The pulled up shirt phenomenon

I’ve meant to get around to mentioning this odd phenomenon a number of times but have kept forgetting. So here goes:

A lot of the local men who have manual labour jobs (or are just sitting around outside) do this weird thing with their shirts where they pull the lower half up over their belly. I find it hilarious odd. You’ll get these groups of guys (or individuals) working or sitting around with a shirt on but with their bellies sticking out. Obviously it’s done for cooling purposes but why not take the whole shirt off?!?

Amanda reckons it’s a form of modesty but I don’t get why it’s ok to pull your shirt up and show your (often fat) gut but taking it off completely would be offensive. I first thought it might have been an attempt to protect the shoulders from the sun. But no locals seem worried about getting burnt and with their darker skin it’s probably not as much of an issue for them as it is for us whities.

Has anyone seen this phenomenon elsewhere in the world or is it a uniquely Palauan thing?

UPDATE: in searching for an image to show you I came across an American in the Philippines talking about the same thing. So maybe Palau has imported the quirky fashion trend from there.

Divemaster Nathan

Yes my posts are getting more and more infrequent. I guess we are truly into ‘normal life’ here and it’s hard to come up with things to talk about. HOWEVER, last Wednesday I completed all requirements for my Divemaster certification. I even managed to get 118/120 on the theory exam. I should have got 100% correct if not for two silly errors. I wouldn't say the course is difficult there are just a lot of requirements to work though. It’s great to be finished ahead of schedule when at one point it looked like the training would blow out by at least a few weeks. Now I need to concentrate on learning the dive sites, currents and aquatic life! As I’m under an internship agreement I’ve now started working to pay off the cost of my training. 

Today is Independence Day in Palau and a whole pile of activities are planned around the KB (Koror-Babeldoab) Bridge including high speed boat races. Under/around the bridge is not a particularly large area and has minimal parking. When I dropped Amanda off for work early this morning it was already complete chaos. I’m not sure what I’m going to find when I head down there again shortly.

An overdue update + plenty of pics

A sunset beer at Palau Pacific Resort

I’ve been alerted to the fact that it’s been 3 weeks since my last post…woops! I’ve been kept pretty busy diving about 6 days each week and after you throw in a few social events, time is flying by!

So where is the diving up to you ask? About 3 weeks ago I completed my Rescue Diver course and my Emergency First Responder (First Aid) training. I’ve since started on working my way through the long list of requirements for the Dive Master certification. I should finish that up by the end of this month. I’ve also been getting in plenty of dives as well, just yesterday I clocked up my 50^th dive here in Palau. 

Sunset at PPR

I’m enjoying it more and more as my confidence & local knowledge about the sites, currents and aquatic life grows. One of the best aspects has been the social interaction with the guests on the boat. I have met some fantastic people and aim to keep up a friendship with them, hopefully even seeing them again in Palau or another part of the world.

PPR's pool & sunset

During my short career in diving I’ve only come across one or two people that have been difficult customers, a couple of novice divers have been a little challenging mostly due to lack of experience. Maybe I’ve been lucky so far, or maybe the dive community is filled with generally awesome people. I prefer to think it’s the latter. 

Bridge Trilogy Part 1: Virtual Light

Anyone reading this blog who has dived regularly or even occasionally probably knows how tiring it can be. So after diving 5-6 days a week I’ve had little time at night for more than eating some dinner, watching few episodes of TV show before reading a little & promptly passing out. As a side note if you like your humour random and quirky then try an animated show called ‘The Regular Show’. It’s my current favourite. But I would avoid reading Jack Kerouac’s ‘On The Road’, in my opinion it’s a poorly written, pointless over hyped book. I’m not sure why I’ve stuck with it but I’m glad I’m only a few pages from finishing it so I move onto something else. 

Bridge Trilogy Part II: Idoru

Bridge Trilogy Part III: All Tomorrow's Parties

Just to keep us social busy we’ve had plenty of regular catch up’s with our new friends here too. Everything from small dinner parties to a few beers and dinner at a restaurant to a large party to watch the Aussie election results. (What a complete joke the Australian system of government has become). 

We also have a new Aussie volunteer on the island so we are no longer the newbies! Unfortunately the rotation of people off the island has continued and some great people have unfortunately left for new adventures elsewhere. So goes the ex-pat lifestyle!

A flying jellyfish

The sting-less jellyfish from Jellyfish lake

One of the beaches we stop for lunch at.

The lunch spot

one of our boats heading of for another dive

playing with my bubbles