Our Beautiful Anchorage in Koror, Palau

Here are three views of our location in Koror, Palau. The image on the left is a view of the anchorage that Creola shares with several other cruisers and local vessels. The surrounding islands are composed of limestone, are very steep and, as you can see, heavily wooded with a wide variety of tropical vegetation.

The islands are undercut at the water level due to erosion caused by tidal flux and wave action. This overhang can be clearly seen in the image at the left. How limestone islands are formed in the middle of the Pacific Ocean is a mystery to me.

Beneath Creola is a depth of about 60 feet with the bottom covered with coral. This is not ideal for anchoring, so Sam, from Sam's Tours, has allowed us to use one of his moorings at one cost.

The last image is a view from Sam's Tours facing to the west. The island in the far distance is the island that you see in the top photo and is about a quarter mile away from the dock. This is a short dinghy ride and unlike many other places that charge every time you use their dinghy dock, Sam's Tours does not charge.

The most outlandish dinghy fees we have experienced were in Costa Rica, where the marina charged $40.00 US to use the dinghy dock so you could use one of the restaurants or businesses! We declined to use their services after the first visit.

More tomorrow, B and L