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.
