On Guam

Talofofo Falls, Guam

Our friend Sue asked about Guam so here goes!

First there was the accreditation piece. I got really lucky to have a team and team leader that worked like a finely tuned machine and they’re all really fun! All five were Hawaiians that knew each other and have worked with each other before but they embraced me as one of them. We accredited a middle school that has great things happening so it all worked out well. Whew, I was pretty nervous going into the whole thing!

Willard came on Tuesday evening and he has his own version of the Island Hopper. The visibility was low over Kosrae, so after they descended like they were going to land, all of a sudden they were ascending again! Anyway he met my team and ate with us and then hung out for a day while we finished our work.

Yesterday was a play day for the two of us. We decided to drive the perimeter of the island and see what is on Guam. Willard was a little sad and disappointed that Guam has developed so much: roads, hotels, and population. Honestly it is like a little Hawaii and the Japanese come here and vacation as such. When we got down south we drove inland to one of the sights you are supposed to see while you are here, Talofofo Falls. When Willard was here 35 years ago, he and his buddies used to drive up then walk in and enjoy the whole thing for free. They’d jump in and ride down the falls and swim in the water. When we arrived we drove up to a parking lot and a $20.00/each entry fee. I was a little aghast but Willard paid it. We went in and saw a couple of carnival rides and the entry to the falls. When we entered we were led to a monorail car that took us to the falls. After enjoying the scenery and the lunch we brought, we came back up and saw two deer in a cage like you’d see in an old school zoo and that for $2 each we could take a train ride to Yokoi’s cave.

Yokoi was a Japanese soldier from WWII who was discovered in 1972 by some village farmers. He and two other Japanese soldiers built a cave and lived in it for over 20 years after the war, coming out only at night to trap shrimp in the river and gather coconuts and bananas in the surrounding jungle. The other two men died eight years before Yokoi was found. One of the men who discovered Yokoi wouldn’t allow him to be killed and eventually he was able to return to Japan. He came back to Guam more than once and it appears he was treated like a local hero. We decide to see his cave and pay our money. A young local man takes just the two of us on this crazy train that runs by what looks like a lawn mower motor and shows us the cave. Willard makes a comment about how he thought the cave was up against the hills and the young man then confesses that this is a mock-up - not the real cave. He then goes on to tell us that it was his grandfather who was one of the men who discovered Yokoi and gave us his version of the story. We were starting to feel like we were getting our money’s worth whether it was all true - or not! He then returned us to the starting point.

On our way out we noticed a Ghost House. We decided to go in since it was included in the cost and it turns out that it was a fairly elaborate haunted house - out in the middle of nowhere and in late April! I have to admit it got me good a couple of times! We exit and have some laughs about how random it all is and then Willard notices a sign directing us to “Loveland,” and of course we have to check this out too. 

As we enter, there is a sign saying that you may only enter if you are over 19 years old. This seems strange because it is right next to the carnival rides we saw in the beginning. I need to mention there is also a Buddha where you can pay your respects near the entrance. When we go in we realize we are walking a quarter mile trail that is one life size statue after another. Some are replicas of famous statues like the Venus de Milo, but others are quite erotic (understatement). It was really something - again, out in the middle of what used to be an out of the way place for a swim and picnic by a waterfall!

We left in the heat of the afternoon, as evidenced by the family of pigs who took refuge under one of the cars in the parking lot for shade! I don’t think I need to mention that we are still having an adventure!

Today we had fun snorkeling and shopping. We have a couple of more days to play and then it’s back on the Island Hopper for us. We hope you are all well and having fun!

Take care, Love, Becky 

On the train to see Yokoi's Cave

This is the entrance to the "cave" - it is a hole in the ground lined with bamboo

This is a diagram of the underground cave

Here are guide is telling us how his grandfather wanted to  kill Yokoi

Here you can pay your respects! It turns out a Korean rents the attraction from the governor of Guam so he has these shrines in several places throughout the site. 

I felt I needed a picture to validate my story - you can't make this stuff up!

The pigs are free to wander - or to find shade under your vehicle!

The Cabana Boy Returns

Well after a six week stint as a working stiff I have returned. I took a short term job as a consultant to the High Court to write a procedure manual for the court bailiffs and then provide training for the bailiffs on the manual and some general training for professional development. It was an interesting experience and gave me a better understanding of the police operations here in the Marshall Islands.

Becky and I spent spring break in Kosrae which is a small nation state, part of the Federated States of Micronesia. The population of the island is about 6500 and has a land mass of about 47 square miles with hills, water falls, and mangrove swamps.  It was a very relaxing time and we had great experience.

Upon our return to Majuro, Becky returned to work and I had one day left with the court. Becky has been teaching a contemporary living class for her seniors and she currently has me teaching a first aid class. I’m not a certified instructor but there isn’t a certified instructor on the island so I’m it. We have been working out of a first aid/CPR manual and even if they don’t get a certification they will have a good working knowledge of the material.

On a sad note, before I started my job, most mornings I was having morning coffee at a little stand down the road. The stand was run by a Marshallese man and his daughter.  Bob was a nice guy with a voracious reading habit and we would discuss books and exchanged a few. After my job ended I returned to the stand to have my morning coffee and found that Bob had passed away several weeks prior. I will miss the time we spent together.

Becky left for Guam on Saturday and Mischief and I have been hanging out at the house. Lots of reading, guitar practicing, dog walking, and Xbox playing to keep us amused. I’ll be meeting Becky on Tuesday and we will be spending a few days seeing Guam. I was stationed there when I was in the service and it will be fun to see the changes that have occurred in 34 years.

