In 1960s Palau

Life was raucous, laughable, and harrowing. I lived with a Palauan family in a decrepit old shack of plywood and cardboard which almost burned down. When my elusive heart throb finally led me to her room one night, I barely avoided coming under the knife.

I could never have imagined I would find myself stranded one stormy night on a reef infested with sea snakes; or find myself positioned in the middle of a riot between locals and the US Coast Guard. But whether diving with Life Magazine's Stan Wayman, fending off sharks for underwater photographer Doug Faulkner, fishing with Lee Marvin, or searching for starfish, it was mostly all good.