Check out Latitude 13 for a really funny interview by Steve Colbert. Congresswoman Bordallo did pretty well under the craziness known as The Colbert Report.
Archive for April, 2007
Interview with the Congresswoman from Guam
Posted in Travel on Sunday, 29 April, 2007| Leave a Comment »
Guam on the Amazing Race: Sunday, 29 April
Posted in Travel on Sunday, 29 April, 2007| Leave a Comment »
Don’t forget to catch Guam, including Andersen Air Force Base, on the Amazing Race this Sunday. Tune into CBS at 8 pm (eastern standard). For us here in Guam, it’s on Monday night at 8 pm.
Another Great Day in Paradise
Posted in Travel on Sunday, 29 April, 2007| 2 Comments »
The Boonie Stomp yesterday was also a “clean-up” day. There were about 21 hikers and we picked up trash as we walked along the coast from Umatac Bay to Toguan Bay (about 1.5 miles). Sadly, there was a lot of trash along this beautiful hike. It’s so annoying that people think they can dump their trash where ever they like on this beautiful island.
It’s not looking good for us to get a Boonie Stomp t-shirt before we leave. You can only get a t-shirt if you hike 10 Boonie Stomps with the club. FG and I have 5 hikes done and need 5 more. FM has one more than us so he’s got more of a chance and, if he does get one, we’re all going to share it 🙂
After the stomp, we were very hungry and made our way to Jeff’s Pirate Cove. Unfortunately, they were having a really busy day and we waited almost an hour for our food. I get a little cranky when I’m hungry and my impatience started to show after 45 minutes 😉 Good thing it’s a gorgeous setting and the food is delicious otherwise I wouldn’t have waited. As we waited, Dave and Beverly Lotz came in and joined us. Dave is the resident expert on the Boonie Stomps and wrote the book, literally, on the stomps. We have three of his books on Guam hikes and WWII monuments. It was a pleasure to get some of his recommendations on what we should see before we leave the island. They both thought it would be a shame if we missed Rota ~ the island next to Guam. Looks like we’ll have to go on ONE more trip before we leave.
Even though I was really tired when we got home and would have preferred to relax, I didn’t want to miss the casting call for The Guamazing Race. It’s a take-off on the Amazing Race. I think FM & I would have had a good chance at being selected to compete but, dang it, FM will be off island the day of the race. 
FG was disappointed. She loves the Amazing Race and really wanted FM & I to compete. After all the traveling she’s done with us, she had confidence we’d win the top prize.
Since we were already in Hagåtña, we didn’t want to pass up a chance to have dinner at a newly, reopened restaurant called “The Mermaid Tavern” ~ the original restaurant burnt down last year. It was well worth stopping in for a bite to eat. The restaurant itself is so new and spiffy. I love the smell of a newly decorated hotel or restaurant. It always reminds me of brand new resorts I helped open in Atlanta and Hawaii.
Anyway, the service was fabulous and the food tasty. Not only did FM and I love it, but FG couldn’t get enough of ALL our food. She kept stealing my yummy chardonnay garlic linguini. The selection of beers was of particular interest to FM. You can tell a restaurant is serious about their brew when their phone number is 472-BEER. I highly recommend the Mermaid Tavern to anyone who lives on Guam.
We don’t have too many more Guam weekends so we plan to make the best of them ~ no time to be tired 🙂
Flashback Friday: One Year Ago
Posted in Flashback Fridays on Friday, 27 April, 2007| Leave a Comment »
This time last year, we were enjoying our last few weeks in Würzburg, Germany. FM’s Uncle Paul and his friend, Barbara came to visit us for a few days. We took the strassenbahn to one of our favorite restaurants in Würzburg ~ Casa del Gusto. It’s more of a wine store with food. The food was especially fresh and very yummy We also loved the atmosphere which was warm and cozy:
We toured them around the gorgeous town of Würzburg which is one of the prettiest places in Germany. This photo with FG is one of my favorites from Würzburg. St. Nikolas church sits on the hill.
