Palau

Palau We land in the dead of night on a Continental Micronesia Boeing 737 from Guam, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, a little to the right of the Philippines. A real shame, because Giuseppe and I can't see the wonder of the corals that surround these magnificent islands. The taxi driver takes us to a random little hotel, and luckily it doesn't cost much and we like it. The next morning we discover that the stunning lagoon washes up right behind the hotel; the warm air - it felt as if we were dead; this is paradise. We take a stroll to realise how beautiful it all is around us, and then, wandering about the area, we play a game of billiards. Later we phone Mr Antonio, who was pointed out to us as the only Italian living in Koror. We introduce ourselves on the phone and he comes to meet us at the hotel to make our acquaintance.

Only later do we discover he's a big shot - a small industrialist, owner of a small fleet of tuna fishing boats and a place where they can them and salt them down to export them by air to Japan. He's also married to the deputy minister of health. As we talk we grow more and more friendly, and he takes us to his house, a splendid villa overlooking the lagoon - a sight to behold. The next day Giuseppe and I take a canoe trip on the sea and into the inlets, which alone is worth the journey. Without doubt, having done this trip, complete with swimming among little sharks and eating freshly caught lobster, is one of the most beautiful journeys I've ever made in my life. Snorkelling, we've seen fish that we only ever see in aquariums or on Piero Angela's Quark. The sea flat as a lake - everything seems surreal. Luckily few tourists come here, given the prohibitive prices of the airline.

The next day we rent a car and tour the big island, crossing the bridge built by the Japanese, and spend the whole day out and about seeing few people and lush tropical nature. Bad luck makes us leave at night again, and once more we can't see the archipelago from above. But we've seen and touched it from below, and even lower, and that's been enough to know that Moses had it all wrong; rather than crossing the Red Sea to the Promised Land, he should have come here to Palau.