Guam to Chile – Blog Post 2

By on September 7, 2024 in Spirit

Blog Post 2 – Guam

September 6, 2024

We all managed to get a few hours of much needed sleep before surrendering to wakefulness at 0600 local time. Dawn had not quite arrived, but the temperature was already warm and the air humid. 

After an extensive breakfast buffet, Patrick and Julie took a taxi to the local Kmart to purchase items we had chosen not to pack, like bulk vitamins. We had also somehow forgotten tennis balls for the legs on Miriam’s walker. Everything we needed was at the one store.
Taxis are expensive in Guam, all taxis have meters, and the one-mile ride was $15 each way.

Arriving back at the hotel, we sat in the shade around one of the pools until the heat and humidity forced us back inside for a much-needed nap as our bodies adjusted to the 17-hour time change between Seattle and Guam. 

The hotel staff have been extremely helpful, even moving us to a Club room close to the elevators to shorten the distance for Miriam to walk. Turns out the King size bedrooms are all at the ends of the wings furthest from the central elevators. Who would have known!

In any event, the new room has two doubles and is simply fine. Also, the evening cocktails and appetizers in the Regency Club are well done, and we get to watch the sun setting over Tumon Bay and the spectacular “Two Lovers Point.”

Two Lovers Point from Beach
Rain Squalls coming into the pool

Two Lovers Point has several stories about the name, but they all involve two lovers who tied their hair together and jumped off the cliff when their relationship was forbidden. The stories have changed since first recorded by a French explorer in 1819. The point is one of the most visited attractions in Guam. 

The hotel grounds face west oriented to the water activities, with both the ocean and multiple pool options, with bars and restaurant options outdoors under shaded covers. The shallow waters of Tumon Bay are ideal for swimming, snorkeling, paddleboarding, etc., protected by a barrier reef visible at low tide.

Rain squalls were predicted during the day, but as the squalls approached the heat of the island diverted them around Tumon Bay and it was not until after sunset that heavy rain showers arrived at Tumon Bay and the hotel. 

September 7, 2024 
Today we took a short driving tour of some of the highlight attractions in Guam. Guam has been under the control of the United States since 1898, except for the Japanese occupation from December 11, 1941, to August 1944. The U.S. Marines landed on two sites on July 21, 1944, and by August were in control of the island. Although some individual Japanese Army personnel hid out in the dense jungle for many years, not admitting the war was over. The last survivor appeared in January 1972, some 28 years after the fighting stopped. 
Our first stop was Lovers Point, which has good views of Tumon Bay and some rock and beach formations that evoke the two lovers faces. There are rock formations that evoke the faces of the two lovers.

Man’s face outlined on beach
Ladies face outlined on rocks

From Lovers Point we headed south towards Hagatna (Agana) and several historical stops, finishing up at Asan Beach. Asan Beach was the location of one of the two landings in July 1944. We also viewed Lotte Stones, found only on four islands, Guam, Rota, Tinian and Saipan. The stones were made between 1000 AD and 1700 AD. The only remnant of the Spanish occupation in Plaza Espana, also the site of a memorial to the 150 Chamorro’s who tried to defend against the Japanese invasion in December 1941.

Lotte Stones
Plaza Espana
Chamorro Memorial behind statue
Proas practicing in the morning
Sunset over Tumon Bay

We had not realized the damage done by the severe typhoon in 2023, which destroyed much of the infrastructure on the island of Guam and severely damaged several hotels. The island was without power and water for more than a month, surviving with the help of FEMA and the US military, explaining why so many buildings appeared damaged. 

Guam and other Pacific Islands are of special significance to our family. Rodney Gill, our father, served in the USN during WWII. During the battles for Guam, the Marianas, Truk (Chuuk), along with several Micronesia Islands like Palau, Yap, Woliae, Ulithi and others, his ship, DD670, the USS Dortch, participated with bombardments supporting the landings and other skirmishes. The USS Dortch supported the Iwo Jima and Okinawa campaigns and was in Tokyo Bay on surrender day.

