Spa Entrance at PPR

Friends we met while diving
Hap and Simon from Australia and Keith our Dive master
Sunset from our hotel room
Humphead parrotfish

Yellow Fish (not sure the name)
Anemone Fish
Grey Reef Sharks
Napolean Rass

Picture of the natural rock arch
and more Jelly Fish Lake Pictures

Pictures and names of all the dolphins at the sanctuary
The area the dolphins can swim

And Roxy the dolphin from Dolphins Pacific
Island we ate lunch at
Sunset from Sam's Tours Dock

more of Ulong

Charlie taking a break on Ulong beach

Crab on Ulong beach (the beach they filmed survivor)

We woke up and Charlie's sinuses were not doing well so I went diving and he stayed back at the room to get some rest. We had been diving with the same group of people for the last couple days so I felt really comfortable with the and their abilities. We went to Turtle cove for our first dive and of course I forgot the camera on the boat. But, this was the most beautiful dive that I had been on out of all the days. There were walls and walls of soft corals all different types and they had really thick stocks on them and were very healthy. But everywhere you would look there were soft corals it was so pretty. I also saw something really fun it is called a disco clam if you shine a light on it you can see an electrical current running back and forth on the inside of its shell. It was very cool. We also got to see about four turtles looking for food. I wish I could have got some pictures but it was kind of nice just taking in all the beauty without having to mess with the camera. Then we went ad ate some food on the boat and we were right outside an island named Carp Island the boat driver named Arson grew up on that island and it was passed down from generation to generation then his family had to leave Palau for his dad's job and when they came back to Palau a couple years later a European guy had built a hotel on the island and said that it was his island. Arson and his family have been fighting the guy in court for a long time and they finally won their island back so it was kind of interesting to hear his story. We then went diving at Blue Corner the current was going the opposite way so we did the dive differently then we had been doing it. We put are reef hooks in and there was a really strong current and when there is a current that means sharks are going to be out. And I had no idea that there was going to be 15 sharks that could see circling us there had to have been more that I could not see but I counted 15 sharks that I could see. It was so neat watching them feed and swim around it was crazy.
Those two dives were excellent dives to end a trip on. So, total in five days I did 12 dives putting me at 116 dives total that I have done since I started diving at 19 years old. I have been lucky enough to have most of those dives be in exotic locations around the world.
After the dives went back to the hotel and ate dinner and went to bed. The next day we could not do any diving because we were flying that night. So, I went to swim with dolphins at a dolphin sanctuary called Dolphin Pacific. They are a non profit sanctuary were they bring bottle-nose dolphins that they save from being chopped up by the Japanese fisherman. If you have watched the Cove that is were they save the dolphins from. It is horrifying but I am so happy that they were able to save the ones the have so far. The problem is, is that the Japanese fisherman know that people want to save the dolphins so when they catch them in their nets they keep them and try and sell them for exorbitant amounts to people who are rescuing them if the people cannot pay the money they chop the dolphins up in front of them it makes me sick to my stomach but also happy that there are places like dolphin pacific that are helping them to be safe. I did the free diving with the dolphins and it was so cool. They are such sweet animals I loved looking into their eyes. They are also SOOO big in person especially when you are right next to them. It was a great experience that I will remember forever. They are taken care of very well and are happy.
After that I met up with Charlie at the bar and Sam's Tours which is the diving outfit we had been diving with. We hung out with some friends we met from diving and then went out to Kramer's with a group of us. Charlie and I had to leave the hotel by 12 P.M. and we still had not packed. We were dreading leaving because once you get into the life in Palau it is so simple and fun you never want to leave. But, we were ready to get back to our families.
So, finished up dinner and we went back to the hotel because I had a massage appointment at 9:00 I wanted to make sure I was nice and loose and relaxed for the big trip home. I thought it would help me sleep and not be so tight. After I was done with my massage I had to pack really fast so I pretty much just threw everything in my bag it did not look very pretty.
We went to the airport and started out long journey home we are back in the U.S. now and we had such a great dive trip everything went so smooth we got to meet great people and do some breathtaking dives.

