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A Weekend in Guam





Guam is a lovely little volcano created island located in the North Pacific Ocean. It is the largest and southernmost island in the Mariana Islands archipelago (also known as The Ring of Fire because of the still present volcanic activity). In terms of size it is only 549 square meters so it is not difficult to see a lot of the island in a few days. It is an unincorporated territory of the United States and very western in many ways. The capital is Agana (known as Hagatna in the native Chamoru language), and this is where I stayed on both of my trips there. For people who may be interested in learning more about the island, the following are useful sites:


http://www.gov.gu/visiting.html

http://ns.gov.gu/language.html

http://www.guam.net/home/bjohns/guam.html

http://members.tripod.com/~gadao/

Park in Agana

For quiet moments this definitely is a place to sit for awhile. One of the things that hits you first in Guam is the humidity. On both trips there it rained at least once every day and it wasn't a slight drizzle. I was soaked to the skin in nanoseconds the rain came down so heavily. It is also a place where repeated coverings with sunscreen are a must unless you like to look like a lobster. Even with it, I did, ergo no pictures of me to appear on this page.

And For Those of You Who Like Water

Guam has wonderful beaches. I usually walked along the beach in the early morning and evening. Many people were enjoying the relatively clear water, swimming and para-sailing. I, land creature that I am, had fun just picking up shells and learning that everything that moves beneath dead leaves are not snakes. This was my first experience with seeing wild geckos. Over the years I have come to appreciate how important these little fellows are.

History

Aside from the beautiful and lush vegetation, Guam also has a wealth of historical sites. Although those pre-dating the arrival of the Spanish are few and far between, some places do still exist and there are many replicas. WW2 enthusiasts can also keep themselves occupied. Divers can explore old ships, and those of us who refer terra firma can go to interior Waterfalls, such as Tollofufu