Ok, so here's the video Rachel created earlier today.  We got a call from a friend, like I mentioned in my last post, and some fishermen from his village caught this in the area we paddled yesterday.  Sounds like they will be off eating this soon...

 

Oh yeah... some fishermen from the Fuanes' village caught this baby just out where we went paddling yesterday.  Kinda freaky... I'll post a video your children shouldn't watch a little later and update this post if it actually uploads. :)  So, until then, have a look at some pics...

Here are a few photos of two different turtles we saw passing through Pillbox Channel today in Palau.   We were out standup paddling another great day in paradise.  We hope you join us soon!  Here is a very short video (like 3 seconds since we have dialup) of one of the turtles passing by us...

Turtle Video

 

 We were talking with our friend Ron Leidich about stand up paddling a few days ago. Ron is "the man" when it comes to paddling the waters of Palau. Though he doesn't stand up paddle, he does kayak and runs the best kayak tours and expeditions in Palau through Paddling Palau and under Sam's Tours. When I say he's "the man" I merely mean that he knows the best places to paddle, the hidden gems and places to explore, and is an expert on the flora and fauna.  He takes his kayak groups to the best places to paddle and snorkel, so when he gives Shauna and I insider tips, we really listen.

We were talking with Ron about Nikko Bay and the things we've seen there while paddling lately. He mentioned that sometimes he does lunch from the pillbox at Pillbox Channel and gets an amazing view of sharks and turtles from up there.

Guess where we headed on our next day of paddling at Nikko? You guessed it - Pillbox Channel. First of all, we had seen the concrete and limestone pillbox, a leftover from the Japanese occupation here during WWII, perched atop the island as we paddled by in the past. It's about 20-30 feet above the water, all nestled into the foliage, and you have to really look to see it. We didn't know you could  actually get up there.

Ahhhh, the weather is back to "normal." How can I even say what's "normal" though? We've been here all of 7 weeks. Even if I combine that with the month we spent here in May, I don't think I'm really qualified to say what "normal" weather is here in Palau. Nonetheless, the weather is back to what we saw the most of when we arrived, AKA "normal."

The sun is out, we've got some high clouds, and occasional rain showers. It's been great for paddling so we've been out exploring the further reaches of Nikko Bay. We were out on the water for a good 4 ½ hours yesterday and we paddled to some great caves, out to a beach that is at the opening to Nikko Bay, said our hellos to passing sea turtles, and snorkeled in our favorite spot - a place where we've seen black tip reef sharks, turtles, Moorish Idols, wrasses, and a ton of colorful fish. I think I even saw a small cuttlefish there yesterday.

One of my favorite moments yesterday happened when a thick, powerful band of rain passed through.