Journey to Angaur

In Palau, May 5 is a national holiday celebrating Senior Citizen's Day. This year it was observed with a day off work on Friday resulting in a three day weekend. In order to celebrate old people, LB, Christy, and I planned a trip to the southern island of Angaur. Located seven miles southwest of Peleliu, it is about four square miles and outside the protective reef that surrounds the main islands of Palau.

Being an island, the first challenge is getting to it. The State Governments of both Peleliu and Angaur each own and operate a ferry boat between their islands and Koror. Angaur's state boat usually operates only one weekend every two weeks corresponding with pay day. This was not a regularly scheduled weekend trip, so we were not expecting the state boat to travel to Angaur. LB and Christy investigated other boat possibilities but those proved too inconvenient or expensive. As recently as Monday morning it looked like there would be no trip. But then, the Court law librarian Loir started calling about the state boat. She called the state offices numerous times and even spoke to the governor. On Monday, Angaur decided to run the state boat from Koror to Angaur on Friday due to the holiday. However, they held off deciding whether to have the boat return on Sunday until later in the week. On Thursday morning, they made the decision to have the boat return on Sunday. Lori made arrangements for us to rent a beach house from a local man named Leon and to have a local woman cook us dinners. All that was left for us to do was to pack up our supplies.

On Friday morning, I ran the Red Cross Walkathon. Afterwards, I had a few hours to pack in order to arrive at the dock around 11 am for the noon departure. The state boat looks a small freighter with a two-story control tower and large open flat area in the front where cargo and even cars can be shipped. Over a portion of the deck, they have built a wood and tarp shelter to protect people and goods from the elements. We secured some of our bags underneath a tarp and got a seat on the benches under the canopy. It had been raining off and on all morning, so we protected our gear and prepared to get a little wet. Joining me on the trip was LB, Dave, Ryan, Noah, Christy, and Christy's friend Angie who is in Palau doing accounting work. The boat had about thirty to forty people on board and plenty of supplies. All the stores on Angaur depend on shipments on the state boat, so there was plenty of cargo. No cars on this trip, but we did have a few refrigerators and a motorcycle.

The great diesel engine rumbled to life and we departed from the dock. We stayed underneath the canopy during the intermittent rain, but otherwise moved freely about the ship. In the center of the canopy, a small group of older Palauan women, called "mechas" in Palauan, had set out a few mats and were sitting surrounded by bags and coolers. They also cared for an infant, who napped next to them on the mats. The state boat doesn't go very fast and it takes nearly four hours to get to Angaur, so everyone was prepared for the long ride. The mechas ate a picnic lunch that was quite a spread. The trip through the rock islands was smooth as we went down the west side. We went through German Channel at low tide, which was a bit precarious.

As the state boat passed Peleliu the wind and waves began to increase. We left the protection of the reef and entered open ocean where the waves were larger and caused some rocking and rolling. The boat had to slow down and take a less direct route to avoid hitting the waves head on. The waves also caused the cargo to start shifting and the crew had to batten down the hatches. Christy and LB enjoyed the waves and got soaked standing at the bow. I was less than thrilled by the waves and was content to stay back under the canopy. Once the boat reached the leeward side of Angaur the waves decreased and we were able to turn directly into the waves and head into the Angaur dock.

Back on solid ground we got our stuff off the boat and into a truck that was waiting for us with Leon's wife. They drove us the short distance to the beach house at the edge of the village. The house was one level and had two bedrooms, a bathroom, a large living room, and a kitchen. It also had a small cannon left over from the war in case we need to ward off any pesky invaders. Once settled, we went exploring. We had brought one mountain bike and one kids bike, so Dave and Noah took the bikes and went to the village. LB, Christy, Angie, and I set off on foot. The house was on the west side about halfway down the island. There was a road that circumnavigated the island along the coast and we began walking south. While exploring we found a small shop called the Banyan Tree. The owner recognized us from the boat and said hello. He had two bikes available for rent and we took them for the weekend. He also showed us the bar next door that he owned and invited us back later that evening. We took the bikes and headed back to the house. For dinner, Leon's wife had arranged for a mechas to prepare dinner that she brought us. It was fried rice, crab pancakes, tapioca, and fried chicken. It was a finely prepared meal and we all enjoyed it, especially the crab pancakes.

After dinner, LB, Christy, Angie, and I biked over to the Banyan Tree bar to play pool. There was only one table, but there was only a couple other patrons so we had the table to ourselves. I hadn't played pool since I had arrived in Palau and it was a great place to play, especially considering the remoteness of our location. LB and I were fairly even players and we traded games back and forth. I also played a round with an elderly Palauan man who didn't say a single word the entire game, but did beat me on the last ball. Christy and Angie also joined the few other patrons in singing karaoke. We had a fun time at the little bar at the end of the world.

We managed to bike back to the beach house in the dark. As it was high tide, LB suggested a little night fishing off the nearby pier. We grabbed their rods and walked to the pier. We positioned ourselves where we could reach the water and began casting. I had a fish strike my lure, but it slipped off before I could reel it in. Otherwise, we didn't have any bites. However, with the full moon out it was a lovely evening for a little fishing. We returned to the beach house and I went for a brief midnight swim before turning in for some much needed sleep after a long day.

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