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!