Palau 2012

Here we go again. Back in Palau. Or should we say back in diving paradise? Palau is a small island country in the middle of Pacific. They used to be US territory and got the independence only in 1994. Still feels a lot like US – shops, money (official currency is US dollar), US army… But also feels like the time stopped some time ago – a lot like Cuba. But people are friendly and diving is… well… exquisite…

To be fair, we were scared that after all this time we imagined how good it was. That we travelled all that way for just a memory. But luckily not the case. Palau still has it. Still gives you that warm and exhilarating feeling when you jump in. When you share crystal clear waters of Pacific ocean with amazing underwater creatures (if you were even wondering – both sharks and mantas were there). Well, for the first four days anyway. And then typhoon Bopha arrived. Well, to be perfectly accurate it passed very closely, brushed really. But that was enough.

If you haven't heard about it yet, Bopha was the typhoon that brought destruction mainly to Philippines, but passed Palau as well. Now, to give you a better picture, last big typhoon to hit this island state was years ago, some even said in 1967! And again now, when we were there – our luck at its best... At first we didn't take it that seriously, but when people started raiding shops and talking of power and water shortages they were getting our attention. And then the tragedy struck - no diving for two full days! Well, guess worst things have happened (thou this one was pretty bad). So, we got to it. Charged our devices, bought some water and food, got some candles and filled buckets with water (and if you are wondering – yes, in that order) and… well… got ready. The capital was like a war zone – all windows covered with wooden planks (German embassy was the first one – ahead of schedule if we may say), sirens going on from time to time, no people on the roads really, and that general feeling that something bad is going to happen – nervous waiting in the air…

And then it came. We decided to stay in the room during the full blast (somehow didn’t think that getting smacked with a big log or flying fence was not the best way to spice up this holiday), so our experience mainly consisted of listening to rain and wind. In the dark! Power was cut off to prevent further damage, but at least the water was still there. The next morning we went for a walk. And got some really weird looks from the local police. Destruction was not so bad in Koror, but we still saw some really weird stuff – like a tree branch on the power lines. But people were manly glad that all was over and it was not so bad. Unfortunately that cannot be said for the southern island Peleliu. There everyone was evacuated to natural caves. But the destruction was pretty big Even when we left, power and water were still not available.

Now, back to main topic – diving. Visibility was badly affected by the typhoon. Currents were crazy and for a few days after the main blast stronger  than usual, but fish life was abundant. Even more than usual! Fish were schooling and sharks hunting – sight not to be forgotten soon. Blue Corner really has it – hard to decide where to look, it is just so much happening around. Napoleons were as funny as usual, coming behind your back and coming so close you could touch then and just looking at you with those giant, funny eyes, Visibility was really affecting German Channel and when we lost all our hope to see mantas feeding it happened. We saw six beautiful gentle giants making those magic circles over and over again. We were mesmerised by this show of pure elegance. As magic as it was, we still feel we were not fair on some other places we have been (and this would mainly be Tubbataha reef in Philippines). So after a long and tiring discussion we have decided to promote few other places to join the main spot with Palau. Hopefully, there will be more to add…

Again, we left with some unbelievable memories of Palau. Are we going to back? You betcha!

Here are some more pictures from Palau.

Bali pictures

Finally got usable Internet connection and was able to upload some Bali pictures.
Got also some Bali diving pictures.

The Travel (to Palau)

Well, we decided to put a separate post for trip between Bali and Palau as we thought it deserved one. It lasted 38 hours and involved no less than five airports.