Our dive crew
Chatrlie, Me, Keith (dive master), Brian, and Nicole

Sorry it has been so long since I have posted something. our days have consisted of waking up at 6:30 eating breakfast then catching a boat from our hotel to the dive shop then heading out about an hour to the dive sites. Then doing 2 to three tanks and getting back to the dive shop around 4:30 or 6:00 depending on how many tanks we do. We then clean our stuffand get a ride back to our hotel to take a shower and go eat dinner. The only thing that is in our minds after dinner is going to sleep because we are so exhausted. So, it leaves little time to do anyhting on the Internet especially because the Internet is so slow here. Finally I am not too tired and patient enough to do some blogging. So, I will catch everyone up. A couple days ago we hadan exceptional day of diving. We were also lucky enough to have a videographer from national geographic film our dives. The video turned out really good and we are going to get a copy so everyone at home can see what we saw on our dives. The first dive site we went to was called New Drop Off. It is known for its "tricky" currents. I had been wearing a hood the last couple days and it was bugging me so this dive I decided to go without it not realizing that I had to adjust my weight because the hood acted as a parachute it would fill up with water and air and cause me to be a lot more buoyant then I needed to be. So, the beginning of the dive I was struggling because there was a natural down current plus being overweight I was fighting to stay at the level of everyone else. I knew there was something really wrong when I was kicking faster then I have kicked in a long time and everyone else was not kicking at all. By the way this is captured on the video (really embarrassing actually) It finally dawned on me I needed to take some weight out so i notified the dive instructor and he took four pounds out and it helped so much. I had 12 pounds in when I should of had only 6 pounds it is just crazy how much more buoyant the hood made me. We got to see some turtles, pyramid butterfly fish, some Napoleon rasp, black snapper, barracuda, red trigger fish, nudibranchs, eels, and a lot of beautiful soft coral. There was an area on the dive were there was a very strong down current and our bubbles were going down instead of up it was pretty crazy. We rounded the corner of the wall we were diving which by the way dropped down 6,000 feet into a blue abyss. when we rounded the corner we saw sharks circling and that was our cue to go and hold on to some coral to watch everything go by us while we just hung out on the rocks. This is my favorite part about the dives in Palau you just hold on and watch everything swim by you. There was a very strong current so we had to hold on really tight. While we were hanging out the sharks (grey reef, black tip, and white tip) were circling us and feeding they were getting pretty close about an arm and a half length away at some points. It was pretty crazy too a couple of times the grey shark was swimming level to my face right for me that was just part of her usual cruise and she would turn right before she got to me. It is pretty crazy when you are staring down the nose of a big grey reef shark coming towards you. They are so much fun to watch how they move through the water with such ease. I found out that most of the sharks in Palau are female and the males come during mating season but for the most part they are segregated. We hung out on the rock for about 30 minutes all the fish were swimming by also it was neat seeing all the pretty colors of the fish. We then finished the dive in the shallows and went up to have some lunch. We went to an island to eat some lunch and it started pouring rain then stopped and got sunny and it was off to our next dive at the Blue Corner this is the dive site that Palau is known for it is the one people come from all over the world to go to. And I know why because it is magical. you feel like you are in another world so much going on around you and so many things to see big and small. The dive profile was the same as our first dive we were next to a wall then went and used reef hooks to hook onto the rocks to watch everything go by and finished in a shallow area were there were hundreds of schools of fish. There were huge schools of barracuda, jack fish, big eye trevali, blue striped snapper, harlequin sweet lip fish, and many more. Everywhere you would look there were fish. We also got to see a big turtle at the end of our dive. We then headed back to the dive shop and decided to do