Day 1 – The Island Relaxation
I landed in Palau a little after 4am and very ready to go to sleep. I had transportation waiting for me at the airport to head to my hotel, Palau Carolines Resort. Once at the reception area I was driven by golf cart to my bungalow style room. It was pitch black outside so I couldn’t see much, but I could tell that I was up in the center of the island and should have a good view of the water in the morning. And boy, did I!
The view from my room looked out over the luscious island from up in the trees. It was amazing! A huge thank you to Palau Carolines Resort for sponsoring my stay in Palau - it was truly amazing. When I woke up I called to make my breakfast order and just a short while later I had breakfast on my patio with an amazing view. It was definitely a breakfast to remember. After getting very little sleep yet again I had, unfortunately, started to catch a cold. I have two days in Palau so I decided to spend my first one resting up and trying to fight the sickness so it hopefully doesn’t get worse.
I had great internet so I was able to get work done with a view, watch Netflix on the TV, and also take a few naps as well. For dinner I ordered a tasty pizza and, all around, it was a perfect restful day. I was able to go to sleep early before exploring more of Palau tomorrow.
Day 2 – The Island Museum
My second day in Palau was definitely a little more adventurous. I was feeling better, though not completely, and after another beautiful and delicious breakfast I headed down to the lobby to get a ride into town. At first I had planned to visit a local beach but on the drive learned from the driver that there were not many good local public options. We drove up to a few restaurants that had beach access but those options were all either closed or having a private event.
After no luck finding a beach I decided on plan B - a visit to a museum, the Belau National Museum! The museum itself was quite small but very comprehensive at the same time. It covered all of Palau’s history (and all of its colonial past, including Spanish, German, Japanese, and US occupation), its local traditions and lifestyle, art and early literature from the island, and much more. One of my favorite things that I learned is that Palau is a matriarchal society as women have been in charge on the island throughout its history. I spent a few hours reading as much as I could before visiting the gift shop and then enjoying the outdoor aspect of the museum. Outside there were many artifacts and even a local traditional building. It was very cool!
After the museum I headed to eat dinner at a restaurant near the hotel. Elilai Grill and Bar has another great view out over the island and I had some more tasty ribs. I was a bit annoyed that they wouldn’t let me sit by the edge since they had reservations even though they weren’t going to start until way after I left, but whatever. My food was still good and so was the view. After dinner I walked back the rest of the way to Palau Carolines Resort where I explored the property for a bit. The views are all over and they are building so many new villas. I cant wait to visit again someday!
That goes for Palau as a whole, actually. The main draw for tourists to Palau is diving and taking a boat out to see the Rock Islands. Unfortunately, I don’t have the funds to do either of those things right now, but I would love to come back and spend more time here someday! I had a great time and after my enjoyable second day I went to sleep around 6pm to get a few hours before having to head to the airport for my 2am flight to Guam.
107 countries down, 89 to go.
To learn more about Palau Carolines Resort click here.
