Spring Break: Kayangel

Have you ever heard of the island of Kayangel?

Probably not.  I never had before coming to Palau. It's actually an atoll located north of the northernmost tip of Palau.  There are several islands included in it, and the biggest one is around 1.5 kilometers long.  With beaches, palm trees, and seashells, it's just a small tropical dot in the middle of the great Pacific ocean.  When we learned we were going there during spring break, I didn't know what to expect, but just the name seemed exotic and romantic.

We began our journey by traveling up through the Palau states...Airai, then Ngchesar, then Melekeok, then Ngiwal, then Ngaraard, all the way up to Ngarchelong.  It was a warm, overcast day with a breeze.  We saw jungle-carpeted hills, quick ocean views, and a young brown bull tethered by the road (that brought out our cameras quickly--cows are common in the U.S., but not on Palau).  Finally we arrived at the dock on the northern tip of the main island.  

The wind was strong when we began the voyage.  The waves were fairly high, and we had a somewhat wild ride getting there.  Plowing through the rolling waves, swooping up one side, being tossed in the air (literally) and landing with a heavy thud into the next valley.  It was more fun if you stood up and absorbed the shocks like you were skiing or surfing.  (Mr. Sanchez said the trip to Anguar last time was "ten times worse," and that everyone had gotten soaked head to toe, so I guess these waves were just ripples).  With the breeze against our faces, and unknown lands on the horizon, it felt like we were going on a real adventure again.  

Someone cried, "Look!" and pointed to the left, and we saw little fish skimming away over the waves like large blue moths.  The legendary flying fish.  Not one, but many sprang out of the water and glided away from the boat.  (I'm afraid they were very hard to take pictures of.)

Finally, we saw a faint haze of land on the starboard side of the boat.  As we got closer and closer, the land began to separate into several islands, and we saw beaches and palm trees beyond the turquoise-blue water.

 

Kayangel has less than 200 people on it, and I'm surprised it even has that many.  We arrived at the dock and waved hello to the few men who were hanging around. 

 

If you want to live on Kayangel, this could be your house

Monitor Lizard?

There were even fewer people here because many had gone to the mainland for a special week-long school event.  The 8 students on the island and their teachers were gone.  Kayangel was almost deserted except for a couple of pigs, some chickens, and what we thought was a monitor lizard.

Anybody home?

It didn't take us long to walk the length of most of the island

Kayangel has a lot of beaches

There were plenty of good shells

Kayangel School

 We walked a little ways, saw the school building (which was very nice), and then went shell-hunting on the beach.  We found a variety of cowries--yellow, lavender, tortoiseshell, and cream with dalmatian spots--plus cone shells, olive shells, top snails, cockleshells, wentletraps (I looked these up), and a bunch of hermit crabs that would not appreciate their intricate homes being taken.

 Then we decided to walk across to the island where we would picnic.  This involved fording the waist-deep ocean for several hundred feet, which felt even longer than it sounds, especially when you're stumbling over coral.

Yay!  Adventure in paradise!

This is how I really felt after slogging across the ocean from one island to the next

After our walk, shell hunt, and picnic, we decided to just head back since it was a long way back to Airai.  We got in the boat and had a much smoother ride back.  Though I wouldn't like to live on Kayangel, it was certainly worth coming.  Sandy beaches, palm trees, seashells, flying fish, and a wild boat ride...it was an adventure to remember.  It made me not only appreciate Palau's natural beauty all the more, but it made the main island seem more like home as we cruised back and saw its hazy hills in the distance...

We had a picnic on the beach and saw so many beautiful shells and some lovely flowers

Some of my favorites that I collected

It just makes you realize how diverse and gorgeous the world is.  There are so many different places, so many nooks and crannies and hidden treasures.  When you look at the shells, they're so perfect, detailed and artistic.  If you believe that God made everything, then you have to admit He is not only a superb artist, but He loves variety.  From snowflakes and mountains in Alaska, to rock formations and cactus flowers in the desert, to spring-green leaf buds and daffodils in Europe.  Chipmunks and chickadees to puffer fish and tropicbirds.  From the bizarre to the beautiful, from complex to comical...it never ceases to amaze you if you really take the time to explore.

And I don't think we'll ever see it all.  Kayangel was just a speck in the ocean, but it had so much to see.  Think how much more there is to see in the world...I think there will always be more to learn and discover and enjoy.  Hope you keep exploring, even if it's just in your own backyard. 

