The funny thing is that you can often smell land before you see it. We noticed this when we were getting closer to the Philippines. It was a unique blend of palm oil, car exhaust fumes and burning garbage. However, when we were getting closer to Palau the man made fumes were replaced by the beautiful smell of vegetation. Also up to two days from land we sighted a lot of seabirds flying past the boat and some (obviously exhausted) would even come to rest for up to 12 hours on the swaying spreaders or the solar panels. They would do several circuits of the boat, then several attempts at landing, before finally landing safely.
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| Land Ho - Palau. |
We finally sighted land at first light on the 16th April and it looked beautiful. Palau is a collection of forested islands (250) surrounded by reef. Officially part of the western edge of the Caroline Islands, they seem to be stuck out on their own in the western Pacific, numerous nautical miles from anywhere.
Palau is notoriously difficult to navigate, so with the use of our chart plotter we definitely felt the job of navigating through the reef would be easy. Yeh right!!! According to the chart plotter the safe entry point would have had us going up and over the reef, just about where this poor boat was shipwrecked on the reef. Maybe the captain had the same chart plotter?
So what were we going to do? After much deliberation it was decided that the old fashion method would be the best. One of the crew would have to climb up the mast and hang on for grim life. Then find the deep water and navigate us through using hand signals. Lucky it was a clear sunny day and it was nearing 11 am, so there were no long shadows. The short straw went to the youngest and the fittest, Andy.
Finally inside the reef we were safe and sound, even though we were exhausted we were also exhilarated. No more bad weather, no more obstacles (reef) and we would be going ashore - soon!!!! We wasted no time looking around the other islands and made haste to the main island, Koror. Our timing was off yet again and we had arrived on a Sunday. Country entry fees skyrocket for weekends. But it was either pay the Palau officials time and a half or pay the crew an extra day's wages. The officials were cheaper.
The Palau officials were very friendly and efficient. Checking below and doing all the paperwork with the minimum of fuss, and with no bribes too. Concern for them was our food. We had no fresh produce left but the meat in the freezer concerned them. So we agreed to have that quarantined while in Palau - meaning we didn't use it while in Palau. Fine by us - we needed to buy fresh produce from the supermarket anyway before we could make a meal. Plus there were numerous cheap restaurants around (about half the price for the same restaurants in Australia) and who would want to cook in this heat anyway. The officials even gave us a lift to the nearest ATM. Now that is service. They explained that they liked welcoming Australians to the island, as Australia would service their border protection boats for them. Strange, we thought the Americans would do this, as they had "a free association" with the US. This means everything comes from the US (including food), they speak English and they use the US dollar.
We finally anchored in deep water outside the Palau Yacht Club. A good spot - huge industrial fans, good food and friendly staff. The first night Peter and I jumped in the water as soon as we had anchored, while the others went ashore to eat. It was fabulous and so nice to be in the water instead of on it. We stayed in nearly two hours and reluctantly got out, because we too needed to eat. Several days later we were advised that Palau has crocodiles. We couldn't believe our lucky escape and hence never got in the water again unless it was at approved locations. 
A taxi ride into Koror town only cost $4 to $5. You could easily walk the distance in about 30 mins but with being 32 degrees and 80 -90% humidity, it was suicide. The Palau people, (population 21,000 or so) were all very friendly and everything moved at a leisurely pace. Once Peter and I went into town for a meal at the local Indian Restaurant, and we got chatting with the owner and stayed longer than we originally planned. While waiting outside the restaurant for a taxi to go by, a man pulled up in a car and offered us a lift, to wherever we wanted to go. Being from Australia where this is considered potentially dangerous, we politely declined. He then explained that no taxi's operate after 9pm unless previously arranged. He also explained that he was the local Police chief and that we were safe. On the way home - he answered our many questions about Palau. There was no crime - yep never a murder, rape, bank robbery etc.... He told us he did have a busy night the previous week when he had to take a drunk, who had passed out on the toilet floor of a local watering hole, home. I was then asking if we could emigrate. If we were American - no problem.
Palau's scenery was beautiful but numerous divers reported that it is even more impressive underwater. People from all over the world come here to dive. The tourist industry is the only real industry Palau has, and diving/snorkelling is at the top of most tourists' wish list. The crystal clear water and the stunning life on the reefs being the reward. You can also go on a day excursion by boat to another island where you can swim with stingless jellyfish. A real highlight.
Finally the day had arrived when we had to go. All repairs and provisioning had been done so we really couldn't stretch it out any longer. We didn't really want to go but it was too expensive to stay, with crew wages needing to be paid everyday. So we pulled up the anchor and motored 10 mins to the front door of the Yacht club, to refuel. Then Reverie motored out of the harbour and finally safe outside the reef, headed south east to Manus Island, Papua New Guinea.
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