So, started in Dempasar in Bali (Airport No1) at 3 pm on Monday, November 26^th. Few more Bintang beers (actually pretty decent – probably the best thing in Indonesia!) and noodles at the airport. Not too hard to say bye-bye to Bali, especially as we are going to Palau. Air Asia flight was pretty short (especially as we were sleeping most of the time – thank God for rain sounds on i-pods!) and next thing we were in KL (Airport No2). Not the main airport (reserved for low cost carriers), but seems this one is never asleep either. And Internet connection was good! Very sad that we were tired (well, one of us at least) and needed a kip. So, Nives joined the locals on the floor and Dejan went on to check Facebook. Few hours later we boarded next plan for Clark, Philippines (Airport No3). Slept through that one as well, I’m proud to say. It was actually so good to be back in Philippines, that we were sorry we haven’t decided to stay longer. We took a bus to Manila and decided to spend a day in the Magamall. Good choice! Not only did we get a little bit of western consumer fix, but we also had pizza and wine (yes, baby!!!). And people are so much friendlier than in Indonesia. Definitely a better place to come to! Positive change in Manila that we have noticed is slow establishment of the middle class. In the past practically only people in the restaurants and shops were ex-pats. Not any more, a lot of locals now as well. So great to see that! Completely spoiled by Indonesia we were planning to catch a taxi to airport, but as it was rush-hour we couldn’t find any free ones (again, go Philippines!!!). So, we went with the buss. What should have been about 20 minutes ride proved to be a two hour one. That says it all about the traffic jam. Think the concept was invented in Manila. Not to mention how close busses and cars are at some points. Just plain crazy… Luckily we started way too early and managed to get to airport in time (Airport No4). And there we had an experience not to be forgotten soon. Talking about United Airlines service. Never have we seen anything so chaotic and unorganized in our lives. There were about 20 people there doing what about 2 people do for RyanAir. And do it better and faster. We were amazed, actually stunned… Have been asked the same questions about 5 times by same people. If there wasn’t for good mood from having wine in the afternoon, we would have probably lost it. This way, we went with the flow. And went… and went… Yes, you guessed right – plane had a 2 hour delay!!! After ditching blowing air-cons (what is it with this in Asia – trying to recreate a home feeling for all tourists, or what? We like the good weather people! That is why we come over!) and squatting on airport floors again (this is becoming a habit) we boarded what must have been the oldest and crummiest plane we have seen in ages. And we paid 500 EUR each for this ticket!!! Definite rip-off! So much for monopoly (fyi, UA are the only airline flying to Palau from Manila, other options are from Japan, Korea and Taiwan; and getting there is expensive)… At last, at 5 am we were in Palau (Airport No5). Final thought? 

We are definitely getting too old for this…

Bali

So, finally we made it to Bali. Last time we missed it  and went to Sulawesi instead to dive Lembeh and Bunaken. We always felt we missed something and wanted to see it this time. Especially as the island is described as one of top 10 island destinations in the world. It is even referred as Morning of the World or Island of Gods.

So, Bali for us...
I suppose after all we heard and read about Bali anticipation was ripe. We had certain expectations.. Afraid to say Bali did not live up to them.
Bali is the only non-islamic island in Indonesia, predominant religion being hinduism. It was brought by Indians in the 1st century AD. When Islam came in the 15th century last Java Hindu king escaped to Bali with many of the court's intellectuals, artists and priests. This is where Bali’s rich cultural and artistic strike comes from. Europeans obviously had to have a say – Dutch came in the 17th century and practically stayed until after the World War 2 (clutching at straws for a long time to stay here…).

People. First, we have decided to give all a chance and stop comparing any other nation to Irish (definite winners!). But Balinese don't cut it very well, I'm afraid. We are not saying they are unfriendly, but just didn't get that vibe. They are definitely not as warm as Thai or Philippino. And there was a lot of hassling! Haven't seen so much since Tanzania a long time ago. You could not walk without quite aggressively being offered something: a shirt, dinner or a taxi ride. We felt as were two walking wallets. And without wanting it really  you just go on defensive. Not that we were buying a lot – Bali proved to be pretty expensive, more than expected. Corruption is horrible as well. Police actually stops tourists on motor bikes and invents reasons for ticketing (best one we heard was that that they stopped one meter away from the stop mark on the road instead on it). Yep, felt like paying a road tax. To be honest last time we saw something like this was more than 15 years ago, again in Tanzania (fyi, we haven’t been there since…). Very disappointing indeed. We actually managed to talk ourselves out of fine (everyone we talked to were surprised), but it left a bad feeling in the mouth. Nothing compared to when we were almost conned when changing money. Nives went alone to change 100 EUR and only the next day noticed about 40  EUR was missing. So, we went back to the exchange shop (not in a good mood!) and after a reasonable conversation (her exact words were: I'm going to the police and you are going to prison!) guy admitted stealing 25 EUR. And then the haggling started (we know!!!) and we agreed in the middle - about 32 EUR. We were fairly happy to have most of the money back (and learned a good lesson!). Well, that was before Dejan found the missing 15 EUR in his pocket. So, in the end we got a really good exchange rate... And this was not an isolated exchange incident either! Now that we knew that there is a trick, we both went to change money and see how they actually do it. Boy, they are fast, we can tell you that! So, in the end they tried to con us 5 more times over next few days. We were prepared thou and walked away with our money.