Prior to serving on the USS Dortch, Rodney was also on the battleship USS California at Pearl Harbor and then the heavy cruiser USS Astoria until it was sunk off Guadalcanal in the battle of Savo Island. The USS Astoria was also at the Battle of Midway where Rodney was in small boats rescuing survivors of the USS Yorktown. One of the survivors he pulled aboard turned out to be his brother who was part of the aircrew on the USS Yorktown.

Guam to Chile – Blog Post 2

By on September 7, 2024 in Spirit

Blog Post 2 – Guam

September 6, 2024

We all managed to get a few hours of much needed sleep before surrendering to wakefulness at 0600 local time. Dawn had not quite arrived, but the temperature was already warm and the air humid. 

After an extensive breakfast buffet, Patrick and Julie took a taxi to the local Kmart to purchase items we had chosen not to pack, like bulk vitamins. We had also somehow forgotten tennis balls for the legs on Miriam’s walker. Everything we needed was at the one store.
Taxis are expensive in Guam, all taxis have meters, and the one-mile ride was $15 each way.

Arriving back at the hotel, we sat in the shade around one of the pools until the heat and humidity forced us back inside for a much-needed nap as our bodies adjusted to the 17-hour time change between Seattle and Guam. 

The hotel staff have been extremely helpful, even moving us to a Club room close to the elevators to shorten the distance for Miriam to walk. Turns out the King size bedrooms are all at the ends of the wings furthest from the central elevators. Who would have known!

In any event, the new room has two doubles and is simply fine. Also, the evening cocktails and appetizers in the Regency Club are well done, and we get to watch the sun setting over Tumon Bay and the spectacular “Two Lovers Point.”

Two Lovers Point from Beach
Rain Squalls coming into the pool

Two Lovers Point has several stories about the name, but they all involve two lovers who tied their hair together and jumped off the cliff when their relationship was forbidden. The stories have changed since first recorded by a French explorer in 1819. The point is one of the most visited attractions in Guam. 

The hotel grounds face west oriented to the water activities, with both the ocean and multiple pool options, with bars and restaurant options outdoors under shaded covers. The shallow waters of Tumon Bay are ideal for swimming, snorkeling, paddleboarding, etc., protected by a barrier reef visible at low tide.

Rain squalls were predicted during the day, but as the squalls approached the heat of the island diverted them around Tumon Bay and it was not until after sunset that heavy rain showers arrived at Tumon Bay and the hotel. 

September 7, 2024 
Today we took a short driving tour of some of the highlight attractions in Guam. Guam has been under the control of the United States since 1898, except for the Japanese occupation from December 11, 1941, to August 1944. The U.S. Marines landed on two sites on July 21, 1944, and by August were in control of the island. Although some individual Japanese Army personnel hid out in the dense jungle for many years, not admitting the war was over. The last survivor appeared in January 1972, some 28 years after the fighting stopped. 
Our first stop was Lovers Point, which has good views of Tumon Bay and some rock and beach formations that evoke the two lovers faces. There are rock formations that evoke the faces of the two lovers.

Man’s face outlined on beach
Ladies face outlined on rocks

From Lovers Point we headed south towards Hagatna (Agana) and several historical stops, finishing up at Asan Beach. Asan Beach was the location of one of the two landings in July 1944. We also viewed Lotte Stones, found only on four islands, Guam, Rota, Tinian and Saipan. The stones were made between 1000 AD and 1700 AD. The only remnant of the Spanish occupation in Plaza Espana, also the site of a memorial to the 150 Chamorro’s who tried to defend against the Japanese invasion in December 1941.

Lotte Stones
Plaza Espana
Chamorro Memorial behind statue
Proas practicing in the morning
Sunset over Tumon Bay

We had not realized the damage done by the severe typhoon in 2023, which destroyed much of the infrastructure on the island of Guam and severely damaged several hotels. The island was without power and water for more than a month, surviving with the help of FEMA and the US military, explaining why so many buildings appeared damaged. 

Guam and other Pacific Islands are of special significance to our family. Rodney Gill, our father, served in the USN during WWII. During the battles for Guam, the Marianas, Truk (Chuuk), along with several Micronesia Islands like Palau, Yap, Woliae, Ulithi and others, his ship, DD670, the USS Dortch, participated with bombardments supporting the landings and other skirmishes. The USS Dortch supported the Iwo Jima and Okinawa campaigns and was in Tokyo Bay on surrender day.

