Rock Island Tour and PPR

Plans for recreational activities are very fluid in Palau and change quickly for any number of reasons. Ocean activities often change at the last minute due to the weather or boat issues. I wanted the parents to go on the Rock Island snorkeling trip, but I didn't have a specific day planned for it and was waiting for ideal conditions. Driving to work one morning, I looked at the weather and the upcoming resort stays I planned for my parents and decided it was the ideal day for the snorkeling tour. Being nearly 8am, it was a last minute decision, but I called Sam's and they had a tour that day with room for my parents. I called my parents and told them to get ready and dashed home. I gathered them and their gear and got them to Sam's in plenty of time. I had to return to work, so the parents were on their own.

For the tour they were on a large boat with about a dozen other people. Their tour guide was Melahi, who I had toured with back in January. She's a great guide and they were very impressed with her. On the tour, they went to all the usual places: Milky Way, Melahi's Reef, Big Drop-Off, Clam City, Ngermeads Beach, Cemetery Reef, and Jellyfish Lake. My mother has not snorkeled much in the past, but she was determined to try snorkeling here. She really enjoyed Melahi's reef with its brightly colored coral. While she didn't swim all the stops, she did most of them and had a great time. My father really enjoyed cemetery reef, especially the lettuce coral and the wrasse. They both made it up and over the steep hill to Jellyfish Lake. Dad thought the jellyfish were really creepy and didn't like it too much. Mom also thought the jellyfish were creepy, but because of that really enjoyed the uniqueness of the experience. Overall, they both had a fantastic time on the tour. The last minute hustle to get there was worth it and it was a perfect day for the tour. I picked them up at Sam's and while they went home to rest I went to ultimate frisbee. After that, we all went to PPR.

As part of my membership to Palau Pacific Resort, I received two passes for one-night accommodations. I decided that a great way to use them would be to let my parents stay at PPR for two nights during their visit. The passes were for "garden view" rooms that while still very scenic were not ocean front. When I arrived for check-in, I had the pleasant surprise to learn they had upgraded us to an ocean-front room right near my favorite hammock. It was a great bit of luck. We got my parents' bags into the room and then went to dinner at the restaurant. We decided to all try the Palauan buffet dinner. They served a nice spread of traditional Palauan dishes including many different styles of fish and pork. Mom really enjoyed the spare ribs. At first I thought she might be rebelling after having to eat fish nonstop since her arrival, but I had the ribs as well and they were very good. Palauans are very good at cooking pork. The buffet also included excellent ice cream, a rarity in a land with no cows. After dinner, they got settled into the room and then Mom and I took our Macbooks out to the lobby where they had wireless internet. It was getting late, so I headed home to a little peace and quiet.

The next day, I went to work while they spent the entire day at PPR. They ate breakfast and later lunch at the restaraunt. They did a lot of reading at various places on the beach. Dad went snorkelling and was surprised by the quality of the reef off the PPR beach. Since they weren't paying for the room, Dad decided to treat himself to a massage at the spa. The spa is sheltered from the rest of the beach by trees but still has a great view of the ocean. My father really enjoyed the massage and found it just what he needed to relax. They spent the afternoon reading in the shade. I joined them after work and went for a long swim. After a picturesque sunset we stayed at PPR for dinner. This time, we ordered off the menu. I had a delicious bread-encrusted tuna, Dad had seafood pasta, and Mom had the spare ribs. Maybe I did feed her too much fish. After a fine meal, my parents went to the room and I headed home.

The next morning, I met my parents for a buffet breakfast at PPR. I had won a buffet breakfast for two at the PPR member's holiday party and I was happy to share it with my parents. The breakfast was very good with lots of fresh fruits and breads in addition to a chef making eggs and pancakes. After breakfast we changed into beachwear and then I checked out of the hotel. We spent the rest of the afternoon on the beach reading. It was a little cloudy, so we left in the late afternoon and returned home to my place. For dinner, we went to Palm Bay Bistro. It was a great setting for a meal: right on the water with a full moon hanging over the silhouetted islands. It was also near a small dive shop and we watched a small group of divers swim off for a nearby night dive. My parents loved the atmosphere and well as the food. The had the fresh fish from the dock in a lemon sauce. It was a great dinner and they told me it was one of the highlights of their trip.

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