Traveling around and infrastructure. Now, this was a joke really. Roads were there (apparently built only last year!), but no scheduled transportation system really for most of the island. So, as a tourist you have to rely on taxis and private transport that you have to haggle for. Have  we mentioned we felt used? Other option is renting a scooter. Two problems thou: expect police “road tax” and the traffic was horrific (felt like Indonesia was a single world market for scooters!). Definitely not for non-experienced. Internet is basic if not poor. At one place we managed a voice Skype only and it was for short time as well - some kind of anomaly, we thought. Positive side is that "Little Shit" proved to be useful - we would write few mails off-line and it would send it when Internet was available. Needless to say, we were not in touch a lot. Someone even said Bali is a Switzerland of Indonesia! This must have been a joke. On the other hand, thank god we haven't seen the rest... Whoever came with that comparison must on be some really good stuff... wish we had some while we were on Bali...

Food. Well, with food available and without direct intention we actually lost weight. Only other time this happened was on Sulawesi. Yes, we can see the common denominator... We even went for a really good Balinese restaurant (recommended by two different guide books). And did not really like it. Ingredients were good quality: fresh and local, preparation techniques were excellent, but taste was missing. That kick you get from good Asian food, explosion of aromas in your mouth was just not there. Btw, do not mix Indonesian cuisine (satay and mie goreng are from there! And from Malaysia and even Singapore) with Balinese – that one is good. Only local dish we did really like was pork roasted on a spit - or Babi Guling. Place is the legendary restaurant Ibu Oka in Ubud. Meat was succulent and nicely spiced - definitely worth a visit. To be honest, anything on a spit over the fire can't be bad, right?

We did have another foodie memorable evening in Ubud thou. Well, maybe not foodie only exactly... First, there was a walk to the restaurant. On the map it looked like a stroll, in reality it was a 5 km hike up the hill in the heat. We were half expecting that when we get there they would be either closed or out of food. Well, luckily we were wrong this time. This was upmarket part of area (read even more expensive) and offer was good. We had pork ribs; and they were excellent, best we had since South Africa (in our minds still world capital of good brai). Anyway, ribs were delicious (not sure how much Balinese as the owner is American and has brought the recipe with him, but who cares - they were yum), but that was not highlight of the evening. That one goes to the martini served. Now, we read it is something to try and we did. And it was damn good... and alcoholic... Not sure if it is the heat, or distinct lack of alcohol here (Indonesia is still the largest Muslim country in the world, so alcohol is expensive), but the way back home was in a blur... Definitely worth 10 EUR a pop! Thing we missed a lot was wine. You can buy some Australian one at extortionate prices (you guessed correctly, we didn't go for it) or locally produced. Definitely something we do not recommend (and we have had our share of seriously shitty wines in Slovenia in our student years!). Not sure why it is even called a wine?

Diving - definitely not something to come back for. Not as good as Thailand and definitely not good as Philippines. Again, comparing to neighbours only to be fair. Snorkelling practically not existent. First we were in Tulamben. It is an interesting place for US Liberty wreck and diving on black volcanic sand (last biggest eruption was in 1967). Will definitely remember it for damn fire grass as well (bloody biodiversity!) - still itches! More of a macro diving place than not, so not high on our list of favourites. Next stop was Padangbai. Best dive sites were interesting for strong and unpredictable currents. One minute you were pulled to the surface and next pushed towards the deep. Like a big roller-coaster ride! There is more big life here, but visibility is very bad and water is cold, so does not really help the experience. Aside all of that we had a ball there - we met up with a group of Slovenian divers. As always they were a great craic. Whatever we lacked in diving was more than compensated with constant joking and laughter. We miss the lot already!
Some of us even managed to fall down and not so gracefully land on a mask and break it (we are not mentioning his name here!). So, due to usual good selection in Bali, most of diving in Indonesia was done (for some of us) with half flooded mask. On the last day we made it to biggest dive shop in Indonesia (it is kind of biggish) and after trying zillion of new TechniSub masks (complete disaster! Our old Cressi is far better!) we discovered that new kid on the block is called OpenWater. Go figure, new authority is a Thai company (defo not surprised they are not from Indonesia).

