Kayaking through Palau’s Rock Islands feels like being a castaway in an undiscovered paradise. This was my second time to take this day trip and it was no less exhilarating than nearly two years ago. Read my full travel story.

This was my second excursion with Sam’s Tours. Their guides are top-notch, environmentally-aware, and knowledgable.

At one point, the group decided to enter a water-filled lagoon only accessible by free diving under two massive rocks. Our guide assured us that the tide would eventually go out, making it possible to swim out head above water. After ducking in for a minute and nearly scraping my head on the razor-sharp clams overhead, I opted to keep an eye on the kayaks!

Paddling across this lagoon midday was no small feat. Notice how I am far behind the other kayakers!

Respites came in small measures, like ducking under a few feet of shade by hugging the rock.

We explored bat-filled, majestic caves along the way. I became something of a bat lover when I saw them up close in Cairns, Australia a few years ago (below). They can be quite cute and are perfectly harmless!

As the Pacific stage of WWII, Micronesia has dozens of historical wreck sites. Palau is no exception. We snorkeled through a Japanese ‘Zero’ plane wreck (sorry, no underwater camera) — different from the one I saw last time, below.

This old Japanese pill box was built into one of the islands. I climbed up barefoot, clutching the dry box holding my camera.

Tankini: J.Crew.  Sunglasses: Harajuku Street, Japan.

Below you see the results of a typhoon that hit Palau recently. Even the wreckage couldn’t diminish the natural beauty of the ocean.