Palau in the time of Coronavirus March 2020

When our group left for Palau on March 11, there was concern about Covid-19 but our world had not yet been turned on it’s head.
Life in Palau was peaceful and calm and we spent our  days happily immersed in the underwater beauty surrounded by beautiful reefs, pulsating stingless jellyfish, schools of fish and graceful, circling mantas.
As the days went on news from home became increasingly more dire and alarming.
Meanwhile we remained in in an alternate universe where daily life continued as always and the rest of the world felt remote and so far away.

There  were no cases of coronavirus in Palau and virtually no other tourists. We relished our exclusive reef explorations.  We had jellyfish lake to ourselves.  At Milky Way we treated ourselves to a spa treatment of white limestone mud, they say it makes you look 10 years younger, we certainly felt 10 years younger and we giggled and laughed.

In Nikko Bay and Mandarin Lake we were wowed by the psychedelic-colored mandarin fish. During the new moon we saw an extraordinary event; hundreds of spawning bumphead parrot fish!

The piece de resistance was a manta ballet in the German Channel at sunset.  We were engulfed in a school of black snappers, unicorn fish and fusiliers while eight mantas swam in and around us.

Unfortunately we could only escape reality for so long.  The second of two voyages was was cut short due to an immediate cessation of flights in and out of Palau.  We considered stranding ourselves in paradise but reason set in and we thought we better leave while we could. With sadness we left Palau on the last flight out.
It was magical while it lasted.
Kudos to all the travelers and staff of the Cove Hotel and Rock Island Aggressor. Everyone dealt with the changing reality with a calm, good-natured attitude and even humor. We really are all in this together.
Looking  forward to a return to paradise in February 2021.

Wendy Simon
March 2020