Culture. As said, Bali is only predominantly Hindu island in Indonesia and historically is a cultural (guess has to do with exodus of last hindu king and his company?) and spiritual place. So, we did our share as well. We went to see two plays and quite a few temples. The culture is very colourful and temples are definitely interesting. We especially liked the Uluwatu - it is perched on a cliff with beautiful views of the beaches below. But the best part of it were resident monkeys – really funny. A lot of monkey business going on, that is for sure. Last four days we spent in Ubud - the most artistic place in Bali. This is also where we went to local theatre. Plays were based on traditional tales and full of symbolism and tradition. We are not the biggest fans of traditional Balinese theatre, but definitely something to see. The most famous one is really interesting thou - it is called  Kecak and it does not have any music background, but supposedly more than one hundred men (53 in our case –  yes, we counted...) are producing sounds that give background to dancing and play. We also went on a tour to see the giant caldera of one of the volcanoes. Views were nice, but not majestic. Hassling by people was on a top level and only surpassed by hassling by millions of flies. We managed about 20 minutes and then escaped. On the way back we did have a really nice experience thou (probably one of the best in Bali) – we visited one of the plantations and tried the local produce: from coffee to tea and cocoa, even the tobacco. We even had a go at Kopi Luwak! If you haven’t heard about this one it is a specialty – beans of coffee berries are eaten and excreted (yes, you are reading this correctly) by civets (sort of squirrel). Excretions are then collected, coffee beans extracted, cleaned (really hope so!!!) and then roasted. Story is that by passing through the intestines beans change is coffee is different. Well, that it is. And it is actually not bad. One we liked the  most was ginseng coffee - local explanation: papa drinks mama happy, mama drinks papa broken. Needless to say, we had to buy some.

So, after being taxed again (this time for leaving the country!!! Go figure... at least it is the last time...) we finally left Bali. Yes, baby!!! Are we going to be back? No. So many new places to visit and so many others that we liked so much more (all of Thailand and Malaysia and Philippines, for example?) that it is hardly possible we will ever consider going back. Actually, we are considering ditching the tickets we already have for Pulau Weh. I know, we are definitely not Indonesia fans here (not applying for job with Lonely Planet to write a next guide for sure).  At the same time we can see the appeal it has for some people. Whisked from the airport to a five star place to do yoga retreat is probably giving a different experience. But yoga is not our thing really (nice for couple of hours a week, but that is it) and we are definitely not a five star material - tried once and were not allowed into  dining room as we were not dressed appropriately!

Our next destination? Palau - our number one spot in the world for diving (so far!). We can't wait!

Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur

So, we are back in KL. Definitely one of our favourite places in the world. We were greeted by known smells and sights. Felt like we were there just yesterday. Remember when we were moaning that we didn’t get to see much rain in Cyprus (seems we adjusted to Ireland only too well)? Well, KL sorted that out. We witnessed and enjoyed quite a few tropical thunderstorms and poor-downs. And it was very well organized, thank you very much – every day after 3pm like a clock-work (we are sure Germans were here at some point in time and got it all sorted).

Malaysia history is a complicated one. Original settlers were Malay people. But soon came the Dutch and English. Add to that vest population of Indian and Chinese immigrants and you get Malaysia. So KL is a unique mix of many cultures – Malay, Chinese, Indian and European. It has something from all, but just as a part of whole that makes this city what it is. A vibrant, modern but traditional  charming place.

