Palau

December 18, 2025

City of Koror, the rock islands

Cruise ship on calm water under a cloudy sky with a small boat nearby.

Palau is a country of about 340 islands. Many are uninhabited. They are all beautiful to look at, composed of black volcanic rock with deep caves and covered with lush tropical jungles. We are anchored out, so a tender takes us to shore. It docks at a resort where we can take a shuttle bus into the town of Koror. The resort is beautiful and relatively new. For forty dollars a person we could use their beach and swimming pool. Many passengers take advantage of this to go snorkeling from the beach. There is time before the shuttle bus comes, so I go for a walk. I had spied a shelter on top of a rock overlook as we approached shore and started to walk in that direction on a soft grass path. I can look down into the absolutely clear water on my right. There, a moving mass of pink, orange and blue corals wave, hide and reveal colorful multi patterned fish. I am charmed by their activities and would like to sit and watch for a while. But I know I have limited time before the bus arrives. So I walk on to the base of the small volcanic mountain with the tempting shelter at its top. There I discover stone steps that wind upward. Slowly I climb, pausing frequently because of the heat and steepness of the steps. They snake through a dense miniature jungle, every texture and shade of green, lit with an eerie blue white light broken by yellow sun rays and views out to the ocean. Finally I labor within sight of the shelter. It hovers invitingly just above me. But I am disappointed to see that it is already occupied by two stray dogs. After all my effort I may not attain my goal and see the view from the very top. I had been bitten by a stray dog many years ago and am still very wary. I stand for a while, resting. Then slowly I climbed the last few stairs, all the while talking casually to the dogs about the weather and that I hoped they wouldn't mind if I sat down inside the shelter. They seemed to understand and moved considerately out of the shelter to lie down a few feet away.

Gazebo on a hill with two dogs, with a bright blue sky and clouds in the background.

I accepted their polite departure and climbed the rest of the way up. My efforts were rewarded. Below I could see our ship in the distance and beyond a rainstorm on the horizon. All around were the rock islands of different sizes and shapes, dark green domes of vegetation supported by black volcanic rock rising from turquoise water. They developed where tectonic plates had met, subducted and erupted creating a spine of volcanic action. The limestone that had been forming from degrading coral reefs for millions of years had been pushed up to make a chain of islands. They have since been shaped by time, water, storms, vegetation and nibbling sea life into rounded mushroom like forms.

Palau has a compact of free association with the United States which gives them military protection in exchange for the US to establish military bases on some of the islands. There was a large US military presence during WW2. This resulted in a significant presence remaining. This boosts the economy but is described as a double edged sword. Everywhere the soldiers go, more bars pop up, tensions rise and there is human trafficking. The soldiers are only stationed on the islands for a short time and they have no stake in the country. They are not concerned about their behavior and what they leave behind.

Health insurance for the local people is said to be affordable and there is public school and free community college.

A building with a blue roof and sign, likely a hospital or clinic. Cars parked out front.

We took the shuttle bus into the city of Koror and walked around. Most of the shopping is in a two story building that is referred to as the Mall. A grocery store shares the main floor with a pharmacy, a shoe store and a department store. The second store has a sports shop and the Taiwan embassy. We decided to visit the embassy. A secretary greets us and informs us that the ambassador is not available. Jeff asks her if we can tell her what we would have said to the ambassador and if she would take notes and convey the information. She agreed.

Woman and man in an office. Woman stands, man sits. A sailing ship model and a Philippine flag are visible.

Jeff gives her the summary about the Parallel Currency concept for basic needs and asks her to put it in her own words. Which she does with only some prompting. Then we leave.

Walking the deteriorating sidewalks of Koror reveals a few gift shops, bars, message parlors, small neighborhood markets and a large Chinese restaurant that offers a unique variety of sea food and coconut crab as meals. The crabs are in their own separate buckets with their own half shell of coconut to nibble on. They are surprisingly large, about a foot of glossy dark brown curved shell, with many pincered legs emerging. I imagine the trauma of encountering one in a palm tree. Fortunately they move slowly.

We notice that most of the local people live off the main street in homes and apartments without luxuries or resources to do repairs. Further out of town, overlooking the ocean, are a few nice homes with privacy.

House with white roof, surrounded by green trees under a blue sky.

