Having last witnessed the first ever Christmas Market in Palau I was eager to the same now I was back. If past experience was anything to go by then this would me to entertainment, tacky souvenirs and Palau Street Food. I was not to he disappointed.
So, what the Palau?
Palau is a former US Colony that now has some degree of independence. We visited as part of our Least Visited Countries Tour , but in fact this is quite a touristy place.
People come here for the diving and the island hopping, very much reminiscent of Palawan, rather than the cuisine, but they do got food here.
What and where is the 680 Night Market
The 680 Market is located near the Friendship Bridge in Airai, a short 10-minute drive from Koror downtown. Best of all though is that should you not have a vehicle then the organisers also lay on semi-free buses which do the circuit around the hotels.
This makes it a must for when you happen to visit Palau at Christmas time.
Entertainment at 680 Night Market Koror
In fact the event is much more than just a mere night market and is done also as a community and entertainment affair. When we were there local singers and bands performed, as well as the rather foxy “Miss Palau”, who will represent the country at Miss Universe also being present.
There was also a community “best ecofriendly Christmas wreath event:”. I voted, but alas did not stay to see the winner. Overall though a very wholesome family event, with a big Christmas tree in the middle
Eating at 680 Night Market – Street Food Koror
I will do a separate cuisine of Palau/Street Food Palau article, but 680 Market was definitely the epicentre for the Street Food Koror scene. Essentially local restauranteurs came to make food stalls, with the range being very representative of the history and diversity of Palau.
This meant lots of Asian and Japanese fare, Filipino foods and even pizzas (that were pretty good), as well as Micronesian BBQ. In fact despite the fact there was not that many stalls the range of food was impressive.
I particularly enjoyed the BBQ pork, deep fried squid, as well as the fried potato wrapped around a stick that I last had on 19th Street Yangon.
And thus with the group fed we headed back on the free bus to West Plaza, where the thirty members of the group could get a drink in them.
Overall 680 Night Market was a pretty epic affair and satisfied my wish for Koror Street Food. It was also a great look into Palauan culture, with me even getting interviewed on Facebook.
A definite must when you travel through Koror