Side Trip - Nara and Kyoto, Japan, Part One

"Some Japanese people very afraid."

Our cab driver was commenting on our question about Japanese people wearing white masks, which we had noticed occasionally on Guam and more frequently in Kyoto.  Our driver went on, "They are afraid of the pollution from China.  It is silly."

"The cab driver before you refused to take us; he had on a mask.  He said he was going home."

"Oh, very bad, bad cab driver; he should not have refused.  I would not get in to a cab where driver wearing mask!"

The cabs in Kyoto were older, but all meticulously clean, staffed by older men dressed in uniforms with ties and often white gloves: clearly pride taken in their profession and their vehicles.  But an English speaking cab driver was unusual.

"You speak very good English; where did you learn?"

"Oh, I live in London for four years; very long time ago, forty years!"

"Were you studying there?"

"Oh no, just having fun.  I was playboy!"

It was our last day in Kyoto; we'd just finished with the last temple on our list, the magnificent Ni-no-maru Palace from which the Tokugawa Shoguns ruled for almost two hundred years in the 17th and 18th centuries, after having tired of serving their feudal masters, they decided to take over.  Even though the actual Nijo Castle (Katsura Palace) was closed, the Ni-no-maru rooms, screens, and structure, and the palatial grounds were a fitting end to our sightseeing. 

All that remained was to head back to our hotel and pick a place for dinner.  We were exhausted from five days of walking hills and steps on hard granite, stone, and gravel surfaces and the cab ride was a very small splurge considering how inexpensive cabs are in Kyoto.

One of the reasons Silvia and I were so pleased to temporarily relocate on Guam was the opportunity to travel to South and East Asia destinations.  Several major airlines fly to Guam and it serves as an Asian hub for United Airlines.  Thus, non-stop flights to major Asian and Pacific destinations are numerous, and often reasonably priced.

Our first side trip was a quick weekend in Manila to meet my brother who was returning from a dive trip in the Philippines; more on that trip later.  Our most recent trip was to Nara, Japan, a city famous for its historic Buddhist sites and the first unified capital of Japan; and Kyoto, the former imperial capital of Japan with ancient temples, shrines, and castles interspersed with a modern Japanese city of 1.5 million people, surrounded by low mountains.

Our plan for the trip was carefully laid out for a five-day excursion from a Thursday in late March to the next Tuesday.  We would take a non-stop flight to Osaka; the train from Osaka airport to Nara; spend one night in Nara; the train from Nara to Kyoto; and finish with four nights in Kyoto.  The end of March is sometimes cherry blossom season in this valley and both Kyoto and Nara are world famous for their spring awakening. 

Booking hotels, we followed advice from our friend Lisa who had lived in Japan for four years.  For our one night in Nara, we chose the Nara Hotel - built in 1909, and set in a beautiful park within short walking distance to all of Nara's most famous shrines and temples, it is considered the first "western style" hotel in Japan.  The hotel was also famous for being the first French food restaurant in Japan and offered with the reservation a fixed price dinner, either French or tradition Japanese - we chose French.

In Kyoto, we knew we wanted to stay in the Gion district, which is known for its proximity to many of the main temple sites, it's nightlife, and it's narrow pedestrian streets lined with shops and restaurants.  For our first night we chose Tamahan, a highly recommended Ryokan, or tradition Japanese hotel with low ceilings, wooden bathtub, floor mats, minimal and tasteful furnishings and meticulous personal and food service.  Ryokan are also known for the settings of the rooms carefully focused on traditional gardens and privacy - they are meant to be retreats, even in the most urban of settings, as is true of Tamahan.  Here we chose the Kaiseki dinner, the traditional Kyoto cuisine dating back to the 16th century, and served in our room.

Our final three nights were booked at the Hotel Sunline Kyoto Gion Shijo, a modern Japanese boutique hotel, meaning bigger rooms than the non-boutique variety and western-style bathrooms.  Hotel Sunline was also in the Gion district, just a short five-minute walk from Tamahan, thus an easy transfer.

Having traveled recently to Manila, where cash stations and credit card acceptance was widespread, we assumed the same was true of Japan.  Thus, we chose not to arrive with much American cash or bother to purchase any Yen in advance.

