New Year's Weekend

On Saturday, I went fishing with Dave Kregenow. We were accompanied by Dave Hannah, a Lieutenant Commander in the Australian Navy. Just as the American military keep a small team here, the Australians have a small Navy group stationed in Palau. The Hannah family and the rest of the officers and their families, who the Kregenows befriended, live in a beautiful compound in Koror. The three of us set out in the Kregenow's boat. A much stiffer wind than normal created much rougher ocean conditions than usual. Rough seas on the east side made us head to the west side and the leeward side of Ulong to find shelter from the wind. The Daves caught two small grouper and a small trevally. I didn't get a nibble. The wind died down, so we were able to head outside of the reef for some trolling. I had two fish grab my lure, but each time they managed to snap my lure. We later decided that the line on the borrowed rod I was using was old and a little brittle causing it to snap easier. With the wind picking up again, we had a very bumpy trip back to Koror. No fish for me, but after my previous haul it wasn't too disappointing. A choppy day on the rock islands is still better than most days.

New Year's Eve brought rain keeping me inside most of the day. For the evening celebrations, I went to Kraemer's, a local bar popular among expats and divers. Kraemer's does a great job of catering to expats and there is always somebody there I know and New Year's there was a lot of people. In worldwide New Year celebrations, we are early and celebrated fourteen hours before the ball dropped in New York. It was an enjoyable way to ring in the New Year.

On New Year's Day, I went kayaking to Risong Bay. LB, Dave, and I paddled south from Sam's under the Malakal causeway. We kept close to islands cutting in between them as we headed south. Eventually, we reached Risong Bay, a large crescent shaped Bay with a few scattered islands in the middle and little coves around the edges. We tied up the kayaks and dove in for some snorkeling. In my three months here, I've seen many different types of snorkeling and Risong Bay was good snorkeling. It was very relaxing, especially after the efforts made to kayak to the bay. We found a cove where there was a small rocky beach where we stopped for lunch. We continued exploring the coves around the bay, investigating all the nooks and crannies. Eventually, we left Risong Bay and began making our way north. During our return trip, the clock hit 2 pm, which is midnight back home. We rang in the New Year again, this time relaxing on our kayaks. Risong Bay was a longer distance than any other previous kayak trip and by the end we were very tired and my arms were exhausted. We made it back in just under 6 hours. It was a beautiful and enjoyable way to begin a new year in Palau.

Tuesday morning ESPN International showed the Rose Bowl live. I hadn't seen a Michigan football game since September, so it was great to be able to cheer on my team despite being on the other side of the world. Unfortunately, they didn't win, but at least I got to watch it live.