From Sea to Sky in Palau

When we first came to Palau, we knew we definitely wanted to snorkel in the famous Rock Islands at the Big Drop Off, along with several other sightseeing spots. Somehow we got busy and never got around to scheduling a tour, and before we knew it, we were leaving Palau. We were disappointed and thought maybe we had missed that opportunity. So when we found out we would be coming back to Palau—and that our friends, the Greenhalghs, would be here too—we jumped at the chance to check a few Palau bucket-list items off in between our missionary work.

We did the Rock Islands snorkeling tour first, and it absolutely lived up to the hype. It was every bit as amazing as we had heard!  Even the boat ride through the Rock Islands was stunning. The Rock Islands are a collection of hundreds of small, mushroom-shaped limestone islands scattered across Palau’s lagoon. Over thousands of years, the sea has eroded their bases, leaving steep rock walls topped with thick green vegetation. From the water they almost look like giant green umbrellas rising out of the turquoise sea.

Our first stop on the tour was a place called the Milky Way. This is a shallow lagoon surrounded by limestone islands where the water contains very fine white limestone sediment. Over time, the erosion of the surrounding rock creates this soft mud-like sand that settles on the bottom. The guides encourage everyone to scoop it up and rub it on their skin because locals say it’s great for your complexion—so of course we all lathered it on! It was a peaceful place to just relax in the water. I loved it because the salt water allowed me to actually float on my back without my legs sinking!

Our next stop was the famous Big Drop Off. This reef is known for a dramatic underwater wall where the shallow coral reef suddenly plunges straight down hundreds of feet into the deep ocean. We slipped into the water—which was the absolute perfect temperature—and the gentle current slowly carried us along the reef. You didn’t have to work at all, just float and watch the incredible coral and fish passing below. We even saw some turtles that looked just like Crush from Finding Nemo. It truly was amazing. There were so many different beautiful fish everywhere you looked--so many that I forgot to take pictures!  

We stopped at a beach for lunch before continuing on to more snorkeling spots, including Clam City, Shark City, and Paradise Bay. Each place had beautiful coral reefs and colorful fish. At Clam City we saw giant clams embedded in the reef, their bright blue and green mantles glowing under the water. We saw a few sharks at Shark City, but mostly the area was full of huge schools of fish moving together like clouds underwater.  I did take a few pictures, but it's difficult to capture the true beauty through a plastic waterproof case!  A few turned out though! 

Zoom in at the very top of this picture to see the long, needle nose, translucent fish. 

On the way back we stopped at Lover’s Arch for a photo opportunity, a natural rock arch carved by the sea. It was the perfect ending to a wonderful day.

Later in the week we took a scenic flight to see the Rock Islands from the sky. It was incredible to look down and see from above what we had experienced earlier by boat. The hundreds of green islands scattered across bright blue water are even more striking from the air. It was also pretty exciting to ride in a small plane with the door open—it made for great pictures (as long as you held on tightly to your phone!).  

This is the Milky Way from above.

Whale Island

The German Channel

The Big Drop Off

The Big Drop Off

    

Tribe flags from the Survivor season filmed on Palau that we found at a local restaurant. 

This is Ulong, the island where Survivor Palau was filmed.

Lover's Arch from above

Our apartment from above (the big white building in the middle)

Other activities during the week included hiking to a waterfall, touring the nation’s capital, enjoying beautiful sunsets, and spending evenings playing games together. While we were there we also recorded our monthly radio show, which focused on family history. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

We fly back to Guam early in the morning to finish up our work in the office as we prepare for new office missionaries to arrive at the beginning of April. It was wonderful to be back on the island of Palau, and we were grateful for the second chance to experience its beauty with good friends.

As I sat on the boat taking in the beauty of God’s creations, I felt an overwhelming sense that with all the different places our mission has taken us, each location and each assignment—including that moment—was exactly where we were supposed to be at that time.

So much gratitude.