The Republic of Palau

Even after seeing travel posters of Palau, it was hard to imagine the true beauty of these islands. These two photos (above) were taken during a helicopter ride we took to get the true perspective of the area. We have lots of beautiful photos from this ride. The pilot flew barefoot and chewed on a wad of betel nut during the entire flight.

Betel nut chewing is an important cultural practice in the Asian Pacific. Individuals walk around with baggies containing the raw nuts and a powdery material that someone described to me as the equivalent of Drano. They mix the two and chew to achieve a mild euphoria and, as one person said "feelings of well-being". Not only was our helicopter pilot chewing the nut but so did our dive masters and even our tour guide. The whole country is "feeling good."















The Republic of Palau is southeast of the Philippines in an island chain composed of eight principal inhabited islands and more than 250 smaller rock islands. Within the inhabited islands are 16 states which comprise the Republic of Palau. The island of Koror, although very small, is the metropolitan center of Palau and hosts most of the business and shopping facilities in the country.

The Palau Pacific Resort, is a true island gem. The photos below show a few of the resort villas, the view from our patio, more villas and the pool area.

















Like the Chuuk Islands, Palau became a Japanese naval staging area when Japan declared war on Germany in 1914. After the war the a League of Nations mandate officially awarded the islands of Palau to Japan. The Japanese mined phosphate and bauxite and improved the infrastructure of the islands, especially Koror which is the main commercial center today. Under Japanese rule tourism in the islands began gaining value.

When WWII came along, the US and Japan battle furiously over the islands of Palau as a military stronghold. The Battle of Peleliu, raged for two months, September to November 1944 and had the highest casualty rate of any battle in the Pacific. War reminders can still be found all over the islands. Even on the hotel grounds, just 50 yards from our patio was an old seaplane landing.

During a driving tour we visited a former Japanese hospital bombed by the Americans. It is riddled with bullet holes and on the grounds sits a well preserved but rusty Japanese tank. On the grounds of the nearby museum is a small section containing small war relics.

The small museum contains an interesting documentation of Palau's history. The only problem was that most of it is written documentation and during our visit the power went out and we had to read the large story boards with flashlights.

























Important to know about Palau is not just its place in the WWII story but also its culture and the origin of its people.

The Palauans lived in virtual isolation for centuries then were encountered by Magellan in the 1500s. At the time, there were two languages spoken among the people and it was observed that there was no uniformity among Palauans of size, hair type or skin color.

They traveled as voyagers through out the islands in giant canoes as seen in the photo.





There's was a tribal culture with chiefs and elders. Each region having a meeting house, or BAI in Palauan language. Our guide had several stories of the meeting houses, many of which were hard to follow. We did pay attention after he showed us several of the carvings inside depicting the lore of the BAI.

Apparently women were not allowed in the BAI with the exception of arranged encounters with selected women from the community. The carvings were pretty graphic.

The last stop on our tour was the Marine Conservancy, called the MariCultural Center, to look at some clam shells. In order to bring one out of the country one has to have written permission. It just so happened that our guide's sister worked there. In the last photo you'll see the two of them--look-alikes---both chewing betel nuts.

Truk Lagoon Corals and Fish

In addition to the unforgettable wrecks resting quietly at the bottom of the Lagoon, one cannot overlook the beautiful corals and small brightly colored fish that inhabited the shallower portions of some of the wrecks. With ample sunlight, very little current and unpolluted waters they all flourished in their environment.

Here are some of our favorite photos.

March 1 Leaving Truk

One of the rules of diving is that one does not fly within 24 hours of the last dive. So, after four days of diving we took a lay day and decided to explore the island before leaving on our flight to Palau the following day. Weno is the most populated island in Chuuk Lagoon and is the capital of Chuuk. We got the hotel van to take us to the only other destination on the island, the Truk Stop Resort, a small hotel and restaurant.

While the resort is nearby to Blue Lagoon Resort, it takes a little while to get there because the roads have been in complete disrepair for many years. The pothole puddles may appear to be just a few inches deep, yet can be a foot or more in depth. Some potholes have jagged pieces of re-bar making walking on the road impossible. Because of the recent rains, the potholes became huge puddles and most of the roadside homes were flooded, a normal occurrence according to our driver.

Along the route we got a close look at the poverty. Even the shops along the road are just corrugated shacks. The pictures speak for themselves.

While Chuuk’s government is by far the largest employer the majority of the Chuukese occupy themselves with subsistence fishing and agriculture. Because of the Chuuk relationship with the US, which provides considerable outside funding, the Chuukese can serve in the US military and this is a lucrative option for a small percentage of the Chuuk people.

After WWII, Chuuk joined with other Pacific Islands to form the Trust Territory of Pacific Islands (TTPI). The US was the trustee and was tasked with overseeing development of the islands. In 1990 the Federated States of Micronesia joined the United Nations. Since then there has been a steady economic decline in Chuuk. The education system, water, sewers, radio stations, power plant and particularly the roads have fallen into disrepair. US reduced aid has been a contributing factor, but we read that the most significant reason is the lack of quality political leadership. The economy is stagnant.

The emphasis on family creates complicated social structures which differ island to island. Despite the poverty, the Chuuk people we met couldn’t be friendlier. The islands of Chuuk Lagoon are beautiful and after our diving experience, it was apparent why the area is considered one of the ten best dive sites in the world.

The following afternoon, March 1, we left Chuuk and the Federated States of Micronesia for the Republic of Palau for a new adventure and a different kind of diving.

