Ouklemedaol = the Palauan word for manta rays. Yesterday we went diving with Day Dream and for our third dive they brought us to a dive site that they found themselves, and only they know the coordinates to: Secret Stadium. The boat captain and two of the Japanese staff hovered around the GPS as we drove through the stormy seas along the outer reef on the east coast. When we reached the proper coordinates, one of the staff jumped in with a snorkel to go find the morning line, unmarked by a buoy so as to keep the sight hidden and secret.
All this time I have been referring to the people of Palau as Palawan, because spell-check seemed to like that word over Palauan. Come to find out though, Palawan is the name of an island off of Indonesia (yes, a different island). The proper spelling for the people of Palau is Palauan after all. Someday if I’m really bored I’ll go back and correct all of my blog posts. Until then, my apologies to the people searching the internet for info on Palawan and coming up with my blog. I haven’t been there. Yet
I know it’s at the top of everyone’s bucket lists to go to the dentist while they're on vacation. I mean what if you start having too much fun and need to tame it down a bit? Getting your teeth scraped should accomplish just that. Overwhelmed by too much beautiful scenery? Listening to a dentist’s drill will help. Or maybe you genuinely enjoy getting your gums stabbed. In that case, go ahead and go to the dentist. Be my guest. Unfortunately, when your life is a permanent vacation, those little necessities like dentist visits don’t go away. Fletch and I realized
“Grand Bleu.” That’s what the sign said above the empty space in the building next to The Taj. It was a very attractive sign too, bold white letters over a blue background, reminiscent of water. It appeared over a month ago and we all wondered what it was going to be. I crossed my fingers that it wasn’t going to be another Chinese souvenir shop full of trinkets. A few weeks later the words 'New York Kitchen Bar' found their place on the sign. The prospect of a new restaurant was a welcome one. Even if the food was as average as
Apparently Palau has a problem with England because I picked up a local paper the other day and was stunned to find a quarter of a page dedicated to "Short England Jokes.” Take into account the paper here is only a dozen pages long and is only printed every few days. (My apologies to all of my British and anglophile friends). Short England jokes Q: How do police know that Princess Diana had dandruff? A: They found her head and shoulders under the steering wheel. Q: How does every English joke start? A: By looking over your shoulder. Q: What’s the difference between a smart English