Online research about any travel destination is always spotty these days.  Like all information on the Internet, one must use careful consideration and the proper personal filters to determine what is accurate and which advice to follow.  I learned that Osaka Airport was modern and efficient and that a major train station was attached to it.  In trying to figure out which train to take to Nara, I found there were two alternatives: the Kintetsu Line, a private train company (of which there are many in Japan), and the JR Line, Japan's national railway company.  Surprisingly, the Kintetsu alternative seemed faster and slightly less expensive, and took us to the train station in Nara that was closest to our hotel, which appeared to be any easy ten-minute walk from the station.  I dutifully searched Google maps and printed out maps indicating our walking route once arriving in Nara; a map of Kyoto showing both the main train station and our Ryokan in Kyoto; and a map showing the short walk from our Ryokan to our hotel in Kyoto.  Google maps were confusing, however, as the street names and landmarks were primarily in Japanese and there was no English translation available on the maps.  Other mapping sources were no better, but we figured a slightly confusing map was better than no map.

We also had our neighbor send us a small glossary of Japanese words and phrases.  We knew that English is not widely spoken in Japan, but we did assume that key personnel who dealt often with tourists would likely have at least a rudimentary understanding of English.  Too bad we didn't study our glossary a bit better.

Coming from tropical Guam, we wondered if we had lost our winter hardiness having now worn nothing but shorts and short sleeves for two months.  Weather looked rainy and cold the first two days of our trip, so we were prepared with multiple layers, rain jackets, and umbrellas.  The flight was near empty; a surprise in this modern day of packed airplanes.  We arrived early in a shrouded Osaka; there was nothing to see but low mist and water on our approach into the airport.

Clearing customs was fast and efficient, once we figured out the Japanese fingerprint machines.  Exiting into the terminal, it was easy to find English language signs pointing to the train station.  But looking around, we saw nothing that resembled a cash station; lots of places to exchange money, but only from cash or traveler's checks.  We figured the train station would surely have a cash station.

It was an easy walk to the station; we had packed minimally, so luggage transport was not an issue.  The station itself, however, was a mass confusion to us.  Some signage was in English, but there really was no apparent ticket counter, just machines to purchase your tickets with instructions completely in Japanese.  It looked like the station for both the JR and Kintetsu lines.

After a few minutes of visual searching and avoiding the hustling crowd, we located what appeared to be a manned Kintetsu ticket office.  We approached, and the agent understood enough English so that with his pre-printed sheets in English, he was able to tell us which train to catch and where to switch and how much.  But upon presenting our credit card, we were denied: cash only!

The ticket to Nara wasn't expensive: 1200 Yen each, or $12 each.  And, there was a currency exchange window.  We opened our wallets and drained most of our American cash, putting together about $50 to change at the exorbitant rate available at the exchange window.  The line was short, the service fast and efficient, and we were left with a few Yen after our ticket purchase to tide us over until we found a cash station in Nara.

We bought our tickets and went over where to change trains with the agent.  We entered the station, immediately violating the rules by not inserting one of our tickets in the gate, which was open.  Japanese trains are pretty much done on the honor system, and, although the gate made a beeping sound as Silvia went through, no one stopped us.  However, we realized from watching the crowds exiting that it made sense, because you needed your ticket to exit also.  For my entrance, we got it right.

We found two trains waiting on the Nara platform, one very nice, one more subway like, both apparently headed to our transfer station.  Signage wasn't clear; so we took the subway like car because it appeared it was going to leave sooner.  Later, after we'd more figured out the railway system, we realized the nicer train was a reserved seat "limited express" where you didn't have to change.  But we had purchased the less expensive fare, so the train we chose was the correct one for us.

We found seats easily, although the train was nearly full when we pulled out a few minutes later and became packed along the route.  It took us two or three stops and a couple of trips to the map over the door to finally feel confident we were on the right train headed in the right direction.  We realized that key stations where transfers were necessary were also being announced in recorded English (although the announcements were not very loud and difficult to hear over the train noise.)

Osaka, and Japan immediately began to reveal herself through the train windows.  Every square inch was covered with buildings crowding the narrow streets.  The low clouds still prevented us from seeing into the distance, where we knew low mountains prevailed.  But for the first part of our journey, it was Osaka prefecture, a city of 2.5 million, whose density made Manhattan seem like a suburb.