We make our way to the museum. This is an eye opener in many ways. In particular the misunderstandings and mythology surrounding childbirth. Story boards, flat iron wood boards carved in low relief with legends and events, are promoted to tourists as souvenirs. But the carving of these small boards is a relatively new activity introduced by the Japanese artist Hijikata Hisakasu, in the 1930’s. Originally the stories were carved and painted onto the eves of the men's meeting houses, called bai. The beauty and interest of these painted images was recognized and the possibility of marketing them to tourists in a portable form arose. The carvings can be incredibly intricate and exceptionally beautiful. The stories are fascinating. Usually a mythical creature is involved or a fantastical event is depicted that brings the story to a satisfactory conclusion, trees can give birth to fish, a spider advises that natural childbirth is healthier for women than routine cesarean section and a little boy sinks an island because he got too fat.

Sunset over ocean; orange and yellow hues reflect on water beneath a cloudy blue sky.

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Indonesia, Waingapo

May 8, 2026

Our arrival on the island of Waingapo is welcomed with a red carpet. The carpet leads expectantly to where several men wait, holding 11” by 14” laminated photo narratives of tours they can take you on and tell you about with three word comments in English. Past them chairs, also covered in red, have been set up under an awning for our “dignitaries.” Beside these are a few tables with souvenirs. Several young boys wait on either side of the red carpet to perform for the passengers as they disembark. Many local people are also waiting in the growing heat for the Exodus of the passengers. Ours may be the first cruise ship that has stopped at their island. One passenger finally emerges and avoids the carpet and the boys. They are shocked. Eventually a group does come out together and allow themselves to be greeted and entertained. They have selfies taken with the boys. Then return to walking and looking into the screens of their phones, bowed over them like they are praying After exiting the port area there is a long walk through parked cars, trucks and taxi drivers out to the crumbling asphalt of the main road. It is lined with vendors, a gauntlet of drinks and snacks. A ferry is unloading, people and motorcycles are streaming out. These are the customers the vendors are waiting for. A large number of motorcycles are parked on either side of the road waiting for their owners. We make our way between the crowds of people and vehicles to the hot uphill slope of the road that goes somewhere, which is hidden from sight by bunches of dark green trees. Shortly we are defeated by the heat and start back. Access to other parts of the island that are considered appropriate for tourists require a taxi, negotiations for price and where it will go. Generally we try to avoid this and are most interested in what we can observe and who we can meet by walking. We talk to a motorcyclist on our way back who says he has access to local Royalty. Jeff describes the Parallel Currency concept to him and gives him our website card. I am also able to pick up some interesting scraps of paper from the garbage that lines the road. I use their patterns and color to create abstract images on postcards I make to send to friends and family. In the end this has turned out to be a very satisfactory walk. There are very few palm trees here, which is remarkable. A different ecosystem than Bali. The mountains are low, flat topped and shelved. They define the spine of the island. Bunches of dark green trees patchwork the slopes getting denser as they approach the water. The water is blue/green and clear, fishing boats are high prowed and the smaller boats have outriggers made of bent PVC tubing. It is now early evening and the sun is low. I am walking around the outside deck of our ship taking in the 360 degree view and the sounds. On the starboard side a band is playing on shore and a singer starts up a contemporary tune. As I round the bow a chant drifts through the dusk, the Muslim evening prayer. This dominates the port side then at the stern blends with the music on shore, which dominates on the starboard side. Round and round as I walk they alternately blend and retreat, blend and retreat. I notice as I look out over the port side that the tide has gone out and long flats of seaweed, rocks and soil are exposed. People have walked out onto these surfaces to harvest edible sea life, gathering them into plastic buckets and bags. I feel like I am watching history.

Bali, part two

May 4, 2026

We dock at the port of Bali. It is too hot and far to walk anywhere, so we hired a taxi driver for the day and invited our friend Wido to come with us. He is Indonesian, his home is in Jakarta and this is his first visit to Bali. Indonesia is a country of 17,508 islands. There is a governor on each one who communicates with the central government. Few Indonesians have visited every island. What strikes me immediately as our driver, Budi, finds his way through the dense traffic, is the careful weeding of the center island between opposing lanes. This is exceptional because of the extreme heat. No one could be doing this during the day. People must come out at night, when it is cooler, and meticulously pull the weeds. It becomes clear as the day passes and more and more of Bali is revealed, that attention to detail and extreme patience is a characteristic of the Balinese. The traffic is a dense mix of motorcycles, cars and trucks.