Well, time to walk the dog and then practice my guitar. Life’s tough when you’re a Cabana Boy.

The Island Hopper

I have just arrived in Guam, flying on the infamous Island Hopper. This is United’s 737 that takes you from island to island on your route to wherever, in my case Guam. I left the ground at a little after 9 a.m. First stop, Kwajelin. This is a U.S. military base so No One gets off unless it’s your destination and you have clearance. You are instructed to put all electronics away and there are NO PICTURES. Everyone remaining on the plane takes down their carry-ons and an official inspector person comes aboard to check out the plane. Then we’re off to Kosrae. We stop and now we all de-board; not a bad thing because I can buy some delicious Kosraen tangerines for the trip. Back on and we’re on our way to Pohnpei, another island in the Federated States of Micronesia. Folks get off and more get on. It’s interesting because all of these islands honor folks with leis that are worn on the head, but each culture has its own version. The Pohnpeins have leis that are little fronds that hang down from a crocheted string. By now the plane ride is fragrant with the smell of hibiscus - it’s lovely. On to Chuuck, another FSM island. This island has my curiosity piqued because it is known for being one of the rougher groups of locals, not the safest of the places to go. We get off the plane once again so they can spiff up the plane for the new group. From what I can see Chuuck looks like it has seen better days, the buildings are not in real good shape. The airport is much like the others, just a couple of rooms but I am disappointed there are no crafts to look at or buy. There is a large poster of what Chuuck has to offer. This is a huge diving destination because there are at least 13 huge WWII war ships that were sunk in the area. The people from this island are wearing another beautiful version of the head piece; theirs is floral with very little greenery; they are gorgeous. One young woman is in a very pretty traditional dress with her long black hair and her head piece. I would take her picture but I think it would mortify her. Now we get back on and now we are finally off to Guam. Another hour and fifty five minutes and I arrive in Guam about 4:40 p.m. It’s quite a change coming to a large airport with all of the modern amenities! I must say, my Island Hopper ride was very interesting, but the 9 hours of screaming little ones make me a strong candidate for the noise cancelling headphones!

This man from Paupa-New Guinea was standing behind me at the airport and let me take his picture. Guess what the stick is for!

Easter on Kosrae

It’s Spring Vacation - hurray! Willard and I boarded a plane yesterday and went southwest to the island of Kosrae. This is one of the islands in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), formerly known as the Caroline Islands. We are happy to be staying at a nice hotel called the Nautilus. It’s air conditioned and clean and we are thrilled!

Yesterday we settled in and wandered about a bit. The island is hilly; the center is actually 2000+ feet in altitude and is called Mt. Finkol. The land is lush with beautiful flowers and vegetation. There is no water shortage here because there is no dry season. It also feels cleaner and less populated than Majuro. There are 6,500 people on the island.

Today is Easter and we decided to go to services. Last night the waiter tells us most of the island is Protestant and we are welcome to attend services. In fact, the hotel owner will give us a lift. And he does. He is an Australian who has been on Kosrae on and off for ten years. He tells us the church we are attending is in temporary quarters because they are renovating their actual church. Later he explains that there was nothing wrong with the church they had, but there are five protestant churches on the island and they are constantly working to outdo one another. A couple of years ago another church was rebuilt and 2,000 pigs were butchered for the celebration (remember, there are only 6,500 people on the whole island)! He tells us this church will be rebuilt before Christmas because there is some sort of big celebration every four years and this is the year. The church, he says will be totally bought and paid for - nothing owed, but a lot of parishioners will be severely in debt. In addition, each adult male will be expected to provide a large pig and every teenage male a small pig. Much of it will be waste because there is no refrigeration for all of the leftovers.

When we get to the entrance it is obvious that men sit on the right and the women sit on the left side of the sanctuary. I felt pretty out of place even though I had on a pretty blouse and skirt. Everyone I was sitting near was in a white dress, and the men were all in long sleeved starched white shirts and ties. The dresses were beautiful - they looked like something you could get married in, or at least wear as the mother of the bride. There were folks dressed in other colors too, but not where we were. As the service progressed, I was told that on Easter there is a sort of choir contest where different choirs perform, and if you are in the choir, you wear white. The music was pretty amazing. The pastor spoke (in Kosraen, so we didn’t understand a word) and then the congregation would reply in song - always sung in four part harmony. It was beautiful, but a little screechy, all at the same time. The only parts I caught were the Lord’s Prayer and (I am pretty sure) John 3:16 because of the cadences. There were some alleluias too. I am glad we went; it was really interesting. But I am glad the service only ran one hour!

On the way home the hotel owner tells us that Kosrae is a man’s world. The women are the smart ones who do all of the work (I am not sure that is smart, but….) and the men hold all of the offices and own the land. Before motor boats, the women even did all of the fishing, but when motor  boats came along, the men couldn’t resist the “toys” and so now they fish.

After we came home we had lunch and then went for a long snorkel. We were allowed to snorkel on Sunday but could not dive and nothing is open, except the hotel restaurant. Alcohol is not served on the Sabbath either. But pizza is half price at the restaurant so that was our Easter feast.

We thought about friends and family sitting around ham dinners back at home. We hope you all had a good Easter.

We look forward to a relaxing week. A kayak ride through mangrove trees, a hike to a waterfall, more snorkeling, and a lot of sleeping in is on the agenda!

Take care, write when you can, love, Becky

On a hike with friends, Jen and James. Behind us is a eucalyptus tree.

We kayaked through the mangrove trees

Easter service at the local Protestant church

These mangrove trees thrive in salt water and help with erosion problems