By Vurdlak on September 7, 2010, with 57 Comments
Just recently I found a refreshing optical illusion gallery on Facebook, and one of the items that gained my attention was this Republic of Palau silver coin. The author behind Don Quixote motive (engraved on this coin) is great #Sandro Del Prete, and apart from the illusion, I was even more baffled with the Palau Republic. Call me ignorant, but I have never heard of Palau. Please enlighten me! I presume it’s either the foreign name for a country I have probably heard of, or some sort of fictive land? Oh, and the illusion should easily be seen, specially if you’re a Don Quixote fan, like I am…
(41 votes)
Come on, a blogger that doesn’t know how to use the internet?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palau
I LIKE THIS ONE IT IS VERY INTERESTING AND FROM WHAT I CAN SEE ON GOOGLE ( AS I HAD NEVER HEARD OF THE REPUBLIC OF PALAU BEFORE ) IS IT IS A SMALL ISLAND IN THE PACIFIC ABOUT 500 MILES OF THE COAST OF THE PHILIPPINES AND 2000 MILES SOUTH OF TOKYO
Your caps lock is on. You should turn it off.
The Republic of Palau or Belau is one of the most beautiful countries in the world… It consists of many tropical islands near Guam (I think). Check it out on Google Earth, it’s great! ;D
Been to Palau. It is really beautiful, but if you’re not really into extreme sports like kayaking, scuba diving, or sky diving….there really isn’t much to do there.
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Palau+Republic
This info from Wikipedia: Palau /pəˈlaʊ/ (help·info), officially the Republic of Palau (Palauan: Beluu er a Belau), is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, some 500 miles (800 km) east of the Philippines and 2,000 miles (3,200 km) south of Tokyo. Having emerged from United Nations trusteeship (administered by the United States) in 1994, it is one of the world’s youngest and smallest sovereign states. In English, the name is sometimes spelled Belau in accordance with the native pronunciation. It was formerly also spelled Pelew.[3]
Here is a good link about Palau, with a lot of interesting information and a map showing its location. Fascinating illusion, by the way! :-)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palau
Palau is a Pacific island state btw (in other words, real but relatively unknown). I wonder if the coin is actually that shape or whether it’s one of those souvenir penny typ things.
A pretty, and interesting, coin! The Republic of Palau is a beautiful and captivatingly real island nation in the South Pacific, somewhat east of the Phillipines.
from Wikipedia: “…the Republic of Palau (Palauan: Beluu er a Belau), is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, some 500 miles (800 km) east of the Philippines and 2,000 miles (3,200 km) south of Tokyo.”
It was also used as a site for several seasons of the Survivor “reality” television series.
palau is an island nation in the pacific ocean. this illusion is gr8, spotted it after a few seconds of looking at it.
It’s a small island country in the south pacific, right around Indonesia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palau
Where can I get one of these?
palau is a small Island chain in the pacific (here’s the coordinates 7.500345,134.623986 in Google maps)
Cool, so far on the left coin I can make out a minotaur head, a cat headed warrior with a spear and Yoshimitsu!
An Island Nation to answer your question.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palau
That Cool!
Palau is an island nation in the South Pacific (note the outrigger canoe). It is not fictional; it is real.
Nice illusion.
oh, and Palau is an island nation in the pacific Ocean
here is an address for the location of Plu
http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/oceania/pw.htm
What a great illusion! Love the depiction of Don Quixote and Sancho hidden in the face. I have to admit I looked up the squire’s name. I had it in my head as Pancho.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palau
Palau is an island in the pacific ocean a few hundred miles (east?) from the Philippines.
Great illusion!
Officially the Republic of Palau (Palauan: Beluu er a Belau), is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, some 500 miles (800 km) east of the Philippines and 2,000 miles (3,200 km) south of Tokyo.
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Republic+of+Palau&l=1
Palau is a Pacific island nation: here is the article in Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palau.
Great coin!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palau
; )
little, but real!
http://tinyurl.com/2b4dpmy
You can actually see Quixote and Sanza in his face. It appears to be a slightly stylized version of this sculpture at Castilla la Mancha. Link below. Very nice currency with an illusion. Kudos for sharing.
http://freedoniapost.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/IMGP1257.jpg
You are getting better with age! I was so busy tilting at windmills I almost didn’t see Don riding his horse with his friend trailing behind. Fantastic illusion!!
Nice coin and optical illusion. Now I know where PALAU is, I had no idea before. Learn something every day!
very pretty
Hum, like your site, but your way of improving partecipation (and links) asking fake questions is becoming annoying :-/
Palau was the location of the 10th season of Survivor. The only notable cast member was Tom Westman, who returned to the Survivor cast in one of the reunion shows…
THERE’S MORE than just Quixote and Pancho! The head of Don Quixote is actually the shape of the main island (see Wikipedia map), AND the “Q” on the Coin is ALSO shaped like the main island.
Pretty cool.
lol i wonder how many people will now explain what Palau is..cool coin though, at least the natives have a good imagination, currency with optical illusions should be seen in more countries, spending it would be even more fun, maybe even countries that everyone’s heard of :)
Even if you don’t read or seek information you would have noticed Survivor: Palau a few seasons back. Come on.
Ohhh, i see it.. the mans face is also two men on a horse.
its two men riding a horse …………..
I get the illusion in the first coin, but what about the second?
all i see is a treasure chest and two merpeople.
In addition to the hidden figures that make up the face, I see another illusion. It is hard for me to tell if the coin is convex or concave. Especially at the top part of the left coin. Sometimes the hat looks dented in and sometimes it looks like it is sticking out.
I think palau is on teh googles :(
I’m still not convinced this Palau is real …
Those illusions always freak me out. Is it embossed or not? Ahhh! It drives me crazy.
So, um… This “Palau”… Does anyone know where it is? Um, let me guess… Could it be… somewhere in the Pacific possibly? (Kidding!) :-)
Look at this illusion used in Vancouver traffic:
http://www.vancouversun.com/Phantom+roadway+West+drivers+braking/3493467/story.html
WILL YOU GUYS STOP TALKING ABOUT WHERE THE ISLAND IS!
Now that we know where Palau is…
Palau has thunderstorms every single day of the year.
Now I know where Palau is.
And knowing is half the battle
what is the illusion on the second coin??
As the first person Epeo said… I agree… Sorry. If you blog then you are more than firmiliar with the internet. Search?
I am from the Pacific, and a third world country, and I find it ‘amusing’ at times when educated people from ‘developed’ countries (I assume you are) say they have never heard of ‘this country’, never mind things. Ignorance can no longer be an excuse – with the internet.
Internet is a luxury for us, and I am fortunate to have access to the internet. I make it a point to search and learn!
No offence :)
My husband found your site – and I love it. I love art in all forms :D Awesome Stuff!
I am familiar with Palau, as many folks from Pennsylvania are, because many online drop-down address lists include Palau! You hit the “P” and since Pennsylvania is the only State that starts with a P you assume you have entered the correct state, but you always get Palau. How many people live on this tiny island are shop on Amazon? Come on!
i see two people when i looked closly at the eyes
Palau;….
If i’m correct,…..
An Island in the Pacific that the Japanese had,in WW II. We didn’t want them to have it, and aftera rather,”HEATED,” argument, they didn’t have it;…. antmore.
The optical illusion is that the face of Don Quixote is made up of an image of Quixote and Sancho Panza riding a horse.
in his beard and mouth theres 2 people