Indonesia, Bali, part one, Water

April 28, 2026

Like an exotic jewel set in the archipelago of Indonesia, Bali glitters and enchants. The Balinese have retained their unique community through intense social/religious bonds, hard work, exceptional talent and great sacrifice through the centuries to become a beautiful, gentle and inspirational community. Now, because of these unique qualities and accomplishments, finally and fatally they have become a primary tourist attraction that presently dominates 80% of their economy. The irony is that this may be the thing that destroys an incredible place and its people that hundreds of years of oppression and wars did not. If they don't soon diversify and return to the trusted systems that meant survival for their society over more than a thousand years Bali will no longer be a wonder of the World. Their unique form of Hinduism understood the root of survival when their irrigation system, subak, was first built. It was defined as a religious object to be venerated and protected with prayer, with temples and maintained by priests. Rooted in the Balinese philosophy, Tri Hita Karana, the principle of achieving harmony between humans, nature and the divine. It was the source of the staple food, rice. Water came from lake Batur, in the crater of the extinct volcano Kintamani, irrigated the hand cleared and formed terraces of rice paddies that descend in beauty and function to the sea. Seedlings hand planted by the women, sheaves of rice attached to the ends of poles carried across the shoulders of the men to the storage huts simple activities, carried out over more than one thousand years, that meant survival for a society. And the ancient kings of Bali also came together to sanction the subak. Agreement between religion and state. A rare thing in history and in the present. So what is happening now? How is tourism threatening the survival of the Bali we have come to know and admire? Aren't people coming to praise and enjoy? Isn't that a good thing? It is not the intentions of the visitors, it is the structures built around tourism that make tourism possible, they have become destructive. Why are they destructive? The answer is water. Because of the demands of hotels and resorts for fresh water, the water table has dropped by around 60%. Into the void presses the salt water of the sea. Not only is the amount of fresh water that feeds the subak compromised it is threatened by salination and made unusable for rice growing. This situation is sometimes referred to as being caught between a rock and a hard place. The government needs to step in and limit or freeze new construction of resorts till a sustainable balance is found. Also, water use needs to be prioritized and rationed for essential use, the subak system as a primary user. Finally, the income from tourism must be distributed back to the Balinese people for their dignified survival and flourishing. The dependency on tourism has created an imbalance. Men can be seen sleeping rough in the parks. There is desperation in the eyes of the women who sell clothing and souvenirs in the outside stalls. The main profession encouraged for children is hospitality work. The majority of profit from tourism needs to be returned to the people. They have earned it, they have built what we admire, they have carried in their hands and hearts the unique social compromise that has survived to this day against impossible odds and now it is being challenged by economic forces, more subtle but no less aggressive and destructive than war. Susan Caumont

Fremantle; searching for authenticity and fuel

April 17, 2026

Sea days pass differently than land days. At sea the ocean and the ship's passengers are the changing features. Land life has extra distractions, vehicles, shops, museums, temples, churches, gardens, bird song, dogs barking, taxi drivers, venders, airplanes, the full extent of human activity. During sea days I prefer to observe the ocean. I am aware of the passengers; like being part of an extended family or small village where you know most of the people a little and a few well. But the opportunity to be on the water for long periods is special. Sometimes, when the ocean is calm, a criss-crossing pattern may be seen on the surface, a delicate weave of vibration. I wonder if marine life is creating it, communicating. Other times the water heaves and agitates like an angry crowd is running here and there under a silk sheet. We sail six days from Adelaide to Fremantle, for the most part we encounter easy swells on this trip. The ocean lets us pass with tranquil, breathing heaves up and down. When we arrive there is an art festival in progress downtown. Crowds of people have traveled by train from the suburbs. We walk in. Some streets are blocked, making way for displays of crafts, performers, food venders and pedestrians. People are all around, eating, talking, buying stuff and watching the performers. Clowns, singers and acrobats compete for attention and overhead huge soap bubbles float, generated by the children nearby. It is a perfect day and everyone is out to have a good time.

Tasmania, Hobart

April 7, 2026

Our stop in Melbourne was only for a day. There are plans to return after we visit Tasmania, which is just south of Melbourne. When you look at a map you can see where the island broke from Australia, a ragged triangle torn from the continent. England brought their convicts here to establish a penal colony in 1803, (convict transport ended in 1851, 50 years later) the colony eventually became Hobart, the capital city. Convicts were brought by sail. All the way from England around the southernmost tip of Africa, Cape Agulhas. A cape historically known to clipper ship sailors as a significant hazard, notorious for mammoth rogue waves of up to 30 meters (100 feet). What could these unlucky people have done to be banished on such a dangerous trip and so far away to an “uncivilized” island? Turns out prostitution and unwed pregnancy was enough to get sent there if you were a woman. And being an orphan, if you were a child.

