Lesley and Jan in Palau

Malaysia

lesleyvick — Mon, 29 Jun 2015 10:53:00 GMT

Hello from KL! City of walkways, fountains, BIG buildings and terrible pavements. We have "bummed" through Malaysia via Penang, Ipoh, Kuala Selangor, Kuantan and now KL.

I will soon post more pics - but suffice to say we have had lots of fun on the road. People here are so friendly and welcoming - lots of time people offer to show us where to go when lost; I have been given bananas, oranges and cakes. It is Ramadan so there is a generally festive air every evening (Muslims cannot eat or drink until sundown - I have challenged Jan to do this!).

KL is sadly our last stop before home. It is a fantastic city with lovely parklands, beautiful (and free) galleries and museums plus of course the Petronas towers (pictured on right) which we the worlds tallest toweres when built - for about a year.

If you have every tthought of Malaysia for a holiday - do come. If you have never thought of it - definitely come! Great food (especially on the street), beaches, jungle and air conditioning everywhere is you need it.

Bumming thru Asia

lesleyvick — Thu, 11 Jun 2015 16:48:00 GMT

Or travelling slowly by local train!

Hello from Penang! After rushing from Palau to UK for my Father's funeral we spent time in England with my family and some friends. It was chilly and rainy but we managed to get out to do some walking. But of course it was a reflective sad time and we had to decide what to do next.

Our time in Palau was sadly over - we would only have been back for a week or so and our assignment would officially be over. So we flew to Bangkok. One night in steamy Bangkok convinced us we needed the countryside! So we took the first of many train rides - this one north to Ayutthaya. Ayutthaya is a UNESCO heritage site as it was the capital of Siam until destroyed by the Burmese in the 18th century. It has amazing ruins of temples, stupas and golden towers. It has been left as ruins so reminded me of Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

Next we went south (the trains got slower and more behind schedule from now on!) to Hua Hin. This is the seaside playground of Thais from Bangkok. But it was also very expatriate like; so not the small coastal town we wanted. Another slow train later we were in Pratchuap Khiri Khan. this was a beautiful fishing village with several half moon shape bays. We loved it here and could swim, wander and cycle.

The next train was an overnight one to Hat Yai which is right near the Malaysian border. From there we hustled a ride in a small bus to Penang in Malaysia. And here we are - loving Georgetown with its UNESCO heritage areas. Lots of amazing shop fronts and heritage from several cultures. Jan is going crazy with the Indian food too.

Photos: Bumming thru Asia

lesleyvick — Thu, 11 Jun 2015 16:44:00 GMT

70 Islands.....and a farewell

lesleyvick — Tue, 28 Apr 2015 10:25:00 GMT

This picture is of a very special place in Palau commonly called 70 islands. It has been a no entry area for over 50 years and has some unique flora and fauna. We were very fortunate to receive permission to go there. It was a gorgeous sunny day and we sailed through slowly. Undeniably these little islands have a spiritual aura (which I likened to being somewhere in Oz like the Flinders Ranges).

Sadly that will be our final trip. On Sunday my Father passed away suddenly from a brain haemorrhage. He is in the UK so we will be flying there this weekend. I am not sure after that - but I will keep everyone posted via this blog.

So our time in Palau has been wonderful and we are so lucky to have been here!

Earth Day in Palau

lesleyvick — Wed, 22 Apr 2015 14:18:00 GMT

As National Geographic says - every day is Earth Day in Palau! They are here to launch a new video about Palau: (http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2015/04/21/earth-day-is-every-day-in-palau/).

We started Earth Day activities on Saturday with a coastal clean up; of course we got a tshirt (almost every occasion here you get atshirt). This morning at 4am we got up for the Earth Day fun run/walk. And Jan won! So he got another tshirt plus some vouchers.

Tonight we get a first viewing of the National Geographic video - but now I am off to plant out some more Giant Clams with schoolkids.

