Rajeev's World: Mesmerizing Vistas Of Palau -- Part I

After landing in Palau early this morning and after a few hours of rest, in our hotel in Airai, we were to go, ready to explore this wondrous archipelago, from Up In The Air!

After a hurried breakfast, we headed back to the Roman Tmetuchl International Airport to take our sightseeing flight that would show the unique paradise that Palau is...

At the airport, we were joined in by Steve, a Irish tourist from London and our German pilot, Stefan, who flew us around in a single engine Cessna 206, a rugged bird, which is frequently called the "the sport-utility vehicle of the air." The Cessna 206 seats 5 passengers and with a detachable door, it is ideal for aerial photography, which we were just about to do...

We get ready to taxi...

And as we head towards Runway 09-27, I get a good view of the Palau Pacific Airways Boeing 737...

The open window right ahead of me...

Lining up for the takeoff run...

Seconds after take off, we get a glimpse of how incredibly pretty Palau is and this sight left us speechless...

We turn southwards, getting a glimpse of Koror city, the erstwhile capital and the biggest inhabitation of Palau, with a population of 14,000 people...

The rock islands look magical and very inviting...

And we overfly the German Channel - notice the speed boat passing through the deep blue channel...

The one-kilometre long German Channel was dredged in 1909 when Palau was under German colonial rule. The Germans had found phosphate deposits in an outlying island, Angaur. The channel was dredged to shorten the distance between Angaur and the port in Koror. Today, the German Channel is used only by fish and speedboats...

Memories of this flight will always be etched in our minds...

Zooming in...

Wow...

Stefan banks to give us a great view of the Milky Way...

The white limestone mud in the Milky Way is known for its therapeutic properties. Stefan told us that bathing in the white limestone mud could make you look ten years younger...