Hafa Adai (How's it going? - Guam)

Getting ready for a dive...

Japanese Defense Caves

We began the morning with a dive at San Luis Beach on Big Navy.  Near the beach where we entered, we saw Japanese Defense Cave Fortifications.  In 1944, hundreds of Japanese sought refuge here from attaching US Marines.  We also saw a brown tree snake trap!  Brown tree snakes are an invasive breed that have destroyed much of the natural bird habitat on the island.  The snakes were introduced to the island accidentally as stowaways on ships.  They are poisonous, but rarely bother humans.

Brown Tree Snakes

Fish Eye Marine Park

Tom looking into the window

Our second dive of the day was really cool!  It was also a shore dive at the Fish Eye Marine Park.  It is sometimes called the Piti Bomb Hole.  The collapsed underwater caves create a great spot to dive and a great home for marine life.  A highlight of Fish Eye is the underwater observatory.  On the upper deck, you have a 360 view of the ocean, and from the bottom deck, you have 24 viewing windows to observe the marine life and divers!  Jill, Austin, and Lil Brett were in the observatory, while we dove.  We could see them through the windows!

Lil Brett inside the window

Ritidian Beach

We spent the afternoon at Ritidian Beach!  The water is crystal clear and the sand is pure white!  It was a beautiful beach!  The boys had fun finding albino hermit crabs! 

Pacific Island Beach Club

For our fifth day, we headed to the Pacific Island Club.  It’s is a hotel with a water park.  We were able to buy day passes that included the water slides, pools, boat lagoon, and buffet lunch.  It was a fun day! 

Austin, Lil Brett, Toni, Brett, Tom, Jill

We had a wonderful time in Guam and the best hosts!  I am not sure if we will ever get back to Guam, but we have memories that will remind us of the great time we had. 

Cheers to good friends and a great time!

Our travels back to Washington State were not without the usually troubles.  We left Guam on time, but the plane had trouble with the de-icing gear half way through the flight.  We had to turn around and return to Guam and switch planes.  Needless to say, we missed out connecting flight from Japan back to the states.  When we arrived in Japan, it was the same crew that we had trouble with on our flight out.  They were very nice and put us up in a hotel in Narita.  They even gave us vouchers to pay for all our meals.  We had a 24 hour stay in Japan before we would return home.  The boys had stayed with Brett’s parents and my mom and were very glad to see mom and dad!

***Because of the frustration with our flight from Japan to Guam, I wrote a letter to Continental.  Remember they had said our seats had been given up, but Brett flew to Guam with the seat next to him vacant.  When you write a complaint letter of any kind, be sure to specify what you would like for compensation and include any receipts.  Don’t just complain about the situation.  In our case, I asked to have my ticket refunded.  They not only refunded my ticket, but half of Brett’s! 

Welcome to Guam!

July 2003 - After the flight mishap, we both arrived in Guam safely!  This was a special trip for us for many reasons.  We were going to spend time with best friends Tom, Jill, Brett, and Austin Hatch!  We were also going to visit the home that Brett’s parents lived in when they brought his brother Todd home from the hospital.  Guam houses a large navy base.  Brett’s dad was stationed in Guam during the mid to late 1960’s.  Now Jill is stationed in Guam!

Toni, Lil Brett, Brett, Austin

We were officially welcomed to Guam with this cool sign the Hatch’s had made for us!  Unfortunately, it was a bit stormy the night we arrived, so we went out to see the sign first thing in the morning.  We had a great first day!  We headed down to Tumon Bay (also known as hotel row) for lunch and to check out the beach.  Tom had a meeting in the afternoon, so we enjoyed the pool at the Nikko Hotel.  Residents can purchase passes to use certain hotel amenities.  It had a water slide, which Brett, lil Brett, and Austin enjoyed.  Jill and I got to relax in the sun and catch up!  It was a great day topped off with a great sunset.  There are amazing sunsets in Guam, and we watched the sun go down at Haputo Point this night!

 Locals eat stuff off the beach  -  Tumon Bay

A private beach near Haputo

Brett and I brought a suitcase full of dive gear.  Our first dive was from a boat that we rented.  Captain Jeff took us out of Agana to Double Reef (near Haputo Pt.).  We saw a lot of fish and a white eel during the 44 minute dive.  During our second dive at Gun Beach, we brought along some frozen hot dogs.  The scissortail sergeant and surgeon fish loved them!  After a long day on the water, we relaxed at home with homemade chili and card games.

Tom, Jill, Austin, Brett, Lil Brett, Toni

There are many sites to see on Guam.  One famous site is Two Lovers Point.  The legend says that two lovers, whose parents forbid them to marry, tied their hair together and jumped off the cliff.  The views from the point were amazing. 

Two Lovers Point, Tumon Bay, Guam

Tumon Bay (Hotel Row) in the background

30 Begonia!

One of the highlights from our time on Guam was a drive around the island.  Our first stop was at 30 Begonia!  Brett’s parents lived here when his dad was stationed on Guam.  When Brett’s brother was born in September 1967, he was brought home to 30 Begonia!  We made it just in time too, as they were starting to demolish the old apartments.  As we continued around the island, we drove over the Old Spanish Bridge, past Cocos Island, to Jeff’s Pirate Cove. 

We stopped at the famous restaurant for lunch.  The restaurant is near Yokoi Cave in Talofofo.  Talofofo Falls and Yokoi Cave became famous when a Japanese soldier found refuge and hid in a cave for 28 years following WWII.  We finished off this day with a walk in the Hatch’s back yard and a sunset at Tarague Beach.  We headed out looking for boonie – hot, wild peppers.  We didn’t find any, but we saw lizards and wild pigs.  It was another amazing sunset at one of Brett’s parent’s favorite beaches too! 