a third dive. This dive was called chandelier cave. It consits of four caves that are within a limestone rock island. Most caves do not have oxygen in them but this one does. You dive down with a flash light to about 40 feet and head into a tunnel then you surface in a cavern that is full of ancient stalactites and stalagmites. It is so breathtaking and interesting how nature works. The rock islands are made of limestone and this is very porous so air can get through and water seeps down which is how the formations are formed, it is so pretty because a lot of the inside caverns look like there is glitter all around and each cavern was different so we went to all four and then headed back out the cave. We were presently surprised on the out side of the cave in the shallows we saw mandarin fish they are small and brightly colored orange and purple they are usually really hard to find but, we got to see about six of them. They are so cute!! I managed to get an OK shot of one but they were fast to dive under the rocks so it was hard to get a really close clear one. I have always wanted to see a mandarin fish so I was happy. Charlie and I had heard about a really good Thai restaurant in town so we went their for dinner I had red curry with local fish and he had cashew chicken it was yummy! We were ready for bed after that. I woke up with my sinuses clogged and my ear pounding but I wanted to try and dive anyways but I ended up not being able to equalize and make it down. It made me feel better when Charlie told me that the visibility was bad on both dives and they did not see much. When we got back to the hotel I new exactly what would make my sinuses better a massage. I got a Balinese massage with a half hour head massage and it REALLY helped.My sinuses started to drain and my ear felt better so it was a good decision. We then went to a local Indian restaurant it was really good. The next day I decided I wanted to take the day off and hang out at the hotel. Charlie went diving I woke up and staked out a chase lounge on the beach I read my book and went snorkeling and swam. It started pouring rain for a while and oneof my favorite things to do is swim while it is raining so I did that for a while too. Then I went to the spa and got a two person massage. Two masseuses are massaging you at the same time. And there movements are synchronized it was the coolest feeling ever and again I was not on the table until they woke me up. We ate dinner at the hotel and Charlie's sinuses started really bugging him. He always has sinus problems because he blew out his sinuses from jumping out of planes but they were really getting stuffed up. So, the next day charlie had trouble getting down and he was stuck on the boat. I thankfully was able to make it down today. We went to blue corner again and it was just as nice as it was the first time. This time there were a lot more sharks at the place we put the reef hooks in at one time there were eight circling us. We pretty much saw all the same stuff we saw the first time we dove at blue corner but it was still just as fun and I would do blue corner again because it is always different in some way or another. Something I had not seen before that I saw at blue corner was bump head parrot fish they were really big and there were about 10 of them eating away at the rocks they were really cute and funny to watch. We then went to German channel to look for the manta's again but they were not out. Then we went for a third dive called the helmet wreck it was really fun to see all the artifacts. There was bottles of kirin beer, Big barrels of Sake, machine guns, ammo, face masks, boots, rifles, morphine bottles, depth chargers and much more you could also look inside and see the engine room which was really cool. It was neat seeing history like that under water. Diving is such a fun way to meet people we have met poeple from all over the world. People from Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Hawaaii the Phillippines, Guam, Switzeraland, and France. It is fun because we all share common interests and all you do is talk about what you saw on your dives. There were a couple people from our dive group that it was their last night so we all went to dinner at a place called Kramer's we went with the couple from Hawaii Brian and Nicole and Jim a guy who is here on business and our dive master who lives in Phillippines but comes to Palau to make some extra money when they need him. It was fun. Sorryit is so long but I wanted to get caught up. now I am ready for bed and to get ready for our last day of diving tomorrow!!!

