Palau Visitors Authority Staff gets Compliments...
“We were then met by our guide and Marketing Representative from the PVA – the excellent Mr Kadoi Ruluked – who was to be with us for our trip. Kadoi was a fountain of knowledge and an obvious love of all things Palau related...”
© Gunther
Deichmann
- Bai, traditional meeting
House
It’s an early start with a full day ahead
of us. We are staying at the Palasia Hotel located in
the centre of Koror. The room I am in has views
across the tree-tops out to the sea, other rooms have
town views. The Palasia is one of Palau’s better
hotels and has approximately 165 rooms configured
around a central open atrium. The hotel is especially
popular with Asian tourists (mainly from Taiwan,
Japan and Korea) although there were also a number of
European divers staying there as well.
Breakfast (and indeed Dinner) was on a buffet basis
and although there do appear to be ‘a la carte’
options many of the hotels provide buffets for their
meals. Interestingly the dining room was very busy
between 07.00am and 08.00am and thereafter pretty
much empty. Primarily this is because many people
visiting Palau are taking part in daily tour
activities such as diving, island tours, kayaking
etc. Operators like Sam’s Tours (see
more later) collect their guests from the hotels
and then assist them back later that day. Very few
of the hotels actually have their own dive
operator or tour centre in-house and instead the
typical model is for the hotels to concentrate on
accommodation and for the tours and trips to be
provided by external operators. Similarly, very
few of the Dive Centres appear have their own
accommodation or resorts.
Just a word on tourism in Palau; it’s proximity to
the rest of mainland Asia means that it is a popular
destination for Japanese, Taiwanese and Korean
visitors. There are also a number of arrivals from
China. However, diving is the main draw and it is
rightly considered to be one of the best diving
destinations in the world – this means that there are
also steadily increasing numbers of European.
Australian, SE Asian and US divers coming to
experience the underwater world.
Breakfast at the Palasia was similar to many others –
a combination of Western and Asian flavours. We were
then met by our guide and Marketing Representative
from the PVA – the excellent Mr Kadoi
Ruluked – who was to be with us for
our trip. Kadoi was a fountain of knowledge and an
obvious love of all things Palau related. Our plan
today was to see as many of the hotels, resorts
and operators as possible during the course of the
day. First stop was West Plaza by the Sea.
The West Plaza group own 5 hotels throughout the
Koror area and they are very popular with visiting
divers. Indeed Sam’s Tours provide some excellent
value Diving / Touring packages using West Plaza as
the accommodation. West Plaza hotels have basic but
clean and efficient rooms, with television, a.c, tea
and coffee making facilities etc and are ideal for
those on a budget who wish to concentrate their
resources on diving and touring. Blue Horizons will
provide you with more details of flights,
accommodation and diving packages for these hotels.
Next stop was Palau Plantation Resort which has more
traditional buildings set in tropical gardens on the
side of a small cultivated valley. Definitely popular
with the Japanese market the rooms range from simple
to high end.
We then briefly called into IMPAC Tours who provided
some welcome cold drinks (March temperatures being a
warm and sunny 36 degrees). IMPAC provide a range of
tours and diving trips primarily for the Japanese
market.
Our final stop prior to lunch was to call into the
Palau International Coral Reef Center. The PICRC is
located on the water on the south west tip of Koror.
It is an autonomous government project and non-profit
organisation designed to highlight Palau’s marine
bio-diversity and to act as an educational / tourist
tool. Of course nothing beats seeing the marine world
in its natural habitat but this is an interesting
place to visit for an hour or so. There are a number
of themed aquariums and a great deal of visitor
information is available.
Lunch was spent at the impressive Elilai Restaurant.
Elilai is a set on a side of the hill of Ngerkebesang
and has stunning views across the sea to the
neighbouring islands. It is just 5 – 10 minutes drive
from downtown Koror. Owner Takuya Mizokami and his
team have prepared an interesting fusion menu and a
modern dining space that is open and breezy. This is
well worth visiting during a visit to Palau. The
highlight of lunch for many was a perfectly fresh
piece of tuna lightly fried and served ‘fish and chip
style’!
Our afternoon continued with a visit to the Cliffside
Hotel. Previously this was a very popular choice with
Diving guests but has undergone a number of
management changes over the past couple of years and
some feedback has been a little negative. Rooms are
big and spacious and it is to be hoped that the
current management can restore the Hotel’s
reputation.
Next up was Neco Marine one of the larger dive
operators in Palau. They have a solid reputation and
a good location with some excellent looking boats
moored up to their dock.