Goodbyes are always hard and FG had to say farewell to her best friends who live in Neunkirchen:
and her favorite teacher:
It’s sad to think we’ll be saying goodbye again so soon to our new found friends. I’m much better at saying “see you later” and slipping away 😉
Beachtime Needed
Posted in Travel on Monday, 23 April, 2007| Leave a Comment »
I wish I could say my lack of blogging has been because I’ve been at the beach but, it’s been all about the move and finishing up with the end of the year items with the spouses’ club and my religious education class. I’ve really enjoyed volunteering for both and hate to see the year come to an end.
Another thing I’m going to miss about Guam are the beautiful plumerias FG brings home. They smell as good as they look:
I’ve also found a little time this week to volunteer at GAIN (the local animal shelter) and was so pleased yesterday when I saw about 10 sailors from the USS John Paul Jones (a destroyer) who were spending their time “in port” volunteering at GAIN. They were so hardworking and got a lot of things done for the furry critters.
Speaking of critters, we saw our first “in the wild” brown tree snake yesterday. FM was taking out the trash and ran across this guy:
I’m guessing he’s at least 4 feet. We didn’t have the heart to kill him and, even though I’m an animal lover, I’m secretly hoping he’ll make a meal out of the shrews which have taken up residence in our plants.
Here’s hoping we’ll make it back to the beach this week!
Home Again
Posted in Travels on Sunday, 15 April, 2007| 5 Comments »
As much as I love to travel and see new worlds, there’s nothing like coming home to my own little nest. With our spring break trip behind us, I have no more excuses but to focus on our upcoming move to NY. As we flew over the island, and saw our favorite beaches before we landed, FM and I realized just how much we’re going to miss this gorgeous island of Guam.
When I posted my “Last Day in Tokyo”, I didn’t think I would have anything else to add but, just after I’d fallen asleep, I was awoken by a hard shake to the bed. It went on for a good thirty seconds. It was an earthquake. Turns out it was a 4.6 magnitude. Our tour guide from the Mt. Fuji tour warned us earthquakes hit Tokyo at least once a week so the residents are used to them. She also mentioned how Japan’s government is bracing for a catastrophic earthquake ~ Japan has had them in the past and they are “overdue” for a big one. A lot like California.
I was pleasantly surprised with our experience at the Narita airport. It has the most efficient and friendly staff I’ve ever seen. From the minute we got off the airport shuttle bus, it was the best check-in I’ve ever had. I shouldn’t have been surprised because Japan is known for having the most polite people and, from my travels there, I would have to agree. But I also know how hard it must be for airport employees to remain courteous all the time when dealing with cranky, sleep deprived travelers.
Although we had a ton of things to attend to once we got back, we spent our first night catching up on all our reality shows: Amazing Race, Survivor and Apprentice LA. For those of you who are Amazing Race fans, they’re coming to GUAM! I know, they’ve already been and gone BUT the episode will either be this Sunday or during the finale. Even if you don’t watch the show, tune in for a glimpse of Guam.
Tokyo Last Day (Day Six)
Posted in Travels on Thursday, 12 April, 2007| Leave a Comment »
We spent a leisurely last day in Tokyo ~ we took the metro to the Imperial Palace East Gardens (Higashi Gyoen) which are absolutely gorgeous and so serene. The Palace itself is off-limits but the gardens were large enough to spend an hour or so exploring. The stone walls around the gardens are made up of large stones that are mortar free so as to withstand earthquakes. It’s odd to see a wall of stones without mortar.
We didn’t realize how good our timing was with regards to the Cherry Blossoms blooming. Normally, they bloom around the the 20th of April so we lucked out since they are in full blooms while we’re here. And I’m so happy about it because they are lovely to look at:
After walking the garden, we spent the rest of the afternoon roaming around the Rappongi district which has lots of restaurants and shops. I tried to find some lip balm for Latitude 13 but all I could find was ‘juicy’ mango not regular mango. We also came across a loud protest and my first thought was “I hope it’s not anti-American” ~isn’t that sad that I would think it was?! More about the protest later.
