Palau

I was recently in Palau shooting an assignment for International Inspiration, a legacy program created by the Olympic Games London 2012.  One of my photos will be used in an exhibition at the Museum of London during the upcoming games, and this is probably as close as I will ever get to fulfilling one of my childhood wildest dreams, participating in the Olympics. But that is another story.

© nacho hernandez, all rights reserved

© nacho hernandez, all rights reserved

Beautiful Palau is one of the smallest and youngest countries in the world. Its people are laid back, relaxed and friendly. The kind of place where strangers greet you on the street (happens to me also in New Zealand). The name Palauans gave their national congress, "the house of whispers", is also very telling about their character.

Palau is, above all, about island life. One of the world's top diving destinations, formed by some 300 islands. On my first day I had to go to work on a speed boat, trapped between a emerald sea and a blue sky. Beats catching a cab or a bus any time.

© nacho hernandez, all rights reserved