Kayangel

lesleyvick — Mon, 13 Apr 2015 11:50:00 GMT

Imagine 4 tiny coral islands in the Pacific Ocean - that is Kayangel. Unique in Pala, Kayangel and the 3 tiny islands that make up this chain are low lying coral atolls. That means they are vulnerable to high tides, storms and typhoons. 2 typhoons have been through recenty - Bopha and Haiyan. You can see from the picture the devastation caused. Most buildings were impacted in some way; trees and essential services knocked out. Also the invasion of salt water meant no crops could be grown.

Fast forward 15 months and life is returning to normal for the 50 residents (not all have returned yet). There are new houses and abeautiful new school that can also be used as a typhoon shelter. Trees and gardens are blossoming and birds abound.

We were on Kayangel for 4 days to conduct a plant and pest survey. Unfortunately a side effect of storms is they open up areas to weeds, and invasive species can enter via traffic (contractors vehicles, barges, etc) or come on the wind. We found some new pest plants as well as the Coconut Rhinocerous beetle which devastates coconut trees. The good news is that natural resilience is returning; plus the hard work of the locals. Cleaning up is ongoing and plantsing of key crops such as taro has started.

We had a fabulous 4 days staying in the local bai (meeting house) and being taken around by the Rangers. We also managed to snorkel in the clearest waters I have ever seen!

Photos: Kayangel

lesleyvick — Mon, 13 Apr 2015 11:48:00 GMT

Our trip to Kayangel

Please sign the Marine Sanctuary petition!

lesleyvick — Fri, 27 Mar 2015 11:22:00 GMT

The main focus of Micronesia Challenge, and therefore my work is how we effectively conserve marine resources. To this end the President of Palau is seeking to make Palau a marine sanctuary with only local fishing allowed. Imgaine that! Thousands of kilomentres of protected ocean! Already the whole of Palau waters are a shark sanctuary so this will build on that. So please sign our petition at:

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/supporting-the-palau-national-marine-sanctuary.html

Giant Clam Farming

lesleyvick — Wed, 18 Mar 2015 12:28:00 GMT

One of the most beautiful creatures here is the giant clam. The come in an extraordinary array of patterns and colours. A bit like those crazy sweaters you used to get. Clams are bivalve molluscs if you want to get scientific; and much prized for food.

Recently we were invited on a boat trip to inspect clam farms and stock a clam farm. Clams only need seawter and sunlight. Theya re raised at the BMR centre (pic in On the Water photos). A series of concrete holding tanks are used with filtration. Once the spawned clams begin to grow they can be put out into farms. These are large metal boxes where the clams are protected from predators such as the eagle ray. Later they are put into large open netted areas out near the reef.

It can take many years for them to reach maximum size - a 5 year old will sit in your palm and the largest are around 50 years old. Needless to say if too many are harvested the stocks can get low - hence the aquaculture.

One unexpected bonus of this job - I am overcoming my seasickness with regular boat trips!

Palau is rapidly changing

lesleyvick — Thu, 5 Mar 2015 14:14:00 GMT

I returned from Yap with a friend - Winsome from Sydney - in tow. We had really enjoyed the peace and quiet of Yap. Palau seems like Los Vegas in comparison. Consider there used to be less than 20,000 tourists a year. This year we are on target to get closer to 200,000, whilst the population of Palau is below 18,000!

Where are they coming from? Most are on package tours from Asia. So we have 5 new chinese restaurants in town since Christmas. Plus many buildings are being turned into hotels or tour operators. The locals (including us) are looking on in a bemused way because this has happened in the last 5 months or so.

Environment wise I am concerned about water and sewerage (it just about copes normally); plus unregulated development. There is talk of more hotels and even a golf course. Baleldob (main island) has over 75% forest cover - I really hoped it could stay that way as one of the last pristine places in Oceania. Also there is an insatiable appetite for seafood. Normally subsistence activities mean there is not too much overharvesting; but this is changing as fishermen can command premium prices for rarer items such as turtles and sea cucumbers.