Our final stop of the day was at Sam’s Tours where I
met old friends and some new ones (hello Adela and
Russelle) for the first time. Sam’s Tours
considered to be one of the best Dive Operators in
the Pacific and probably the world. No space here
to do them justice so a full report on Sam’s to
follow tomorrow.
At day end we returned back to Palasia for a tour of
the hotel and facilities (include fitness centre,
pool area, bar, restaurant etc) and a very pleasant
meal where we joined by Janine Wong (General Manager)
and Janice Aguon (Asst Manager - Sales and
Marketing).
Finally, after wrestling with the vagaries of wi-fi
access, it was time to head off to the room. The next
day was a Rock Islands tour day and one which
everyone was very much looking forward to….
Welcome to PALAU...by palautours.com, Visit Palau and explore this Nature Paradise below and above the waves...
To get you excited about Palau we have decided to bring you this little slide show direct on our blog, sit back and enjoy.
For more images please visit our Photo Gallery @http://www.palautours.com/gallery.html
ROCK ISLAND TOURS for more detailed info please go to: http://www.palautours.com/tours.html
Among the most popular tours is the exploration of the awe-inspiring Rock Islands, with its stunning topography and the wide variety of action to be experienced.
Dive shop activities such scuba diving, snorkeling, kayaking tours as well as sailing, water skiing and banana boat rides, the latter especially fun for kids, are all available. With two atolls to the north and a fringing reef surrounding the main island, encounters with exotic marine life and kaleidoscopic coral formations are not uncommon.
The white sand beaches, which mostly slope very gently into shallow water, are a joy for all age groups, accommodating everyone from novice swimmers to experts. Another exciting diversion is fishing, with its unique catch-and-release fishing technique an environmentally friendly alternative.
Show Me the Money...YAP Stone Money originated in PALAU...Did You Know?
Show
Me the Money...from PALAU to YAP
an amazing Journey
©
Gunther Deichmann - excerpts from a story
on Micronesia in Fins Magazine, 2007
Yap
The
island of Yap is notable for its “stone money” (Rai
stones), large disks usually of calcite, up to four
meters in diameter, with a hole in the middle.
There are five major types: Mmbul, Gaw, Ray,Yar, and
Reng, the last being only 0.3 metres in diameter.
Their value is based on both size and history, many
of them having been brought from other islands, as
far as New Guinea,
but most coming in ancient times from
Palau.
The islanders don’t necessarily move them when
ownership changes. Approximately 6,500 of them are
scattered around the island.You can find a large
example (approximately 2.4-metreshigh) of Yapese
stone money in the village of
Gachpar.
PALAUTOURS.COM presents a Culture Delight... visit the Museums of Palau...Books on Palau...& interesting articles.
We can help you to plan your trip prior YOUR departure from any destination in the world.
Providing you with articles written by writers who have visited Palau or from our own on staff Marine Biologist who is only to happy in providing YOU the information you might require on Palau’s amazing Marine Biodiversity.
Today we like to introduce YOU to the Belau National Museum and the Etpison Museum in Koror.
Both Museums are defently worth a visit or two, scroll through the amazing History and Culture of Palau. The Museums contain native work, past and present, shell and stone money, which is now used as family jewelry. Both places have excellent souvenir shops, a good choice of local handicrafts, T-shirts, Postcards and publications on Palau.
The Books below are available through out Palau's
major Retail outlets, Gift shops and Dive Centers,
at the Belau National Museum
and Etpison Museum.
“ PALAU ” Dive Sites, History & Culture
(Revised 2nd Edition)
“ PALAU BOOKLET ” – A photo guide through
Palau, Micronesia. Featuring some of the best
images on Palau by Gunther Deichmann world
renowned photographer.
Visit palautours Photo Gallery @
http://www.palautours.com/gallery.html
______________________________
Below two articles on Palau…
Palau: Snorkeling and Diving Paradise
Pristine South Pacific Island Country Beckons
By Larry Taylor
Not a lot of American travelers know about Palau. But just ask avid divers or snorkelers. If they haven’t already been there, they will tell you Palau is at the top of their list of “must go” spots.
Palau is an archipelago of over 400 islands in the South Pacific with less than 20,000 citizens. About 90 percent live in Koror state, where tourists usually stay. The attraction–lying off Koror are the Rock Islands, approximately 300 islets, protected by a huge barrier reef. An underwater paradise…
read the complete article @
http://travellady.com/Issues/September07/4438Palau.html
__________________________________
Dazzling Palau & its turquoise waters under the radar
The islands with dazzling undersea life are little known to Americans, or anyone else for that matter.
