Holidays in Palau

The month of December flew by.

An incredible trip to the Southwest Islands on the Atoll Way, an experience about which I am still writing and generating material.

Christmas, skies washed white with rain, on the uninhabited Rock Island of Ngemelis. An old Palauan story that takes place on this island explains the cycle of turtle nesting. Two lovers from different islands met at Ngemelis and spent the night under the full moon. On the beach that evening they observed a turtle come to lay her eggs. The following morning the woman’s grass skirt was nowhere to be found, so the couple hurriedly wove a new one. When they met again at the new moon, they were once again greeted by the turtle. But this time they were surprised to find part of the woman’s skirt wrapped around one flipper. Thus the turtle nesting cycle was revealed. As a traditionally oral culture, much of Palauan culture and teachings is revealed and passed down through stories and chants.

At Ngemelis we met Ralf and Susie, two Germans on a year-long journey traveling alternately between mountains and islands. Back in Hamburg, Ralf works in the emergency room, Suzie is a solicitor. After three months hiking to Everest base camp in Nepal, they swapped hiking boots for flip-flops and have been kayaking through the rock islands for several weeks.

New Years Eve I was invited to spend the night and the following day in the Eang Community of Southwest Islanders, a tiny hamlet nestled on the shore of Koror with a view of the limestone Rock Islands. As we counted down to midnight, a rainbow ringed the full moon and homemade fireworks rang out into the night.

New Year’s day commenced with an early Mass at the Catholic Church on the shore. The Eang church is a beautiful building featuring simple whitewashed walls with windows that open to the water and sky. Sea breezes intermingle with the strumming of guitar and the singing of the community choir. To welcome the New Year, the assembled congregation was invited to kiss the feet of the baby Jesus – a tradition that is said to have originated in the Philippines.

Up the hill in Itop, the center of the Tobian community, preparations were underway for a big party. Lina and Castro sang in the band. I smiled as I listened to old-time favorites ring out in Palauan and Tobian. Achy Breaky Heart, It’s my Party I can Cry if I Want to. By mid-afternoon we were in the thick of competition – various relay races, musical chairs, dancing newspaper, the carrot race. Every household had prepared big tupper wares full of food – pumpkin rice, smoked fish, red bean soup (a traditional Japanese New Year tradition), barbecued chicken and steak. It was great to see and spend time with friends from my trip to the Southwest - Philip, Jackie, Konina and her adorable sons Kalen and Dylan, Monica and her family, the Patrices. As it grew dark, Tanya Patrice took me for a paddle in her grandfather’s traditional canoe under the full moon, an incredible experience. Tanya teaches at the local Catholic school and is considering one day teaching in her father’s home island, Tobi. I left late that night, really loving Palau.













And so the New Year came, and with it a lot of reflection. It’s hard to believe that I’m fast approaching six months of travel on my own. Blinking under the scalding sun in a summer dress on New Years Day, life seemed a world away from last year and the New Year’s celebration I attended on an icy rooftop in downtown Manhattan. The holidays can be a lonely time, and I certainly struggled with my fair share of missing home and close friends. I’m lucky my year involves interacting with so many people, even if for only a short time – that has helped sustain me.