Wild pigs at Talofofo        Wild pig in the Hatch backyard

                The Hatch's                           The Troutner's

The small island of Guam is probably not at the top of anyone’s vacation list, but it is a great place to consider.  More on this island in the Pacific soon…..

Tarague Beach

Japan Continued!

Tsjukiji Fish Market- early in the morning at 6am

What an early morning…..The Tsukiji Fish Market is open from 3am to 10am (auctions start around 5am).  It is the biggest wholesale and auction market for fish and seafood in the world!  Fresh tuna (maguro in Japanese) is sold in large quantities and is often cut into pieces with a huge band saw.  Did you know that 80% of Japan’s tuna is consumed raw?  The market also supplies 80% of the world’s fish! 

Octopus - TUNA, sells for $10,000 each - Live eel

small shrine outside the fish market

The Great Buddha in Kamakura

After coming back to the apartment to freshen up, it was time to head out for a drive to Kamakura.  Kamakura was Japan’s capitol from 1185 to 1333.  It is a seaside town about an hour south of Tokyo.  We parked near a small garden shrine and bought Japanese pears and ate them on our way to the Great Buddha.  Again, upon entering the Great Buddha (Amita Buddha, 1252)) we cleansed our hands in the water.  Amita is Kamakura’s most famous site.  We actually went inside it and into the head of the large bronze statue. 

    Mai-Den stage, ginko tree on left  --  Torri Gate to Hachiman-gu Shrine

A very important shinto shrine in Kamakura is the Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu Shrine.  The shrine was dedicated to the God of War and built in 1063.  There was a 1000 year old ginko tree (in my photo) that was recently uprooted in a storm in 2010. 

Squat Toilet

Interesting facts about Japan….They have a 100 yen store that is similar to our Dollar Stores.  You can find great gifts and bargains (chopsticks, pottery, slipper mats) for very little money!  When you visit a grocery store or mall, they have ‘car’ elevators that take your vehicle from one floor to the other to park.  It was bizarre!  Along with regular toilets, you often have a choice to use a ‘squat’ toilet.  It’s literally that!  You squat to do your business!  Some say they are more hygienic that western toilets and they use less water and are cheaper to make. 

We had gracious hosts and a nice visit to Japan.  Hopefully we will venture back to explore more someday!

The Troutner’s are not immune to problems when traveling!  We got to the Narita airport an hour before our flight to Guam.  We didn’t really consider the fact that we were flying internationally and needed to be there two hours early.  Needless to say, we were told our seats had been released and there was one seat available.  WHAT?!  The next flight was in five hours.  Knowing I could easily deal with the situation, I sent Brett ahead on the flight to Guam.  He would be able to hang out with Tom and Jill, and I had plenty of movies and money to keep me busy for the next several hours at the airport.  The crazy part of this story is that when Brett got on the plane, there was an open seat next to him and the gate agents would not release the seat to me.  In the end, I made it to Guam, and we were all reunited later in the evening!   Next Blog…..Guam!

Visit to Japan - July 2003

Tokyo at night from the 39th floor of Yebisu Garden Place tower

In mid-July of 2003, we had a trip planned to visit our good friends in Guam.  We also had friends living in Japan.  We took advantage of some extra time and stopped in Japan on the way over. 

We arrived in Tokyo in the evening.  It was a long flight from Seattle aboard Singapore Airlines, but the service on the plane was great!  Our friend Jennifer picked us up at Narita.  We didn’t waste any time seeing the sites as soon as we arrived.  We learned how to buy train tickets and headed from their home in Shibuya Ku to Yebisu Garden Place Tower.  The view of Tokyo from the 39^th floor of the tower was amazing!  We also slurped the best ramen I have ever had at the Noodle House to finish off the night.

Arisugawa Park and the old men fishing

We started the next day off with a walk around Arisugawa Park.  It was within walking distance of the Willis’ home.  There were old men fishing in the park, something they do every day.  On the walk around town, we could smell the incense from the local cemetery.  Mourners visit the cemetery often and light incense sticks.

Cemetary in Shibuya Ku



Punks and Baby Dolls

Our next stop was the Meiji Shrine.  As soon as we got off the train, you could see groups of people gathered.  Certain young people were labeled ‘punks’ while other girls dressed as ‘baby dolls’.  It was very interesting. 

           Sake Barrels                      Wedding at Meiji Shrine

cleansing our hands

The Meiji Shrine is the most important Shinto Shrine in Tokyo, where the remains of Emperor Meiji (1868-1912) and his wife are enshrined. Like many other sites around Japan, Sake barrels line the entrance.  The barrels are empty but represent a symbol of drinking the rice wine to feel happy and closer to the Gods.  Sake is often given at temples.  It is also a custom to cleanse your hands and/or drink the water for good health and spirit.  There are three entrances to the shrine, and walking through the ‘Torii’ will bring good luck.  There are also many ways to show respect to the shrine.  You may throw coins in the offering box, bow twice in from of the main shrine, clap your hands twice to wake the gods, or leave a prayer on the prayer tree.  Outside the Meiji Memorial Hall, we saw a wedding taking place.  The entire area is very large, covering 175 acres!

Entering the Torii

Takeshita Dori Street

Busiest intersection in the world!

We got to see some of the hustle and bustle of Tokyo.  Takeshita Dori is a pedestrian only street with fancy shops and places to eat.  It’s the hotspot for teen fashion.  Shinjuku houses the busiest train station in the world.  Over 2 million people pass through the train station each day!  Nearby Shibuya has one of the busiest intersections in the world.  At a particular time, 6 pedestrian crosswalks allow people to cross at the same time. 

Stayed tuned for a continuation of our trip to Japan and our early morning visit to the fish market!