Prior to serving on the USS Dortch, Rodney was also on the battleship USS California at Pearl Harbor and then the heavy cruiser USS Astoria until it was sunk off Guadalcanal in the battle of Savo Island. The USS Astoria was also at the Battle of Midway where Rodney was in small boats rescuing survivors of the USS Yorktown. One of the survivors he pulled aboard turned out to be his brother who was part of the aircrew on the USS Yorktown.

Guam to Chile Expedition Cruise Post 1

By on September 5, 2024 in Spirit

Guam to Chile – Blog Post 1

September 4, 2024

Today is the first step on our Guam to Chile expedition cruise on Seabourn Pursuit, the newer sister ship to Seabourn Venture, the ship on which we took the maiden voyage to the Arctic in August 2022. The voyage will be 40 days, but with leaving early and staying a few days longer in Chile, the total trip will last until October 20. We are fortunate to have a house watch program while we are gone.
Our alarms were set to 0330 for a 0430 pickup for the trip to SEA airport.

We were worried about the flight since we had fog at the house. Our bags were packed and locked, and the two bags we shipped were already in Guam. The car and driver were early by a few minutes, so even with closed on-ramps to the freeway we arrived at the airport before 0500. The fog was not interfering with flight operations, but SEA was still operating in “limp along” mode from the cyber attack last week that took down the computer systems. There were no flight information displays or baggage information. A very helpful curbside porter arranged the wheelchair for Miriam, and Patrick’s sister Julie was already there, checked in waiting for us on the curb. Julie is making this trip with us, and it is her first ocean cruise. The porter even took our bags and made sure they were checked through to the correct destination. Fortunately, the bags did make it to the plane on time, confirmed by both our AirTags and the United Airlines baggage tracking app.

Security was a breeze, there was literally no one else in the TSA Precheck lane, but as usual, Miriam was subjected to the manual physical inspection and checked for explosives due to being in the wheelchair. Even so, the process took just a few minutes and we headed to the United Club on the “A” concourse for a quick bite to eat, since the flight to SFO has no food service. We spent nearly one hour in the lounge, with a good selection of hot and cold breakfast items and the all-important coffee.

All too soon, it was time to leave the lounge and head to the gate for pre-boarding. The 850 nautical mile flight on a Boeing 737-800 departed early and arrived early into SFO, but at a different gate than we expected, at the opposite end of the the United Airlines terminal from our international departure gate. The walk with the wheelchair, which was waiting at the airplane door, took about 25 minutes. Even with the early arrival, the walk took so long we had only a brief stop in the Polaris Club before boarding our flight to Narita. The Polaris Club was nice, large, airy, lots of seating choices, with plenty of food and drink choices, including a sit-down dining area with served meals. We were not hungry and did not have time anyway. Our departure gate was another 10-minute walk from the Polaris Club, at the very end of the international concourse.

The boarding process for the Narita flight was smooth, with photos taken at the gate for facial recognition, and Miriam was the first passenger to board. The business class Polaris suites on the Boeing 777ER are extremely comfortable, with lay flat beds and 78 inches of length. We settled in for the 10-hour, 5231 nautical mile flight to Narita.

The captain announced before we departed that we would encounter significant turbulence about 90 minutes into the flight and therefore the meal service would be modified. Rather than separate courses, the meal was served all at once except for dessert. Patrick and Julie had the beef short ribs and Miriam had the butternut squash ravioli. The meal was quite good, with a choice of shrimp or burrata appetizer, a nice salad, garlic and focaccia bread, along with the entrée. Dessert was a choice of ice cream, apple pie, or a cheese plate. There was the usual selection of decent wines and several types of cordials to accompany the dessert choice.
As predicted, shortly after the meal ended, we encountered moderate turbulence, with even the flight attendants being asked to be seated and checking in with the flight deck.

By four hours into the flight, conditions improved and we were able to get some sleep in the lay flat suites that included two types of pillows, blankets, etc.

