We have been in Guam for almost a week now. Thought it might be time for a quick update…

We have been busy exploring the island with my Uncle John and getting to know our way around. The pictures that are included below do not do any kind of justice to how beautiful it is here on Guam. The sea is a mixture of all kinds of amazingly blue colors and the greens of the surrounding jungle seem to be enhanced by the sun. I have taken hundreds of pictures but can’t seem to capture the incredible beauty here.

We have been much better with the sunscreen as we have been spending a lot of time outside despite the temperature (around 88 degrees with 90% humidity). We have also been in the water a lot, even though it really doesn’t do much to cool us off with water temperatures hovering around 86 degrees. We at least get to make believe that we are cooler for a while. The side effect of all this time outdoors is that we are all more tan than we have ever been. This morning after brushing my teeth I smiled in the mirror and thought my teeth looked a lot more white than normal. I then realized that my teeth aren’t any whiter, my face is just a lot darker.

There is a brand new Navy Hospital here on Guam that we were able to take a small tour of when Ty had a visit to the ER. Nothing major, just an ear ache, but we wanted to have it looked at before we were any further away. The ER was nothing like an ER in the states – there is no wait, there are no crowds, you are whisked through the system.

We should be on Guam for a few more days. Not sure where to next, but Okinawa looks promising. From there we hope to get to Seoul and then on to Hanoi… although all of that is subject to change.

Pictures

Snorkeling  at three-sided salt water “pool” on Navy base at Gab Gab Beach.

Spent the day at Onward Water Park on slides, lazy river, wave pool, and zip line.

Visited Two Lovers Point and then Chomorro Village for yummy bbq. Strangely enough, Ray and I ran into people that we had met on the flight over to Guam from Hawaii.

WWII monument dedicated to Chomorro people killed in the war.

Ty and RJ in front of a Japanese two-man midget sub. The Japanese midget sub is credited with sinking only one American ship even though the Japanese made over 2000 of these vessels.

Lookout point near southernmost point of Guam.

Fort Nuestra de la Solidad, 1810.

Ty jumped off the high dive into the Inharajan pool while RJ explored tide pools with Ray and then stood in the rain to cool off.

When the weekend finally arrived, we got up early to hit high tide and snorkeling on the reef near Cocos Island. There is a small reef near shore and then a 50 yard swim to another shallow reef surrounding the island. Ray and Tyler made the swim and then Lisa and Jaden went out to explore the reef. Even thought the water was amazingly clear, there was no seeing the bottom of the channel during the swim. Jaws’ theme song came to mind more than once and I had to channel my inner Dory, singing…just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming…

While Ray and RJ were exploring the reef, Jaden and Ty were joined by a Japanese tourist jumping off the 10 foot high pier. Below Jaden and Ty are both doing twisting jumps. And then, by no accident…Ty doing a flip into the water.

Read More About Our Adventure – When we returned from our seven-month adventure, I spent the next several years writing a book about our experiences abroad and my personal journey through grief.

Learn More Here