3 April 2016 - Guam Adventures - Part 2

Sometimes my employer has me work 2 weeks strait in a remote location and simply pays for my hotels and meals over the weekend. It is much cheaper than having to fly me home and then back again. One of the ways I keep my sanity with frequent business travel is I go exploring and get involved in local activities.

I started my Saturday right with a nice little fundraising 5k run at a Catholic School called St. Francis. I've not been as disciplined with my running as I was for January's fun at Disney. This run I made the classic newbie mistake of going out too fast and ended up hurting by the second mile. I did run into a few of the people I worked with during the week. They thanked me for supporting their school.

 

Next, I started a road trip around the island, basically stopping anywhere that looked interesting. There were a great many War in the Pacific national park locations. It was fascinating to see some of the old WW2 era Anti-Aircraft guns as well as long range Canons.

 


After that I found myself looking out from a mountainside view of the BAKǺNAN CETTI overlook.

Then after a few more miles of driving, I took a random swim off the Merizo Pier. This is a location I have seen in every YouTube video of Guam of random people jumping into the Ocean. I met a family of Chamorro locals who were having an impromptu "biggest splash" competition and invited me to join in. Ben (red shirt in photo), a man of considerable size and a DJ at night, showed me up quite well. I am so proud of myself and this has been my favorite adventure so far this year...it was super spontaneous and I met some really cool people in the process!

 

I was having so much fun swimming and diving off this pier that I didn't get any other photos. However, here is a video from someone else to give you perspective of the experience.

My next stop on my drive around the island found me at the Falls and cave. This one was a bit of a tourist trap. Not only did it have a nice set of waterfalls, but it also featured a haunted house, a cable car ride and an X-rated garden named "Love Land".

 

For my final stop of the day I visited the Latte Festival on Talafofo bay, as recommended by my new friends at the place I have been working all week. This is a celebration of Chamorro history and culture. It features a river cruise, local food, arts, and performances (+Historical reinactments).

 
 
 

All in all it was a great day of adventure for me and a great way to unwind from the work week. I earned myself a nice sunburn too (that always happens)!