By Rosemary McClure, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
Palau, Micronesia
An underwater armada sailed by my dive mask, turned as if on cue and sailed by again -- a dozen bright splashes of color sparkling in the calm, clear water. These yellow-tailed fusiliers were showing off for a clumsy human intruder, I thought, and I laughed.
Clumsy, indeed. I exploded to the surface coughing. I'd forgotten you can't laugh underwater; I'm always so excited when I'm nose to nose with a school of fish that I overlook the limitations of having a snorkel clenched between my teeth.
The fusiliers and I were swimming in aquamarine water off the coast of Palau, a tiny Western Pacific nation that's considered an underwater wonder of the world…
read the complete article @
http://travel.latimes.com/articles/la-trw-palau11jul11
PalauTours.com is offering all you need for Your Journey to PALAU... Your ultimate Tour Guide...information on Resorts, Restaurants, Hotels...Diving plus a lot more...
Your Tour Guide to Palau and Micronesia
© Gunther Deichmann - Kayaks in the Rock Islands, Palau
click the image and go to our Gallery @
http://www.palautours.com/gallery.html
PALAUTOURS.COM is a unique and very informative site for
all Your requirements before traveling to Palau in Micronesia.
The site is fully up and running but we have to fix some minor glitches
and add some more exciting pages for you.
By this coming weekend we should have everything just about in place.
The interesting part is, not only Palau will be represented but we include
islands like Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae in due time.
Just stay tuned or subscribe to our RSS feed for the latest developments.
With these addition we bring you a lot closer to this amazing part of the world, You dont get any closer to Nature...above and below the waves.
To some extend these islands are still unexplored in parts hence the recent discovery of some unusual inhabitants (see our last blog) the scientist are still debating who and where these small people came from. PalauTours.com is trying to keep you well informed from this part of the World, not only on leisure activities, but news on Marine life, Science projects, discoveries and of course environmental related issues. If you have any interesting stories please dont hold back, send it to us, we love to publish it.
© Gunther Deichmann - Hotel, Resorts, Restaurant and Bar
Guide/Information
on Palau...click the image and go to Palautours.com
http://www.palautours.com/gallery.html
© Gunther Deichmann - Duty Free & Retail stores, Tour Operators
Government offices, Conservation & Medical services
plus a lot more...click the image and go to Palautours.com
http://www.palautours.com/gallery.html
© Gunther Deichmann - the World famous Blue Hole and
Blue Corner, Palau, plus many more different dive sites in our
Dive section including Dive Centers & Dive Resorts...
click the image and go to Palautours.com
http://www.palautours.com/gallery.html
We like YOU to use Palau Tours as your Resort, Hotel, Restaurant, Dive & Tour guide... YOU be amazed how beautiful this part of the world really is.
The Editor
Human Fossils in PALAU MICRONESIA discoverd...an amazing find... recently screened on National Geographic TV...
© Gunther Deichmann - in the Dawn of Time
Palau Micronesia, for more on Palau click on
the image or the link below:
http://www.palautours.com/
3,000 year old small body humans
in Palau, Micronesia
Watching National Geographic on TV the other
day I was very fascinated by this amazing story,
only to read about it later on the Net again.
See below some excerpts from this truly
fascinating story.
For all the details and photos see the
link below the article.
© Gunther Deichmann - the Rock Islands of Palau Micronesia,
for more on Palau click on the image or the link below:
http://www.palautours.com/
PLoS One completely surprised me today by releasing this paper,
“Small-Bodied Humans from Palau, Micronesia.”
The research comes from South African and American
researchers, and the paper was edited by John Hawks,
who apparently can really keep a secret it seems. I had
no idea about this study and find it a really remarkable
find since fossils of another small bodied human, Homo
floresiensis, were found about 1,000 miles south of
these new findings.
So how were these bones found? Lead author, Lee Berger, writes to National Geographic
News that he was kayaking around rocky islands about 370 miles east of the Philippines,
when he found the bones in a pair of caves in 2006.
Crazy story! I wish I would find something like that while vacationing.
He reports that the, “the [Ucheliungs and Omedokel] caves were littered with bones that had
been dislodged by waves and piled like driftwood. Others had remained buried deep in the
sandy floor, and more, including several skulls, were cemented to the cave walls.”
http://anthropology.net/2008/03/10/3000-year-old-
small-body-humans-in-palau-micronesia/