Palau
Ok, so Palau was my first dive trip ever. Seriously, I left Guam with only 19 dives under my belt and went to tackle Palau. Palau is what inspired me to be more dedicated to exploring the ocean. My trip was only for 5 days during the Christmas holiday. So, I did 4 dives, a kayak trip, Jellyfish Lake, a visit to the prison to check out the store boards, and either 1 or 2 hikes.
We went through Sam's Tours. Someone came and picked us up every morning at our resort. I dove the Siaes Tunnel, Ulong Channel, Blue Corner, and the German Channel. My first time doing a cave dive and my first time seeing a shark was Siaes Tunnel! It was a really cool experience for me. Ulong ended up being my absolute favorite dive of the trip! We reef hooked in and just sat and watched the sharks do their thing…AWESOME! Plus we ate lunch on Ulong island which is one of the places they filmed "Survivor". The Blue Corner was nice too. We saw a few sharks and other fish, but it wasn't like Ulong. Then the German channel is where I saw my first mantas! There were 2 big beautiful rays swimming next to each other…I'll never forget seeing all these wonderful creatures in Palau!
The kayaking trip was great too! The day we did it, it was calm and sunny. We rowed around and under some the Rock Islands. We could look below us and see sharks and other need animals.
Jellyfish Lake was unreal! Of course you are just snorkeling, no diving allowed. But you are snorkeling with hundreds, yay thousands of jellyfish that on't sting you! Again, just an unbelievable experience. One you can't have anywhere else as far as I know. Definitely a must!
The days we did the hike(s), our lunch was pre-packed for us. We had a guide to take us and tell us the history behind any war relics or features of Palau that we might find interesting
Palau does not have a lot of shopping or night life to offer, but I do remember there being a few restaurants to choose from. We did go to the prison and shop around for story boards.
I stayed at the Rose Garden Resort. It was very nice. The view from our room was impeccable! We had 2 beds, a small bathroom, and a nice patio out front. They had a special dinner prepared for us on Christmas Day:)
As I mentioned before, Palau was my inspiration to take diving more seriously. I went home to Guam and bought all my dive gear. Possibly the best investment I've ever made!
