After another full breakfast (there is no shortage of food) at camp in Palau’s Rock Islands, the crew of Michael, Wilter, and Hamilton, loaded our kayaks onto the boat, and Bax transported us to our paddling disembarkation at Long Lake.
Long Lake
Long Lake is the longest lake in Palau, a mile long. It was a very rainy start to our morning, and the cool rain drops required most of us to wear a rain coat simply for warmth as we maneuvered around Long Lake. We weaved through narrow areas of the mangroves and came out into open expanses as we unsuccessfully searched for eagle rays.
While the marine life skunked us, the flora didn’t. Have you you ever heard of a fish poisoning tree flower? I hadn’t. But apparantly this lovely white flower with many filaments is just that. Lazy fisherman can smash the seeds with a volcanic rock, and release the powder into the water which takes away the oxygen from nearby fish!
After a few hours of paddling, definitely not at blazing speed, we retraced our path and stopped at a small beach for lunch. The locals sometimes use this beach, so it was equipped with a water tank, shelter, and a BBQ pit. Jayden and Bruce started a fire.
There was not a dry part on our body and our hands were shriveled like we’d been in the bathtub for hours. Fortunately, the rain stopped in time for us to nibble on our sandwiches and scour the sandbar for a variety of shells. We aren’t allowed to take the shells with us, and I’m not much of a shell person anyway, but it gave me something to do while we were resting.
Fantasy Island and Honeymoon Beach
Bax picked us up and took us to two snorkeling spots, Fantasy Island and Honeymoon Beach. From the boat we saw a turtle, and under water was another delight. The reefs changed so much in such a small area. In some places, the coral was dead from the recent typhoon and from the crown of thorns starfish that feed on the reef. The locals pick them off and kill in order to save the coral.
It’s too bad the crown of thorns starfish are so damaging because they are pretty…a variety of color and designs with “thorns” protruding out. I also saw a pipefish, regal angelfish, a bi-color angel for the first time, a giant lobster, a giant puffer, lots of chromis, grouper and the list goes on.
Survivor Island
Box waited for us with the boat and took us back to “Survivor Island” camp or Margie’s Beach. I walked the beach and checked out the American Dive Bomber from WWII and found a fresh piece of coral that had broken off a barrel. It was multi-color blue and green…so pretty. We enjoyed an absolutely magnificent sunset that changed an array of colors…oranges, pinks, purples. The sky reflected orange in the tranquil waters and everyone ran to get their cameras…definitely a picturesque moment. A little bit later…another gourmet dinner was served!
Despite the rain, our snorkeling and kayaking day around Long Lake and Honeymoon Beach was a delight! Tomorrow we are checking out the Rock Islands Milky Way and Einstein’s Gardens. ETB