Yap

lesleyvick — Thu, 19 Feb 2015 14:36:00 GMT

Mogethin from Yap! I am here for a week to induct the new Micronesia Challenge Coordinator who will take over from me. Yap is the most beautiful serene place and possibly the most traditional north pacific island. The main town, Colonia is tiny but charming and right on the lagoon. Yap proper is the largest island and there are several habited outer islands.

Yap keeps many of its traditions alive such as weaving and dance. I have been fortunate enough to go to some of the villages which have beautiful traditional thatched houses and stone paths.

A unique feature of Yap is the traditional stone money. The (originally white) stone actually comes from Palau several hundred miles away. It was carved into huge circular pieces with a central hole, rather like a giant donut. The value was based on size, quality and age of the stone. The stones are still held in stone money banks in the villages and can be used for large purchases such as land.

Manta Rays are one of the special things I wanted to see here. They are currently in breeding season and often seen at cleaning stations where they come to be cleaned by special cleaner fish. Check out this YouTube clip: www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oFSyv59V-0 We are on a boat tomorrow so fingers crossed!.

Photos: Yap

lesleyvick — Thu, 19 Feb 2015 14:32:00 GMT

My visit to Yap

Pohnpei and 6 Waterfalls hike

lesleyvick — Thu, 12 Feb 2015 09:00:00 GMT

We are in Pohnpei for the Australian Volunteers Meeting. There is one a year and all volunteers from the North Pacific gather. We have had a great time with fun company and wonderful local foods. Also a couple of excursions including the 6 waterfalls hike. This took 7 hours and was arduous. Actually really, really tough is a better description. Lots of scrambling up and down rocks that were really slippery. We had local guides who made excellent walking sticks from tree branches.

We slipped and slid along the riverbed visiting and jumping in all the falls. The guides did not sip and they positively ran across the rocks - wearing thongs. We all dressed like a Kathmandu catalogue but still looked like hippos! One of the guides carried a child that could not make it for 4 hours!

So a wonderful day.

Pohnpei is lovely. I have been before but it is such a friendly place, very local (v few tourists). it does have some distinctions from Palau - mainly the smell of pig farms. But you get used to that. back to Palau today, then to Yap.

Partying!

lesleyvick — Mon, 26 Jan 2015 11:51:00 GMT

If there is one thing Palauans know its how to party. We attended a Welcome to 2015 one this weekend and it was sensational. For a start everyone joins in - ladies ask men to dance or vice versa. And everyone dances until they drop. And the music is great. Not as screechy as Cambodian music and definitely not lady Gaga; but great to dance to.

Friday we were treated to traditional dancers (as in the picture). There is a great custom that as the dancers perform people dance around them and give them $1 bills. I have personally benefited from this at a recent event and made $21 in about 5 mins!

We also had a huge buffet, jelly shots, new year necklaces and games. When was the last time you played musical chairs with beer?? And I won that game and netted a prize of a cruise. Yes, lots of raffle prizes too. Palauans are really into food prizes and beer. So a great recipe for a party.

Chewing Betel Nut

lesleyvick — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 12:59:00 GMT

There is one custom here that I don't think I could ever share - chewing betel nut! This is a tradition here and in Yap and many other Pacific countries. The betel nuts grow on tall slim trees like Coconut palms. First step is to climb them - quite a scary thought. Easier to simply buy betel nuts in the store! (Local men do climb them with their feet tied together and they sort of shuffle up).

The nut (which is fresh and green about the size of a plum) is sliced, wrapped in a leaf and sprinkled with slaked lime (powdered coral). Tobacco is also added in many cases. This whole concoction is then chewed. The resulting juice and debris are spat out (anywhere and everywhere). You can easily tell who chews - they have red teeth. Certainly it is not receommended as a healthy thing to do and can lead to increased cancers etc. But the warming, slightly stimulating effect means most Palauans over early teens do participate. I am sticking to gum.