We stayed close to Suria (or KLCC) – again. This time we opted for managed apartment instead of hotel room as we were planning to have a sushi dinner or two. And yes, the plan worked well – we devoured enormous amounts of Isetan (a big Japanese shop) sushi, which is half price after 8pm. It was definitely worth the wait – excellent as always. Add to that our favourite Malaysian foods: Rothi Chanai, laksas and noodles – bliss (and yes, we were definitely not planning to lose weight in KL!). Nives even found a place that served decent Asam Laksa! And that means that only dish on the ‘not like’ list is now pretty acceptable. For ones who don’t know what it is – a local speciality  soup made of fish giblets and served with noodles and egg on top. Hey, it is acquired taste after all! And we have been here few times already… We even managed to dedicate one evening to French cheese and vine, as this is something we will sorely miss on this trip…

Apparently KL is now second best place in Asia for shopping (topped by Hong Kong only). So, we had to visit a shop or two (do not take this literally, maybe there were few more…). Even Dejan found his little piece of haven – Sun Yat: new mall in KL devoted to technical gadgets only. As we were looking for a new camera (after 3 years! Last one got flooded in Palau) and underwater housing we had to pay it a visit (or two). So now we are proud owners of new Canon S100 (for camera junkies, this is still point-and-shoot option, or as we call it – ‘idiot camera’). Only thing left is to learn how to use it… As the offers in Sun Yat were plenty we had to pick up another gadget – new in the line of family toys: Samsung tablet, or as Nives calls it ‘The Little Shit’. Not something you can really use for any meaningful task, but very pretty indeed. Definitely a must have!

We were planning to buy a few ‘original’ items on the Chinese market as well, but were surprised to see that it really is not what it used to be. Only things selling these days are woman’s handbags galore!  And as Prada and Gucci will not go that well with our backpacks and saris we decided to give it a  miss.

We definitely did not give a miss to traditional cinema visit in KL. Thankfully, our request came through in time (how nice they considered our time schedule) and premiere of new James Bond movie was just at the right time. And it was a good one – best in years. Real treat!

Five days in KL just flew buy in the end (as always). In no time we had to leave. So, we packed our backpacks again. Achievement this time – had to fit all the new things (hey, they just opened new H&M store here – Nives just had to pay a visit ?). Everything in hand (sort of) we are ready for a completely new destination – Bali.

Cyprus - The Summer

Well, only way to describe it is – The Summer. Possibly best so far…

So, Cyprus. Politically part of EU, but geographically definitely not Europe. When you say your northern neighbour is Asian part of Turkey and closest ones are Syria, Israel and Egypt is really hard to imagine you are in Europe. More like orthodox middle east with Euro. Yep, interesting combination. Due to its position Cyprus was conquered by many different armies in the last two thousand years. Today it is the only EU country with a divided capital – Cyprus and Turkish Cyprus (our understanding it is sort of part of Turkey, but it is called Turkish Cyprus; not really internationally recognized; and considered occupied territories by Cypriots). Lefkosia (or Nicosia in the English version) is an interesting town, with long past and bit confused present. Churches turned into mosques, Turkish and Arab architecture in the European part, border in the middle of the main street. And definitely different face and feel of the same city in two different countries.  And then, bit away and few thousand years back in time are some incredible old ruins, Greek amphitheatres and mosaics and beautiful old churches and  monasteries from times of crusades. Something for everyone for sure. Our port in Cyprus is small town on the west coast (yes, it was because of amazing sunsets we can now see from our balcony) called Pafos.

Not sure where to start really. From Ireland we were planning on quiet time with a bit of swimming and sailing and a lot of rest (at least some of us did…). Boy, did it not turn out that way! Between diving, sailing, motor-biking and quite a lot of partying it turned out to be a pretty busy summer. This retirement thing is really wearing us down! Guess, time to rest when we go back to work…

So, diving… After long consideration (by Nives at least) we decided to go for dive master (DM) licence. Well, proved to be more work than initially thought (things usually tend to work out that way…). But, in the end we actually enjoyed the whole experience very much and learned quite a bit (thanks for that Carol!). Felt good to go for new diving certificate after more than 10 years. Needles to say, PADI changed so many things in the meantime it almost felt we were doing it in another organization (and yes, did feel like two dinosaurs…).  We also made few new friends along the way. So, now we are officially dive professionals (actually got a mail from PADI with our DM numbers just a few days ago). If you check the site it says we are now part of DM Tribe. Well, not feeling particularly tribal, but guess it is good to be The Pro now… It fits so well in our beach bum routine (tanned and almost blond as well!). We even used our friend Tom as guinea pig when he came for a visit and used our new skills. For the record, Tom went home in one piece (possibly damaged for life, but hey, he was the first). All in check now for the big trip…