Right now, it’s time to pack for our early morning trip back to Guam and the land of flip-flops and shorts! 😉 Can’t wait to get the dogs out of doggie jail.
A Day at Tokyo Disneyland (Day Five)
Posted in Japan, Travels, tagged Disneyland, Japan on Thursday, 12 April, 2007| 2 Comments »
We mastered the Tokyo metro ~ we rode the subway to and from Disneyland with minimal effort. The metro station (Hiro-o) is about a 5-10 minute walk from The New Sanno and is on the Hibiya Line. We had one connection and travel time was about 30 minutes. The cost was 4.20 yen each way which a little under $4.00.
This was my daughter’s first visit to a Disneyland but, I found out yesterday, it was also my husband’s FIRST Disneyland trip as well! After 13 years together, I’m still learning new things about that man. We rode most of the the rides but passed on the shows because they were all in Japanese.
It didn’t matter that the narration on the rides are in Japanese, it’s easy enough to get the gist of what’s going on and I remembered most from my visits to Disneyland in California. The only ride I let be a surprise was the big ‘drop’ at the beginning of “Pirates of the Caribbean” ~ I loved their reactions!
It was a chilly day and it poured at the end of the day but we’re so glad to get the chance to experience Disneyland Tokyo.
Mt. Fuji
Posted in Travels, tagged Japan, Mt Fuji, Travel on Wednesday, 11 April, 2007| Leave a Comment »
We got up early, braved the cold and made a trip to Mt. Fuji and the Hakone area. We decided the easiest way to see the countryside would be by tour bus. Not my favorite mode of transportation ~ I prefer to explore on my own but, like I said, this was “easy”.
There are 10 stations on Mt. Fuji with the 10th being the summit. During the summer months, you can drive as far as the 5th station but we were only able to go to the 2nd station. It was very cold and windy so I’m glad I packed our hat and gloves. FM and I are weather wimps but FG LOVED it. Guess we’ll toughen up in upstate NY next winter.
After the Mt. Fuji visit, we went to Hanoke Lake for lunch, took a sky gondola and saw beautiful views of the volcanic Hakone mountains.
The cable car let us off at the FREEZING Owakudani Valley a.k.a. Valley of Hell. There are sulphur springs brewing all over and it’s very desolate looking.
We then drove to Ashi Lake and took a “pirate” ship cruise around the lake.
It was a good diversion to get out of the city and see the countryside. Tomorrow is FG’s day as we are heading to Disneyland. This will be her first visit to any Disneyland.
Tokyo Day Three (Monday)
Posted in Travels on Tuesday, 10 April, 2007| 7 Comments »
We braved the subway system and made our way to the Ginza District which is a very vibrant area of Tokyo. Our first stop was the Sony building to gawk at all the newest tech toys. It didn’t take long to realized we’re woefully behind in the tech world except for my new digital camera ~ thanks, Mom.
A sidenote about the metro (subway) in Tokyo: it’s very clean, efficient and extremely QUIET even though it’s full of people! No one talks and cell phones are prohibited. I noticed more than a few passengers would nod off to nap. Just when I was wondering how many people missed their stops because they were sleeping, the woman sitting across from me woke up with a start and jumped out of her chair and ran out the exit. Too funny.
At the park, we caught a cruise boat for an hour ride to the Asakusa District. We walked to the Senso-ji shrine and the five level pagoda. The Senso-ji shrine has a golden image of Kannon (the buddist goddess of Mercy) but, unfortunately, it’s not on public display. There was lots to do at the temple including checking FG’s ‘fortune’ and bathing ourselves in the burning incense so as to encourage good health.
Tomorrow we head to Mt. Fuji and Hakone areas.
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