Food

lesleyvick — Fri, 2 Jan 2015 11:16:00 GMT

Happy New Year! Here we are celebrating Christmas with tree shaped pancakes. There is no particular Christmas food. There is a Palauan tapioca dish for new year (very sweet) and a Japanese bean one (also sweet). Sugar almost sums up Palauan food - oh add lots of meat too and of course fish. After 6 months I cannot say there are many Palauan dishes I have tried. In fact a lot of the diet is pretty dreadful - US and western foods have been greatly adopted. So fish, meat, spam, rice, instant noodles, Kool aid, soy sauce, cakes, taro, tapioca, banana fritters and bento boxes would be staples. There are some really bad mixes like Kool aid (cordial powder), salt and soy sauce. I know - who would ever hve thought of that. Fruit or anything even noodles is dipped into it. This is all washed down with soft drinks and beer.

We try to buy local foods - taro and cassava (root veggies), Kangam (local spinach), bananas and papaya's. Soon it will be mango season, then local avocado season. There is also great locally made tofu and plenty of eggs. Palauans are never vegetarians, but they sort of understand it up to the part about not eating fish. Of course fish and anything connected to the ocean are central to life here. People are allowed to fish in theri home state or village. There are quotas and somt things such as Dugongs are protected and can never be taken. However twice a year you can catch turtles and people absolutely love the meat.

Season's Greetings

lesleyvick — Wed, 17 Dec 2014 13:31:00 GMT

Christmas is in full swing here already. Never have I seen so many blow up snowmen or flashing lights. Since Thanksgiving we have been regalled by greetings, carols and candy canes. This week was the lighting of the Christmas tree and a nice tradition where every afternoon a different government ministry gives out lollies and small gifts to the children.

The picture is of a Christmas tree made entirely of recycled bottles! The hotel has 4 of these trees and takes almost a year to make them. They also have an amazing amount of lights and Santa arrived in a sleigh. This is the most full on Christmas I have ever had so far. So as normal we will be doing a festive swim. Not sure what will happen after that. And we only get one day - there is no boxing day (so no boxing day sales I guess).

We wanted to wish you all tropical Christmas greetings and a fabulous healthy and fulfiling 2015.

First Birth Ceremony

lesleyvick — Fri, 5 Dec 2014 14:46:00 GMT

Palau is a matrilineal society and the key ceremony here involves women. When a woman has her first baby she undergoes a special cleansing ceremony. It's a bit like a spa voucher with benefits! For up to 9 days (depending on her clan) she is bathed with coconut oil, herbs and tumeric. The idea is to relax and spoil the new mother ready to take on the rigours of motherhood.

At the end she is dressed in a traditional outfit including a grass (often plastic!) skirt and a headdress made of tropic bird feathers. She is then led out to raucous crowds and music. The women relatives dance around her and present her with money. This goes on until everyone has had their turn. The elder ladies wash her feet with special leaves. (More pics in Culture and history of Palau).

It looks fantastic but really tiring. As a local mother told me she just couldn't wait for everyone to leave so she could have a shower and get rid of all the oil!

Rock Islands camping

lesleyvick — Wed, 26 Nov 2014 13:52:00 GMT

Wow what a weekend we just had! Camping in the Rock Islands. This was the end of year event for the Outrigger Canoe group. So about 20 of us - mainly teenagers and young people met Saturday morning with plenty of food and water. The island we were going to is called Ngermediu. It has a summer house with a barbeque and plenty of beach to stretch out on.

Saturday afternoon we snorkelled and some of the group went fishing. It is not hard to fish here - just drop your line in and something virtually jumps on! Saturday night was a cook up and campfire.

Sunday bright and early we went off for a long swim to the drop off. Here you see the larger fish. After that more relaxing, chatting and even a bit of coconut husking.

Eventually the boat returned and we had to go back. Tired but happy. I have never enjoyed wearing the same clothes 48 hours so much or being sandy and salty. A true Robinson Crusoe experience!

Photos: Rock Islands Camping

lesleyvick — Wed, 26 Nov 2014 13:38:00 GMT