And sailing… Summer sailing started with regatta in June (previous post). And continued with some good sails. Winds were not the best –  we would have hoped for bit stronger breezes to try out our new lady (by the way, name is P2 – as Pelican, The Sequel), but we still had few good runs. This is a definitely different sailing than one in Ireland – you dress up not to get sun-burnt not because you are cold! And capsizes are welcomed (actually didn’t have any… damn!) just to cool off. So, to paint a picture (before you all go off to see them J) – warm seas, blue skies and views of Akamas national park is how we spent our Thursdays and Saturdays. And few encounters with turtles were definitely a bonus! We had few ‘moments’ along the way (and yes, we are referring to Nives losing her swim suit during the race as well… something it will not be easily forgotten in the club…). We know, hard life… Not to mention quite a few memorable beach bbqs. Fire, meat, booze and then dip in the 30 degrees sea while looking at the stars and Milky Way is not the worst way to spend an evening … And then a motorcycle ride home. Add to that few pretty amazing parties and celebrations – not just ours, btw (but we both did celebrate our birthdays and wedding anniversary in Cyprus) but from our friends in the club. Yep, if it sounds like heaven it pretty much was…

Motor biking… The biggest surprise of the summer was definitely the bike. Pet of the family survived few hard years in Ireland (damp and salty weather aren’t exactly ideal scenario) and was eagerly awaiting promised dry out in Cyprus. Unbelievably, few basic repairs later it purred again like a kitten. Well, that is our opinion, but if you ask our neighbours it was probably more like a lion on heat with toothache (and no, we didn’t get evicted!... yet…). Harley immediately felt at home and marked its territory with obligatory oil patches (again, nothing from the neighbours yet – pretty patient lot actually). It was like the good old days – rides in the sunsets with sea on your side wearing only shorts and sleeveless T-shirts. Yes baby! Guess, no need to add anything to that. And even bigger bonus was that we met some great people in the Pafos Dark Legion MC club and again made some great friends. Guess this is how we spent our Friday evenings and any free time. Again, we know – hard life…

Also, this year we got a fair share of visits (thanks guys for coming over!). We had some really amazing time showing our friends Cyprus and local attractions and discovering a few ourselves along the way. Not to forget nights out on the Bar Street and getting acquainted with all this new music (guess we sort of got stuck in the late nineties). We even now know the proper moves… sort of… (thanks Veronika! J). Anyway, from culture to nature (above and below the sea surface) – we covered the lot! Had some pretty wicked bbqs as well (some may feel a bit out there to some, but hey we definitely wanted to try everything locals do). In the end, flat is still there (not burned down), we definitely went through our fair share of meat and cheese (special Cypriot cheese for bbq – halumi) and yes, you guessed – we didn’t really lose any weight as planned (ah, there is always Asia for that…). Few incredible nights in our favourite restaurant in the world (Seven St Georges) and best pizza after Brooklyn did not really help the cause.

And last, but not least – the weather… As expected: sun up, sun down. For days, weeks, months… We figured that signs used by weather people are not same in every country. In Ireland when they say sunny if you are lucky you may see sun for few hours and when they say cloudy you will not see one for sure. In Cyprus, when they say cloudy you can spot few fluffy clouds in the distance while sitting in the shade sipping a cold beer. Sad thing is we got used to heat and sun and didn’t really appreciate it in the end. It was the constant of the summer. And when they predicted rains in the October we were actually excited about them, but were rewarded with only few hours of thunder (no rain) and few showers. Ah, again – there is Asia for that… We figured it was time to leave when we started wearing long sleeves and started complaining about the cold with locals while tourists were still walking around in summer clothes  burned and red like lobsters. It is actually bad when temperature in the night falls to 20 degrees and sea is only about 24. Definitely time to leave for warmer climates…

So, in the end of October we stored the bike and boat for the winter, said goodbye to everybody (again), cleaned the apartment (again) and packed our bags (well, backpacks to be exact). We are on the way! Non-European part of Pelican, The Sequel is starting. First stop – one of our favourite cities in the world – Kuala Lumpur.

Some more pictures here.

PISC Regatta Images

Finally got our hands on some images from the regatta.

Here they are.