Babeldoab is the largest island in Palau and the second largest in all of Micronesia (Guam is the largest).  It's several times the size of Koror, though it's population of 4,000 is only about a third that of its neighbor. We spent a day touring the island with Melahi, a guide provided by Sam’s.  While it’s possible to rent a car and tour the island on your own, I wouldn't recommend it.  Most of the roads are unpaved and many were closed when we visited.  We were warned that the maps are all wrong. 

The government of Taiwan has funded a major road construction program that should be completed sometime in 2004, so perhaps things will have improved by the time you visit.  This is one of the benefits of political independence.  By agreeing to support Taiwan in the UN, Palau is able to get assistance to help them improve their infrastructure.  Even if the roads have improved, I'd still recommend bringing a guide along.  It's more expensive than renting a car, but it lets you skip the hassle of driving (and risk of accident) while providing some of the island's history.  It's also great to spend some time with a native Palauan.  

The wealth of Palau is concentrated in Koror, the capitol.  In an effort to spread the wealth, the new capitol is being developed in a new city in northern Babeldoab.  The government has built several impressive buildings (pictured at the top) that wouldn't look out of place in Sacramento or Austin.  I guess the theory is that if you build it, they will come.
 
While they may be on their way, they haven't come yet.  The buildings stand empty.  It sits on an unpaved road with nothing but cleared lands and forest around it. When we drove by there wasn't another soul in sight. There were no shops or restaurants for many miles around.  It's an amazing and somewhat erie sight, like something out of an old Star Trek episode.

After a two hour drive she dropped us off at a Bai on the eastern side of the island.  After spending some time looking around we followed a path through a forest made up of very large trees.  It goes for a mile or so.  It's a very nice hike.  The trail is cool and airy and the scenery is just gorgeous. You get a feel for it in the picture on the left.

Malahi has had an interesting life.  She grew up in Palau but went to a girl's boarding high school on Catalina Island (off the coast of southern California) with the daughters of several actors. She later moved in New Zealand for ten years, married a New Zealander and raised her family.

Malahi said Palau has changed a lot over the years.  Palauans are very adaptable, which is a mixed blessing.  It's helped them survive through several occupations, but now the native ways are being forgotten and western ways adapted.  No one wears the traditional dress any more and just about everyone speaks English.  Traditional customs are becoming increasingly rare.  Our own experiences confirmed that.  Yap was much more traditional in its outlook and its adherence to customs.  

After a half hour of walking on the trail we came to to a house at its end.  The family was growing the plant on the right on a bamboo trellis.  I'm not sure what it is, but it looked really cool.

Melahi met us at the end of the trail.  We drove a short distance and then stopped at picnic area on the beach next to a long breakwater. We walked along the breakwater for a while and stopped for a drink. 

The beach area there is gorgeous.  There are picnic tables and a large covered area.  We saw quite a few sail boats and some signs for some inter-island sailing competitions for which Melekeonk is famous. It's also a popular weekend getaway spot for Palauans.

We got to see a bit of the village while we were in the area.  We also saw the local high school, which looked very nice, and the home of a very wealthy person with a rather unusual taste in decor.  

He has painted his large house in a dark (but still loud) shade of pink, and decorated the exterior with similarly painted objects that might be considered art.  Perhaps he's the Palau's answer to Michael Jackson, doing things a little differently.  In any case, his house did make for an interesting change of pace.

We also stopped briefly at a pre-historic rock carving.  The carving was made in volcanic rock and had partially been eroded, so it was difficult to make out what is was supposed to represent.  Malahi didn't know very much about it either.  There are several other ancient rock carvings in Badrulchau, at the northern tip of Babeldoab. They are much more impressive, but visiting them would have taken an hour and a half (Babeldoab is pretty big, and the roads aren't conducive to high speed travel) so we declined.  You can see pictures of them at Sam's and decide for yourself.

After driving on for a while (it was overcast and there weren't many features of note, so it was often tough to tell just where we were) we stopped by a stream for a break.  

While wandering around we came across the nifty mushroom pictured on the right. It was growing out of a fallen log.  It was the size of a small lamp and about as tasty (just kidding... I'm not much for toadstools).

Babeldoab is a volcanic island with rich soil and seemingly endless forests.  It is home to one of the largest freshwater lakes in Micronesia.  Much of it is still unexplored.

Its hillsides were once heavily terraced into steps and pyramids, though these were abandoned about 400 years a

The highlight of the day was our trip to the water falls.  You have to hike thirty to forty minutes to get to them.  The trail is easy to follow and offers views that range from nice to magnificient.  It's also bug free, a blessing of no small magnitude

The falls themselves are impressive, sending a torrent of water down over a cliff thirty or forty feet above.  Sticking your head under them gives you a pretty good approximation of what it's like to get hit on the head repeatedly by a slegehammer.  It isn't long before you have an Excedrin headache.  

The water in front of the falls is only a few feet deep, so swimming isn't too much fun, though dipping into them does allow you to cool off.  There are some sharp rocks in this area, so step carefully.  The rocks aren't dangerous, just uncomfortable.  Dive booties would have been a godsend. Unfortunately we didn't bring them. Learn from our mistakes.

After playing in the falls for a bit we took a break at the picnic tables, which are right at the head of the trail.  The area is covered, so you can leave your shoes and t shirts.  Other visitors are always coming and going, but I doubt they'll be interested in your dusty clothes.

After walking back and cleaning up a bit we headed back to Koror, stopping at a couple of places to shop for the carved story boards and other things.