My parents used to bring me to many places. One of the places that I
like the most is Palau, a country formed by over two hundred small islands.
When my mother told me that we are almost arriving our destination, I looked
out the small windows of the airplane and have a peek of the place I will be
staying for a week. What I saw is different sizes and shapes of green dots
embedded in the cerulean canvas. Around the green dots are circles of blue,
from light to dark, blending into each other, and toward the horizon.
Palau is at the same latitude as Hawaii, except they are at opposite
sides of the Pacific Ocean. Therefore, although I visited Palau in January, I
felt a gust of warm air flapping onto my face at the moment I stepped out the
airplane. The distance between the plane and the shuttle bus is less than five
meters, but the temperature was so high that my head was sweating before I
entered the bus. I could feel my skin burning under the sun, but the torture
turned into expectation to swim in the water.
On the very next day, we went onto a boat, and head towards the
smaller islands for snorkeling. Our speed was very fast, the salty air flew by
my face, and I felt my skin was covered with a thin layer of ocean water. Then,
we stopped in the middle of the islands. All of us entered the water, glanced
through the goggles, and visited the world under the sea. Small groups of fishes
with splendid colors passed by and swam through the actinia and corals; it was
like walking into the aquarium. The water around me was cold at first, but it
turned warmer as I stayed under the surface. However, there were flows of
freezing water passing by, and every time I felt the coldness, I will float a
bit higher, let my back expose under the sun, and feel the warmth of the air.
During the five days I’ve spent in Palau, I went to snorkeling every
day; however, none of the sceneries are the same. I’ve visited the milky lake;
because the mud at the bottom of the lake is milky white, the water is azure,
which is much lighter than the surrounding ocean water. I’ve visited the
jellyfish lake; the lake is separated from the ocean, and is filled with
un-poisoned jellyfish. Some of the jellyfish are so small that I can hold them
with only one hand, and the jellyfish are so many that I felt like I was
actually in the outer space surrounded by tiny lanterns. I’ve also visited a
small island and slept overnight in the cabins. At midnight, I’ve went out to
the dock, strolled pass the beach, and lay down at the end of the wood trail.
The lights were far away from me, the sound of the waves was what I can only
hear, and the sky with stars sparkling was what I remember the most during my vacation
to Palau.
