Pacific Odyssey - Leg 5

Early this morning we arrived outside of Guam and jogged with the engin=
e
on low until our pilot arrived just before 0700hrs.  He approached in big
seas in a small power boat and upon seeing the Grace decided that we were s=
o
beautiful he didn´t want to scratch our hull while lying his boat alongside
in a sea.  He radioed those =8Chigher´ than him and received permission to
just lead us closer in until seas settled and he could come alongside
easier.  He was very friendly and thrilled to bring in such a different boa=
t
than what he was used to, usually Japanese fish boats.  His English sounded
like ours! It was somewhat strange to have someone so like us in physical
characteristics leading us in, talking to us as if we had more in common
with him than with those we´ve been with the past 7 months, which is not
true . . . it´s difficult to describe.  Our shipping agent Bill Thayer is
away until Saturday, but he has a fellow named Mike working for him who was
on the dock with Customs officials, to welcome us.  So far he has been
incredibly willing to help us out in any way, a wonderful welcome.  We know
Bill way back from our first offshore when he was shipping agent for us in
Honolulu, and up until last offshore, we still dealt with him every time we
were in Honolulu.  It will be good to see him.  The Customs officials looke=
d
very smart and =8Cofficial´ in their uniforms, holsters, radios etc . . . als=
o
something we´re not used to.  They were wary of stepping the 2 feet from th=
e
dock to the ship and called for a ramp, which in the end nobody used.  I ha=
d
to remember Palmerston, where the little boats bobbed frenetically up and
down in the swell as it was tied alongside and Jock, the woman who was in
charge of Customs, climbed about 9 ft up onto the Grace in a dress and a
terrific sea . . . I stayed with her in her home and she was a wonderful
woman . . . the memory was enjoyable to ponder.  After Customs and
Immigration everyone was free to explore the island.  Everyone who deals
with Skipper and the ship, very quickly falls under the spell and becomes
friendly, interested and willing to make our visit as good as it can be.  2
fellows from the US Coast Guard came by to have a look and there´s word tha=
t
they want the entire group to come to their place on the beach for a
barbecue; we´ll see what happens.  Last night as we were coming in closer t=
o
the island, we were surprised at the number of lights visible from the
shore; since Palmerston power has often been minimal at night, if present a=
t
all.  My feelings are we will miss the pitch black nights and the quiet of
those places, the chance those societies give for everything to come to a
standstill and rest.  Mail was delivered and Susan and Caley are very happy
with their parcels. Actually, we were all very happy with Susan´s parcels;
her parents sent her dried fruit and roasted nuts from Purdy´s and Susan
shared a box around for everyone to have a taste.  We realized then what we
have been missing; everyone exclaimed how full of taste each almond, each
piece of dried fruit was . . . kind of like one of the final scenes in
=B3Babbette´s Feast=B2 where a large group of people are eating a meal that is
so wonderful it affects all their senses and all they can do is eat in
stillness and enjoy, be awakened. Thank you to Susan´s parents for their
gift.  I´ve mentioned before that Guam was to fulfill many =8Cpromises;´ bosu=
n
Jordan was to find any part for the ship he hasn´t been able to find since
Hawaii, cooks Gillian and Katie similarly were to find food items they have
been unable to get since Leg 1, wounds were to heal because of cooler air
and water temperatures, etc. Several trainees were even hoping STARBUCKS
would be waiting.  Jose bet Bo and Sarah B. he would find one in Guam, and
they would owe him a coffee.  Skipper asked soon after we arrived and the
answer was =8Cno, no STARBUCKS´ and so Sarah and Bo were looking forward to
their STARBUCKS cup of coffee in Shanghai  (By the way, Jose´s offer to mak=
e
supper because of a bet he lost with Katie, happens January 20, more later)=
.
However . . . later that same day, Jose returned to the Grace, all smiles,
and proudly opened his laptop and showed us footage of him, Drew, and Anton=
y
sipping away on extra-huge Frappa-somethings. Apparently there is a small
caf=E9 in the Sheraton Hotel which serves Starbucks coffees.  Sarah and I pla=
n
to visit the site itself and see if his claim carries any validity; again,
we´ll keep you posted.  Groups of trainees left the boat and returned late
in the evening, all with fantastic reports of their days and the people the=
y
met.  The Guamanians (yes!) are incredibly friendly and we were thrilled
with how helpful and interested they are.  The boat is tied up about 12
miles from town and so this means a very long walk in the heat or hitching =
a
ride, or a combination of both.   Skipper and I began walking with the kids
and within a short time were offered a ride in the back of a pick-up; it´s
nice, in this city that reminds us of Waikiki and Honolulu, we are still
able to do this.  We were driven 3 separate times by locals that were so
hospitable.  Even in the shops people would strike up a conversation and
within moments we had a friend.  One couple, Vince and Herda, picked all 8
of us up in the back of their pick-up and dropped us off on the dock right
in front of the Grace, through 2 guarded and checked security gates!  Later
that evening, they returned from their shopping and dropped off 5 cases of
pop. 50 bottles of water, juice, fruit and mini chip bags . . . for no othe=
r
reason than to help us out . . . it´s really something, we need to remember
this when we return home and have a chance to reciprocate in a like manner.
They are coming by sometime with their 12 year old daughter for a tour.
Skipper and I had a great chat with them when they dropped off the food.
Trainees all have stories like ours.  Many trainees have rented cars for
periods of up to 4 days and are planning to tour the island, go diving and
snorkeling, do their laundry or shop in some of the very high end shops in
the tourist and large hotel part of Guam.   Our family wandered in a smalle=
r
part of town but still with plenty of amenities, roads, and buildings we
have not seen the like of since Honolulu 7 months ago. In the food store we
were like kids in a candy shop; the options were incredible, plus there wer=
e
items we hadn´t seen or enjoyed in a long time.  We settled with Triscuits,
cold cheese, cream cheese, a cold drink and yogourt.  You must be telling
yourself =8Cyes okay we get it, just get on with the log´ but for most of us
it was a real eye-opener, especially if it was the first time to experience
this return into a culture somewhat more like ours.  It´s a bit
disconcerting, the superabundance of everything and the expectations we hav=
e
because of so many choices.  Enough said, though I must be honest and admit
that we enjoyed the food, the treats, and especially the opportunity to
choose from so much that is good.  The streets are very wide and we found
that the cars whizzed by incredibly fast; after single lane traffic moving
slowly with people walking everywhere on the sides of the road, this was a
definite change.  I think we were the only ones walking portions of the
distance to town, everyone else had cars, beautiful cars.  There was a smal=
l
group that returned to the ship for a delicious supper of seafood rice and =
a
greek/spinach salad.  Those who went out for supper also said their food wa=
s
good.  James, Rachael, Susan and Tiana shared several dishes at a Japanese
restaurant where they sat together in a little room, on mats on the floor.
James and Rachael also went on a ride called the =8CSlingshot.´  It´s exactly
that, a huge slingshot and they were the =8Crock.´  I heard that Rachael gave
the loudest scream James has ever heard, though he admitted, he screamed
too.  They loved it.  There is so much to explore on this island; we´re
looking forward to the next few days.  This is enough for one night, more
tomorrow, good night, Bonice.