Spring Break: Rock Islands

Here are some pictures of our Rock Island trip this past week.  It was beautiful out, although some people got thoroughly sunburned because the sun was so bright.

It was a brilliant, scorching day

There are so many islands...some with beaches, some without

The endemic Rur flower

It was kind of a short trip, but we got to have a picnic on the beach, and I explored around the side of an island a little bit and found shells, Rur flowers, and a little cave.

Fish at "The Cemetery"

Also got to swim with fish again and I got some good videos of little fish swimming in the coral at the "Cemetery".  I wish I could post videos, but might not have enough wifi power.

Humphead wrasse!  They're big and they came close

The beautiful tropicbird

This is apparently called a White, Fairy, or Angel Tern

We got to see a lot of things even though we didn't go many places.  It gave me a new appreciation for Palau and all it has to offer.  It was also a welcome break and we had a lot of fun with everyone (most of the teachers, local and SMs, and some of the dorm kids came).  It was a welcome break from school.  I'm thankful to God for a relaxing and refreshing vacation--it was just what we needed.

Riding back as the sun sets

I'll try to post pictures of our trip to Kayangel soon...

Until next time...

Health Expo: Ngarchelong State

 The SDA churches in Palau are trying to do a health expo in each state of Palau, and a few weeks ago we had the first one in Ngarchelong (which is at the northernmost point on the main island).  The health expo was based on the NEWSTART program, so it had 8 stations teaching people about proper Nutrition, Exercise, Water use, Sunlight, Temperance, fresh Air, Rest, and Trust in God.  It was very well done.

We had the expo at the Ngarchelong Elementary school (the name Ngarchelong, by the way, seems to be pronounced "Ner-ah-long", since the "g" and "ch" are silent).

A lady even gave a cooking demonstration and made some gluten

Anyway, there weren't tons of people stopping by in Ngarchelong, but I think that the expo was appreciated.  There was a doctor on the site to look at people and advise them.  Another person was giving free massages.  We gave out recommendations for making healthy choices at the Temperance station (which was where I was).  Just like in the U.S., people struggle with alcohol and drug addictions (although there's more of a betel nut problem here than at home), as well as eating right and getting enough exercise, so we encouraged them to take care of their health.  Sadly, Palau is #1 on the world obesity list, followed by some other islands like Tonga and the Marshall Islands.  But that's what the health expo is trying to change!

It was a hot day, but there was plenty of water at the Water station, and people played baseball in the field afterward.  (I sat and sweated in the shade).  Interestingly, it had rained really heavily the day before, and some considered cancelling the expo, but one of the church ladies told me that they prayed and decided to go ahead, and it was a really lovely, sunny day when morning came.  All in all, it was a pretty good event, and I think there are plans to have more expos in different locations in the future.

And then there's another interesting development--a wellness center will be opening in Koror, Palau at the end of April.  There was a fundraising event held last week, and the goal is to have a reasonably-priced place where people can get good healthcare.  Doctors and students will come for mission trips to help patients, and while the focus of the center will be on dentistry and optometry, there will be a variety of services including help for depression, diabetes reversal, pediatrics, and a lot of other aspects of health.  It sounded really cool, actually.  Pray that these projects will help the people of Palau cultivate the best physical, mental, and spiritual health possible.

Sabbath Peleliu Trip

Ominous and inevitable rain on the horizon...

 We got to do a church service in Peleliu a few weeks ago.  Of course, Peleliu is in the Rock Islands, so this involved an hour-long boat ride from Koror, and unfortunately, it was raining the whole way there.

A wet arrival

 But the rain cleared out once we arrived, and we were able to change into our church clothes and do the service (surprise--we had to do the whole service, but at least it's all about God's glory, not putting on a performance, and He blessed)

Our stalwart Coach-Chaplain Corey giving the sermon

After the service, we had lunch and then a nice man named Edison drove us around the island in the back of a truck (thankfully it didn't rain again).  We got to see some of the sights we enjoyed over Christmas break, plus a couple of new ones.  And at one ocean point, we got to see some rays--maybe manta rays--frolicking (or whatever they were doing) in the shallows by the rocks.  That was cool.

Old WWII weaponry

Not your usual Sabbath afternoon walk

 Peleliu is small, but packed with WWII history.

And there's a bomb

By the Japanese WWII memorial

All in all, we had a good time, and it was an adventure.  Maybe not something you would want to do every week, but definitely something different from the normal routine.  Praise God for safe rides to and from Peleliu, for the nice church people and their hospitality, and for things we got to see.