daily schedule’s, but check it until your start, because the names are changing quiet often. That means also for you, that you can change your plan quickly to jump on a other boat in the morning if necessary.
If you take the rental equipment, check it nicely. My mouth piece was bitten off and I asked for a fixing for my Octopus. Later I used that one, because the breathing was much more comfortable with the Octopus.
turn right from the main road
the dive center
the office
best-liked diving spots
equipment storage place overnight, after rinsing
diving spot´s at Peleliu island, but for that you need an extra permit-payment
beside that jetty you might see the Mandarin-fishes
the rinsing bath
a bar and restaurant just beside
All boats are speedboats with two 150 horsepower on it. But that means also always quiet load during the trips. I would say the boat is full with ten divers! Shade and a dry box are on every boat available. The lunchbox, which you order always the day before is good and they are offering also two kinds of juice and always drinking water.
a gasoline station for the boats
You take your lunch on a nice beach or on the boat, depend on the crew or the sea-condition.
On your way to the dive spots you will often pass the famous “Rock Islands” with amazing colors around them.
watch and enjoy
… happy Harry!
In the high season, from November until May, it should be very crowded with divers. Maybe only at Sam´s with 100 divers and don´t forget the other diving centers. So it could happened, that you will be with many other boats on the dive spots, especially at the famous one, like German Channel, Blue Corner, Ulong Channel ect.. In case of that I´m happy that I´m here at low season, so we were max. eight divers on a boat and there were only two or three boats going out. On the other side we couldn´t go to every dive spot in case of the rough sea. So I had to go five times to Blue Corner for watching the grey reef sharks. For me as experienced Instructor a kind of boring – I am not sure, if you should go so often to the same spot, even when it is a good shark watching spot.
I told you baby I am comming
a grey reefshark on a hook
grey reefshark
grey reefshark
grey reefshark
that´s how divers are hooked on the reef at blue corner while passing grey reefsharks
grey reefshark
grey reefshark
a grey reefshark between the divers
grey reefsharks
that happend more often at that dive spot – how will it be in high season?
In the 5-days-package, they are offering the “Chandlier cave” as 3rddive, which I really recommend. Small and big Stalactites are hanging down and you can watch them during breathing at the surface. It´s enough, If you hire only one torch for a buddy team!
the entrance is quiet shallow, only by 3m – 4m depth
impressions of the stalagtites inside
impressions of the stalagtites inside
impressions of the stalagtites inside
there are four cavern
stalagtites under water
stalagtites under water
at the surface in a cavern
stalagtites
stalagtites
stalagtites under water
exit is the same like entrance
So the dive spots at all are mostly wall dives. In shallow area they´re sometimes broken or sandy. The plateaus are all nearly broken, no wonder if you lay down on it or you are hooked on the reef, during watching the sharks. You can see all different kind of reef fishes and also schools of them. Quiet seldom are Moray eals, lionfishes and scorpion fishes. We saw many turtles, but not the really big ones.
nudibranch
spotted porcupine fish
bufflehead parrotfish
a small Manta Raywamm
sponges
softcoral
my darlings
batfish
stingray
octopus
…. changing his outfit
small Muray Eal
very tamely Napoleon Wrasse, also at the blue corner dive spot
Baracudas
Baracudas
a hawksbill turtle – Karettschildkröte
green turtle – Suppenschildkröte
The dive on the WW II Helmet wreck
http://www.fishnfins.com/v2/en/dive-sites/helmet-wreck.html
wreck impressions
My dive at the Blue Hole
the entrance
the descent
the Blue Hole
an impressive cathedral
„take only pictures – leave only bubbles“
The dive on the WW II Iro & Sola wreck
http://www.fishnfins.com/v2/en/dive-sites/iro.html
follow that line on your way back
a good place for your safety-stop
Whitetip-Reefsharks
Our visit at the Jellyfish Lake was in the morning, before our first dive. So it seemed that the Jellyfishes just woke up and started their way to the surface closer to the sun. I saw in Germany in the TV a report with much more of them around the snorkelers. So if possible try to go there later on the day.
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ongeim’l_Tketau#.22Mastigias_cf._papua_ssp._etpisoni_-_The_Golden_Jellyfish.22)
Mastigias jellyfishes
they are all not stinging
on their way to the surface …
… for following the sun during the day
my swimmingcoat is for sunprotection, not for the jellyfishes
„what a beauty!“
no diving, only snorkeling allowed
eye for an eye
Make sure, that you get the two specials in your package (speak with the ladies in the office). Also in the end by your payment check exactly, it´s not always correct, but no problem at all to fix it immediately.
The pickup service from Sam´s is only in the area of Koror, not outside. Bad for me, cause I stayed in the State Airai, 6km a part from Koror and I had to find a way to come to the closest pick up place from Sam´s, which was the WCTC supermarket.
… just wait a bit – Palauan time
I was lucky, that two local guy´s took me every day directly to Sam´s diving center, because they working right beside.
On the way back it´s never a problem, because the drop off service is guaranteed for every place. If you need stop overs on your way home, just ask the drivers they are doing everything for you.