The photos below include, The Truk Stop Resort (2), shots of the roadway flooding, homes and shops and the last are a couple of pictures taken in the Chuuk airport waiting for our flight to Palau.









































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Feb 27 Last Dive Day Truk Lagoon

Today's dives were our last at this incredible historic place. We awoke to a howling wind and sharp pellet rain. The squalls seem to come and go so we could only hope for them to "go" during our boat rides between dives. Once we are 90+ feet down, it doesn't seem to matter.

We did three dives today: the SANKISAN MARU, KENSHO MARU, and KIYOSUMI MARU. As was the case in all previous dives, they were each unique.

The full day would require a hearty breakfast so there is a shot of me and Jerry in the "chow hall" as Jerry calls it. At the next table was a group from a diving club in West Palm Beach, Fl. Some of them dive two to three times a week in Florida. Imagine!

SANKISAN MARU

This 367', 4776-ton freighter suffered a bomb right in an ordinance filled aft hold which obliterated her aft end scattering fragments everywhere. Her bow went down upright and rests at an 80' depth on the bottom. The deck is 50' deep with dense soft corals and other marine growth. Several truck chassis and other cargo remain in the second hold.

Photos:
1) Challenging weather
2) Breakfast - two photos
3)The coral covered bow
4) Anti aircraft gun
5) 50 Caliber bullets scattered all over the hold - two photos
6) Vehicle remains
































For our required surface interval (generally an hour) we motored over to a small island where there was a shelter and we could get out of the rain.







KENSHO MARU

Our second dive was on the Kensho Maru, a 381', 4862-ton passenger cargo ship sitting at 120' under the surface. Her deck is at 80' and her uppermost structure at 60'. She was undergoing repairs in the sheltered Japanese Repair Anchorage when she was hit.

As soon as we decended we spotted a typewriter keyboard, a beer bottle and a sink. All had apparently been blasted from their places and landed together on the deck.

Because of the position of the ship, listing to its port side, we had easy access to the engine room. None of our photos turned out very well but we could clearly see the large engines. Later we saw some engine parts scattered about close to a hatch cover encrusted with coral but still having a portion of the glass on its window.

Our maximum depth on the dive was 91' so we couldn't stay deep very long. As we began to surface and reached the upper portions of the ship we could see the colorful corals that encrusted the exterior. After that we made a slow ascent to reach our dive boat. And, when we surfaced, it was still pouring which made for a chilly ride back to the hotel.

Photos:
1) Typewriter
2) Going to engine room opening
3) Engine part
4) Hatch cover
5) Another entry point
6) Beginning the ascent
7) Wonderful corals and fish
8) The dive boat from below
9) I'll have a hot tea, please



































KIYOSUMI MARU

After lunch we were back out for our last dive. The rain had cleared and it was a pleasant boat ride out to the Kiyosumi which was another passenger ship converted to cargo. A side note is warranted here. Shortly before the US attack the Japanese had moved most of their carriers and destroyers out of the Lagoon. It is not known whether or not this was the result of US photo recon aircraft being spotted flying over the Lagoon approximately ten days before. The vessels that were left were the support fleet such as submarine tenders, cargo ships, naval transport ships, freighters and tankers.

The Kiyosumi Maru was resting almost totally on its port side leaving the starboard side exposed to surface light and therefore covered in coral. Most of it was light brown like tumble weeds in a desert. The ship has a gaping thole in its starboard side that is the result of a torpedo that almost blew it in half. The ship was 450' long and weighed 8600 tons.

We entered the hole and soon encountered some serious divers, swimming with multiple tanks of air plus oxygen mix. There wasn't much in the cargo holds but there was some scattered items on the resting top side of the ship.

Photos:
1) Entering the ship
2) The empty structure
3) The technical divers
4) Various utensils
5) Gas canister
6) Corals covering the hull (three photos)

























As I mentioned, this was our last dive and we will certainly remember this time in WWII history.

Even though the one day, February 17, is remembered as "Operation Hailstone", the bombings actually went on for months following. It was during this time that the US first deployed the B29 bomber in the Pacific. The Japanese were powerless against it. It could fly and drop bombs from an altitude of 25,000 feet, totally out of range for the Japanese fighter aircraft or their anti-aircraft guns. The bombing was kept up as part of the America's tactic to destroy the Japanese supply lines and starve military personnel. Unfortunately many of the Chuukese fell victim to the attacks as well. But, the Chuuk people welcomed the US planes in anticipation of their liberation from Japanese oppression.

This was the end of the Japanese occupation of Micronesia when, in 1942 the Japanese numbered over 96,000 people and the the locals had a population of only 50,000.

While reading about these events, Jerry picked up a couple quirky tidbits he wanted to share:

Before any ship went down it was required that the sailors removed the photo of the Japanese emperor that hung respectfully on each vessel.
Another odd thing they did was to leave rice and other precious food supplies stored untouched and hidden in caves, even though they were starving. They were saving these provisions to use for the expected US land attack that never came.
The land based military kept their best uniforms stored, saved to wear to meet the US forces in battle.

Today both Chuuk and Japan have done much to facilitate reconciliation. Japanese are frequent and welcome travelers to Chuuk and each year a delegation comes to pay their respects to lost relatives.

We had a great time and on the evening of our last dive, Namy and Awora, our guide and boat captain threw a little waterside barbecue for our boat group. They even presented us with souvenir certificates declaring us Certified Truk Lagoon Wreck Divers.