4:19 am Palau | 12:19 pm LA
Day 4 in Palau

I forgot to mention yesterday that Rachel and Shauna decided the welt on my leg must be from brushing against some coral when we were snorkeling. After they said that I remembered that one of the times I panicked (after trying to breathe through my nose) I was trying to drag my board to me (from the ankle leash) and I remember that part of my leg started to itch and felt like a small stinging/burning sensation.

Rachel made a homemade pizza for dinner last night...when we got back from our adventure she made the dough and put it in the breadmaker - she did that when I was outside with Makoto. After it was prepared, she made the pizza sauce to put on top and a little later cut up corn, peppers and pineapple. Then put a small can of sliced olives on top. It was very tasty. I had a glass of coconut water with my pizza, then half of a vegan chocolate chip cookie for desert.

We watched American Idol to see who got canned, then I went to bed (8 pm).

2:13 pm Palau | 10:13 pm LA

Today's adventure almost didn't happen because it started to rain. So we came back inside and checked the weather online (there are no news/weather stations on tv here). It showed that we had sunny skies and yet what we were seeing were gray and white clouds with a few patches of blue sky.

Rachel made an executive decision that we should go for it. I am sooooo happy that we did (more on that later). We drove over to Fuanes and Lani's house to pick them up then we headed to one of the marinas just to the left of the Palau Aquarium. Rachel, Lani and I waited at the dock while Shauna and Fuanes went to get the permits and a life vest for me.

When they got back we boarded the small boat that was to take us to Jellyfish Lake. The ride was very bumpy and a few times I bit my tongue or the inside of my mouth as we were coming back down and hitting the water. Rachel and Shauna had taken Dramamine just before we left the house and earlier Rachel had given me those accupressure wrist bands that's supposed to prevent motion
sickness. I was fine on the way there, enjoying the scenery - the shades of the water are so very beautiful...I also kept an eye out for any dolphins that might be swimming near (no such luck).

We got to the marina and gave the guy our permits, then proceeded to hike up the limestone trail and then down the other side. You definitely have to wear enclosed shoes of some sort or your feet will get cut up pretty good. Got down to the dock and put on our masks and fins, then the snorkel just before going into the water. Everyone else just jumped into the water, but since I'm still just a little
water shy, I walked backwards down the ladder they had there.

The water was a perfect temperature...not too hot, not too cold. We then proceeded to swim out to the center of the lake, we didn't have to go far before seeing a few jellyfish swimming below us. Before I knew it, there were hundreds of jellyfish all around. The little baby jellyfishes made me laugh, but I couldn't do it, because then I have water getting into my mouth (that was something else that occurred to me that happened several times on my first attempt at snorkeling). I was so glad that I had a life vest on because I could then concentrate on watching these beautiful creatures swimming all around me/us. A few times one would bump into my hand as I was doing the breast stroke, what
an interesting feeling. Their undersides reminded me of oranges that have been peeled and partly separated.

Somehow Rachel found where I was at and said that she and Shauna were heading back to the dock because they were getting cold. I took my time swimming back and would lift my head above the water to see where the dock was. I thought I was heading in the right direction only to find myself close to the island...way left of the dock. I lifted my head out of the water again and saw where I now needed to swim towards. They had sent Fuanes out after me when they saw where I was.

We sat on the dock until the group of people that was coming down the path got to where we were, then we headed up the hill and back over to where the boat was. We got ourselves and gear situated in the boat then we took off for a beach that is across the water from Giant Clam beach (the map isn't showing what it's called) for lunch. Everywhere you go in Palau, no matter what island or whatever
they are called...there's roosters!! We had several come over to our area as we were eating.

We finished lunch and the guy with the boat came over closer to us and picked us up. We were going to go snorkeling at another place they wanted me to see, but as we were heading in that direction there were dark clouds and you could see the rain falling. Luckily we took our raincoats with us and put them on. The rain was coming down hard and looked like it was going to be around for a while,
not only that, but the swells were getting higher. If I thought the ride out was bumpy, this was really quite a few times more. I didn't have the wrist thingy's on and was fine with the motion - glad to know I don't have motion sickness - even (or especially) after eating lunch.

We headed back for the marina, unboarded the boat and then dropped Fuanes and Lani off at their house before we went home. Now we're all cleaned up and sitting at our computers...me typing this up and Rachel and Shauna working on their blogs and whatever else.

7:45 pm Palau | 3:46 am LA

We went out to eat at the Palau Pacific Resort (PPR to the locals) and to watch the sunset. We split a garden salad and then we got some kind of Roasted Vegetable dish that had bell peppers and carrots on top of potatoes and a few other things. It was pretty good, but not as good as the dish that Rachel
made the other night with similar ingredients. We had a really nice sunset and then we looked around the gift shop. From there they told me I had to use the bathroom, it was an experience not to be missed.

First off, the bathroom smelled like Plumeria, so I walked back out and told the girls. Went back in and saw this box with 4 buttons across the top and then 6 buttons going up and down. Even the toilet seat looked different. So what was the big deal I wondered...a heated toilet seat for starters!!! Looking closer at the buttons along the top showed STOP, Rear Cleansing, Rear Cleansing Soft, Front
Cleansing and Dryer. The vertical buttons were for Oscillating, Pulsating and the 2 sets of up and down arrows. A definite must try at least once experience.

Well, it's a little after 8 pm so time for me to turn in for the night.