Shortly before landing we were served breakfast, with a choice of scrambled eggs or cod in miso sauce. Not great, but not too bad.
We landed a few minutes early, and after a lengthy taxi, pulled into our gate at Terminal 1 South at Narita. For transit passengers there were no security checks, we just went to the United Club with the wheelchair, checked in and spent about 75 minutes before the short walk to our final gate and our Boeing 737-800 flight to Guam.

The flight left on time, sort of, and the captain informed us there would be moderate turbulence later in the flight, so the meal service was very quick. All three of us had the miso salmon, which while not gourmet, was still edible, accompanied by a Chianti wine. The service was very good.

As the sun gradually set in the west, giving us a spectacular sunset, as the plane threaded its way though some massive thunderheads. We trusted the pilots could see them in the dark.

The flight time was predicted to be 3:27, from wheels up to touchdown, so we will arrive in Guam about 2200 local time.
Our actual arrival was a few minutes early, and the US CBP Immigration and Customs process was quick. Our luggage showed up quickly, within five minutes and our transportation to the hotel was waiting for us as we exited Customs. The trip to the hotel took about 20 minutes, the rooms were ready for us, and we were ready for some rest after more than 24 hours in transit.

Guam to Chile Expedition Cruise Post 1

By on September 5, 2024 in Spirit

Guam to Chile – Blog Post 1

September 4, 2024

Today is the first step on our Guam to Chile expedition cruise on Seabourn Pursuit, the newer sister ship to Seabourn Venture, the ship on which we took the maiden voyage to the Arctic in August 2022. The voyage will be 40 days, but with leaving early and staying a few days longer in Chile, the total trip will last until October 20. We are fortunate to have a house watch program while we are gone.
Our alarms were set to 0330 for a 0430 pickup for the trip to SEA airport.

We were worried about the flight since we had fog at the house. Our bags were packed and locked, and the two bags we shipped were already in Guam. The car and driver were early by a few minutes, so even with closed on-ramps to the freeway we arrived at the airport before 0500. The fog was not interfering with flight operations, but SEA was still operating in “limp along” mode from the cyber attack last week that took down the computer systems. There were no flight information displays or baggage information. A very helpful curbside porter arranged the wheelchair for Miriam, and Patrick’s sister Julie was already there, checked in waiting for us on the curb. Julie is making this trip with us, and it is her first ocean cruise. The porter even took our bags and made sure they were checked through to the correct destination. Fortunately, the bags did make it to the plane on time, confirmed by both our AirTags and the United Airlines baggage tracking app.

Security was a breeze, there was literally no one else in the TSA Precheck lane, but as usual, Miriam was subjected to the manual physical inspection and checked for explosives due to being in the wheelchair. Even so, the process took just a few minutes and we headed to the United Club on the “A” concourse for a quick bite to eat, since the flight to SFO has no food service. We spent nearly one hour in the lounge, with a good selection of hot and cold breakfast items and the all-important coffee.

All too soon, it was time to leave the lounge and head to the gate for pre-boarding. The 850 nautical mile flight on a Boeing 737-800 departed early and arrived early into SFO, but at a different gate than we expected, at the opposite end of the the United Airlines terminal from our international departure gate. The walk with the wheelchair, which was waiting at the airplane door, took about 25 minutes. Even with the early arrival, the walk took so long we had only a brief stop in the Polaris Club before boarding our flight to Narita. The Polaris Club was nice, large, airy, lots of seating choices, with plenty of food and drink choices, including a sit-down dining area with served meals. We were not hungry and did not have time anyway. Our departure gate was another 10-minute walk from the Polaris Club, at the very end of the international concourse.

The boarding process for the Narita flight was smooth, with photos taken at the gate for facial recognition, and Miriam was the first passenger to board. The business class Polaris suites on the Boeing 777ER are extremely comfortable, with lay flat beds and 78 inches of length. We settled in for the 10-hour, 5231 nautical mile flight to Narita.

