piece of Belauan money will usually prefer to have the money."
Similar bangles have recently been unearthed in ancient graves in the Philippines. Archeologist speculate that perhaps they came from China, or even  Egypt or Phoenicia!
We met Jeff, a young dive instructor, new on the island. Because Belau is a Mecca for serious divers, Jeff had come to pay homage.  In return for passage

aboard Sea Quest he agreed to supervise our dives and coach scuba diving to Miki, who only began to swim in the Philippines.
Sea Quest snaked between the verdant tree-covered clusters of islands set like bright jewels in the turquoise waters. They seemed to invite us to play amongst them. In a cove so small that we could toss lines to the shore, we anchored. In the overhanging trees high above twin-tailed tropicbirds fed their squawking young.
By day we wandered the narrow passages, taking extra care not to lose our way, for all the Rock Islands looked the same. Shadowy caves and sunlit coral walls sheltered richly hued fish that flashed below us. By night, tucked up in our bunks, the darkness was filled with strange haunting shrieks.
Leaving the sheltered coves Miki climbed up on the pushpit to keep a sharp eye out as we sailed further to the south. The broad expanses of water within the lagoon are hazardous with unexpected shoals and coral heads. But near a bright sand spit adjoining a jungle-clad island known by the silly name Two Dog Island, we anchored. Ashore two dogs cavorted in the shallows, fishing. The area was one of the prettiest I've ever seen.

The Indochina region is the cradle of marine species, the experts tell us. As one moves east around the world the varieties of species become less abundant. On the perimeter of the Philippine Sea, in the convergence of three