Jelly Fish Lake

Me on top of the Vigin hole dive site.

Me inside of the Limestone cave cavern and a shot of the tunnel that goes into the cave
Also a pic of the mandarin fish it is not the greatest pic but at least I got one they hard little buggers to take pictures of.

Moorey eel and Dorie fish from finding Nemo So cute!!

Picture of Grey Shark and school of Jack's

Yesterday we had our first day of diving. We went first to a dive site named German Channel. There is a feeding station there and if you are lucky you can see Manta Rays they are not always out it depends on the the moon, the current, etc.. We were lucky enough to see the Manta Rays. One came about 5 feet away from me. All of a sudden it was dark above me and I looked up to see the huge Manta with at least a 10-15 foot wing span it was really crazy!! They looks so alien like. But, they are so graceful. Every dive we see sharks but the first shark we saw as we descended was a huge white tip reef shark he had some girth on him. We then went to a deserted beach that was beautiful and had a bento box lunch. And on to our secdond dive at blue hole. Which is a place that has holes in the coral that you go down and then come out at the bottom at about 90 feet then you finish your dive off on a big wall. We saw a lot of pretty colored fish and soft corals. After the first day of diving the jet lag really settled in. After getting back to the hotel I immediatly took a shower and headed to the Spa for a Balinese massage I knew it was going to be the only thing that would help me. So I got an hour balinese massage with a 30 min foot massage. The only thing I remember from the whole massage was the masseuse spraying my face with a peppermint mist to wake me up I think I was on another galaxy! After that I felt a lot better and we went to dinner and went straight to sleep. We woke up the next day feeling much better and ready for another day of diving. today we went to Ulong channel and we had an awesome dive. We saw turtles and sleeping sharks, and awake sharks, and baby sharks, We got to see Cabbage coral, and nudibranchs, as well as Eels. Our total dive time on that dive ended up being 63 mins!! We then went to lunch at Ulong isalnd were the Survivor was a couple years ago ad we ate lunch there. It is a really pretty place except I saw a rat!! EWW. We then headed to do another dive at Shia's Corner. This was a huge wall there was a point in the dive were there were about nine 10 foot sharks below me all circling it was really cool. There was a time they came pretty close but I think they were just checking us out. Nothing to be scared of. We then headed off to Jelly Fish lake a lake on a rock island that has millions of stingreless jelly fish. The islands are made of limstone and the only animals that can live on most of them are sime birds, bats and some trees. This lake is full of salt and fresh water the bottom of the lake has sediment from the limestone so no free diving or scuba diving is allowed in the lake because at the bottom the water is toxic. But on top is were the fresh water is from rain so it is fine to snorkel. The jellyfish stay together and they follow the sun. At first you are snorkeling and you do not see anything then all of a sudden you see a cloud of white and they are all little jelly fish there are big ones and baby ones. It is such a trippy experince. You could spend hours there and never get tired of hanging out with them. It is the coolest feeling to have jelly fish touching every part of your body they are so soft. Its also really fun to look at them becuase they are see through and you can hold one and look at everything going on inside of the jellyfish. I got a lot of good pictures of them. After the lake we went back to the dive shop and got some dinner tonight at the buffet at the hotel it is french night they had rack of lamb stuffed with pineapple, french onion soup, steak, fish, shrimp, and potatoes. It was really good. We are planning on trying to do three dives tomorrow then head to a Local thai food place for dinner that is supposed to be amazing.
One thing I am noticing that is great about Palau is it is so kid friendly there are kids age 2 and 4 out on the dive boats with us. The parents dive while a babysitter from the dive shop watches the kids on the boat. The kids are so cute and have a lot of fun. The PPR hotel is also very secluded from the wind so the water is like a lake there are no waves and the water off the beach is only 3 feet deep and stays that way for a long time. It is also very safe here there is not much crime if any and all the people are very nice.

The Beach we ate lunch at the first day of diving and the Bento Box

This shows some kids dancing at the floor show during dinner they were so cute
Ans the scenry heading out to our first dive spot

Here is the picture of the Story Boards at the Palauan Jail. They all depict certain stories from their culture and each artist is allowed to interpret the story how they want.

I have not been able to upload pictures yet because the internet connection is really shotty. Hopefully I will figure out a way to get them on the site soon. It is so beautiful today. We went into town today and went to the Palauan prison they have their prisoners carve story boards out of wood and then they sell them to make some money. I think it is actually a great idea becuase it gives the prisoners a creative outlet and a way to get some extra money to support there families. I have pictures that will show the experince it was pretty interesting. There is a desginated seller of the storyboards within the prison who has earned that position and he gets a cut of all the boards that he sells.
I also was able to take a sim in ithe crytal clear water today which I have been wanting to do since I arrived. Then went for a Balinese massage and wrap. It was amazing in an open air room overlooking a secluded bay. It was so relaxing and I felt like a new women afterwards. Now I am loose and ready to go diving early in the morning tomorrow. Hopefully I can get pictures up soon

We got in late last night when it was pitch dark so this morning woke up to pouring rain. Which is typical for here because it is the tropics it will rain in spurts for about 10 minutes but it is so warm outside it doesn't even effect what you are doing in anyway. We walked down to breakfast and on our way we saw the most beautiful rainbow!! We headed to breakfast got some good grub and went to test out the water at the beach it is perfect crystal clear and warm with white sand it cannot get better then that. We also went and checked out the spa which is a total Balinese outfit. Everything the wood, the textiles in the spa and the masseuses are all balinese. Which is special for me because Bali was the first place I went when I was 16 that was in on the other side of the world and one of my favorite things about Bali was the people their demeanor and the way the live life and the other thing I loved at Bali was the Balinese massages!!! So, I booked a spa treatment for later today after we get home from going to town. So, far it is still settling in that we are here I still can't believe it. Also something really nice at the hotel is they have a orchid farm here so they have the most beautiful orchids around the hotel