The captain announced before we departed that we would encounter significant turbulence about 90 minutes into the flight and therefore the meal service would be modified. Rather than separate courses, the meal was served all at once except for dessert. Patrick and Julie had the beef short ribs and Miriam had the butternut squash ravioli. The meal was quite good, with a choice of shrimp or burrata appetizer, a nice salad, garlic and focaccia bread, along with the entrée. Dessert was a choice of ice cream, apple pie, or a cheese plate. There was the usual selection of decent wines and several types of cordials to accompany the dessert choice.
As predicted, shortly after the meal ended, we encountered moderate turbulence, with even the flight attendants being asked to be seated and checking in with the flight deck.

By four hours into the flight, conditions improved and we were able to get some sleep in the lay flat suites that included two types of pillows, blankets, etc.

Shortly before landing we were served breakfast, with a choice of scrambled eggs or cod in miso sauce. Not great, but not too bad.
We landed a few minutes early, and after a lengthy taxi, pulled into our gate at Terminal 1 South at Narita. For transit passengers there were no security checks, we just went to the United Club with the wheelchair, checked in and spent about 75 minutes before the short walk to our final gate and our Boeing 737-800 flight to Guam.

The flight left on time, sort of, and the captain informed us there would be moderate turbulence later in the flight, so the meal service was very quick. All three of us had the miso salmon, which while not gourmet, was still edible, accompanied by a Chianti wine. The service was very good.

As the sun gradually set in the west, giving us a spectacular sunset, as the plane threaded its way though some massive thunderheads. We trusted the pilots could see them in the dark.

The flight time was predicted to be 3:27, from wheels up to touchdown, so we will arrive in Guam about 2200 local time.
Our actual arrival was a few minutes early, and the US CBP Immigration and Customs process was quick. Our luggage showed up quickly, within five minutes and our transportation to the hotel was waiting for us as we exited Customs. The trip to the hotel took about 20 minutes, the rooms were ready for us, and we were ready for some rest after more than 24 hours in transit.

Sept. 2 – End of Summer

By on September 2, 2024 in The Pearl
“Autumn…the year’s last loveliest smile.” –William Cullen
Wow what has happened to summer…it’s hard to believe Labor Day is over and fall is on its way. As warm as this summer has been you can definitely feel that fall is in the air now. Soon boats will be leaving the marina, which seems a bit odd since our marina never filled up this summer. We kept thinking more boats would arrive but they never did.

CONTINUE READING HERE…»

Sept. 2 – End of Summer

By on September 2, 2024 in The Pearl
“Autumn…the year’s last loveliest smile.” –William Cullen
Wow what has happened to summer…it’s hard to believe Labor Day is over and fall is on its way. As warm as this summer has been you can definitely feel that fall is in the air now. Soon boats will be leaving the marina, which seems a bit odd since our marina never filled up this summer. We kept thinking more boats would arrive but they never did.

CONTINUE READING HERE…»

Alaska 2024 is complete

By on September 1, 2024 in Spirit

September 1, 2024

We decided not to post any further daily blogs, since we realized that much of what we would say had already been said on previous trips to SE Alaska. Also, wildlife was scarcer than in past years, with fewer photo opportunities. A…

Alaska 2024 is complete

By on September 1, 2024 in Spirit

September 1, 2024

We decided not to post any further daily blogs, since we realized that much of what we would say had already been said on previous trips to SE Alaska. Also, wildlife was scarcer than in past years, with fewer photo opportunities. A…

Aug. 14-18 Cayuga Lake Vacation

By on August 24, 2024 in The Pearl

“Always find a reason to laugh. It may not add years to your life, but it will surely add life to your years.” -UnknownSummer is quickly coming to an end. We enjoyed another little vacation on Cayuga Lake with our family. This week the weather was amaz…

Aug. 14-18 Cayuga Lake Vacation

By on August 24, 2024 in The Pearl
“Always find a reason to laugh. It may not add years to your life, but it will surely add life to your years.” –Unknown
Summer is quickly coming to an end. We enjoyed another little vacation on Cayuga Lake with our family. This week the weather was amazing and we had lots of time to enjoy the lake. The house was only a few miles from the marine and Ithaca so we were able to do a few things we enjoy in town also. We were having so much fun…we didn’t get too many photos this time.

CONTINUE READING HERE…»