Australia

March 25, 2026

The yellow pilot boat is approaching. A pilot will be brought onboard to guide our ship through the harbor. As we progress, a stretch of islands pass us on the left then, the coastline, on both sides. Sailboats, white triangles against the dark blue water, shine in the distance. Cliffs drop sheer from the pastureland to the tan beaches. Dark green groves fill the crevasses. We cruise along under the dome of the sky. Soon we will be docked at Port Melbourne, Hobson's Bay, Australia. Living life onboard, traveling around the world, I feel like a spirit watching the living as they go about their activities. I am a temporary exhalation, undetected then gone. But their doings remain in my mind. Humans are so very busy, especially the young adults. It takes significant aging to bring on stillness and reflection. My obscurity can make me sentimental. I feel a general affection for anyone who passes. I saw a baby watching sea gulls eat the French fries that someone had tossed to them. I imagined her forming her own impressions of everything around and not yet named. I wished her well and hoped that the war would end soon.

Sydney Australia to New Zealand

March 12, 2026

The most important thing we have to do, now that we have re boarded our ship in downtown Sydney, is to increase the number of pages in our passports. Most countries will stamp a whole page and sometimes two. Our passports, though new, only had twenty eight pages. This will not be enough to get us around the world! So we made an appointment with the US Embassy, along with 50 other passengers, to address this issue by purchasing larger passport books which have 52 pages. The Embassy was new and modern, the employees good natured and efficient, considering that we descended on them all at once. We conducted our business in an orderly manner under the watchful eyes of the US President, Vice President and Secretary of State, whose framed photographs dominated the far wall.

Hospital, Sydney, Australia

February 23, 2026

After all our planning for Jeff's next operation and waiting out the days till we arrived in Cairns, Australia, we finally flew to the Sydney airport. It was evening when we got there and both of us were exhausted. We both thought why call an Uber, there are a bunch of taxis hanging around, just take one of them to the motel. That was a mistake. We ended up paying $100 for a 20 minute trip in no traffic. Uber would have been half, I found out later. Since then we have taken several Uber rides in electric cars. And they have been excellent experiences. Australia has been importing Chinese made electric cars. We got to ride in a BYD and Uber drivers like to talk. We conversed with a Japanese driver and an Indian driver, both men. Both had been in Australia about 15 years. They seemed to like being in the big city. Both agreed it is generally too expensive. The driver from Japan, his wife works in the hospital and they have children, he likes the flexibility of the job so he can be involved with school and activities. The Indian driver has a son and would like to return to India so his son can experience his homeland. We are resting at our motel and I am outside watching the wild cockatiels.

Sea days

February 11, 2026

We have several sea days before we arrive again in Cairns, Australia. This means we will not see land for a while. The rhythm of sea days is very different from shore days. There are a variety of activities you can participate in. Almost anything you can imagine is being invented as a result of the variety of people onboard, some of whom want to duplicate the entertainments they enjoyed where they used to live. This is a residential cruise ship so a lot of the passengers are onboard long-term, meaning many months or years or the rest of their lives. The longest stay, if you “buy” your cabin, is 15 years. When Jeff and I bought our cabin that was all that was offered. Now you can buy a cabin for 5 years. Each circumnavigation takes about three and one half years. We are going to try to stay onboard for at least one circumnavigation. Before the sea days began, we visited two of the islands of Tonga. At the first stop, people scuba dived over a reef right next to our ship

French Polynesia, the islands

January 27, 2026

The float of cloud drifts and encircles a mountain leaving just the very top, a pointed witches cap poking through. These islands have the most magnificent mountains. They brood around the harbors, snagging the clouds that pass. No doubt they have inspired fantastic stories. The cloud shadows create chameleon-like changes on mountain surfaces, making them even more expressive than oceans that amuse themselves by hiding what they contain; mountains are hysterical by contrast. Always looking for attention. “Look. Look again!, what about this?” They may hold a pose for a while seeming docile, then you look up and they have disappeared. White mist covers just a grey suggestion, then suddenly black silhouettes like broken giant teeth rise defiantly. So much animation, millions of years after volcanic upheavals shook these mountains from the sea depths.