It took about 30 minutes or so to reach our transfer station and signage was good enough so that we easily found the waiting train to Nara.  The train pulled out fairly soon after our arrival and our emotions shifted from nervous confusion to excited anticipation: we were in Japan!

The landscape outside the train window turned hillier and little patches of open space started to appear.  Every open parcel was cultivated, either with new sprouts or awaiting early spring planting.  We noticed the manicured landscape, each tree, especially those within courtyards of the now more commonly appearing houses, carefully shaped and groomed.  Early flowers appeared here and there on Cherry and Plum trees, but it was clear that the height of spring was still at least a week or two away, and only if the weather turned warm.

Arriving in Nara and exiting the train station, we found our first cash station, but it wouldn't take foreign cash cards.  It took us a few minutes to gather our bearings and figure out which direction to walk.  The mist had turned into a cold drizzle of rain.  We waited patiently for the walk sign, as the Japanese do, regardless of traffic, and headed towards our hotel.

Already we were surprised that Nara was so urban.  We had envisioned a quiet hamlet in the countryside, but, although Nara is adjacent to low, majestic mountains and does have the beautiful Nara Park, it is a city of over 150,000 people.  The map we had from Google did not perfectly correspond to the street names and landmarks we found.  Despite the rain, the sidewalks were fairly crowded and we had to adapt to the Japanese habit of walking on the left instead of the right as we were used to, although we'd already somewhat modified our walking behavior on Guam because of the preponderance of Japanese tourists in our neighborhood.

Of course we got lost and realized we had walked quite a distance past the turn off four our hotel.  The terrain was hillier than expected and we were already tired, cold and wet by the time we found the massive Nara Hotel and figured out the path to the entrance.

 The entrance to the Nara Hotel (above)

 The Garden in front of the Nara Hotel (above)

 The room at the Nara.

The view from our room.

The door was manned by an older gentleman in hotel uniform who greeted us in Japanese and directed us inside.  We noticed a check rack for umbrellas under the covered entrance to the hotel and followed custom and deposited our wet umbrellas in the device.  Despite the long journey from Guam, train from Osaka, and our misguided walk, we were still almost two hours early for the 3PM check-in time.

Check in was efficient and friendly; our bags would be placed in our room when the room was ready.  We inquired about cash stations and the hotel clerk gave us a better map of Nara, but she didn't know which machines might take an American cash station card.  Having shed our bags, we realized we were hungry and curiosity and excitement renewed our energy.  We took out back towards town.

Now oriented, we found our way back to a covered pedestrian area by the train station.  Japanese attention to detail was apparent everywhere as seen below in the manhole cover:

Not much was open in the way of food, it was almost as if they participated in the siesta tradition in Japan.  Regardless, we had minimal cash, and hunger drove us to find some inexpensive round, fried octopus dumplings that were 450 yen ($4.50) for twelve at a little stand by the pedestrian way.  They were too hot to eat, so we wandered for a bit until we found a little bench to sit on and eat our scrumptious treasures.

Refreshed, we decided to inquire at a nearby bank about cash stations.  The greeter spoke enough English to direct us to either the 7-11 cash station or the post office cash station to find the appropriate machine.  After a misadventure with the post office machine (I think I requested some $3,000 in yen instead of my intended $300 so it kept refusing me), we had success at the 7-11.  Lesson learned: while in Japan, use the cash stations at either a 7-11 (and they are ubiquitous in Japan) or a post office to access your American bank account.

The rain persisted and perhaps enough time had passed so we went back to our hotel.  We were getting an idea of the grandeur of where we were, but given that the weather was supposed to be a little better tomorrow, we decided to not yet attempt to see the most important sights in Nara, the 3 story and 5 story pagodas and the legendary Todaiji Temple.  We would get up early and try to get to Todaiji as it opened around 8AM.

The service at dinner that night in the elegant, high-ceiling, dark wood trimmed dining room was impeccable.  And while the four-course meal was good, and the Sake excellent, it probably wasn't worth the 9000 yen ($90) per person cost.  However, keep in mind that in Japan, tipping is not customary, and, in fact, it is considered an insult, so the price is inclusive of all taxes and gratuities.

We were up early the next day for our walk to the plum forest in Nara Park and then on to the Todaiji Temple complex.  The day was cold and overcast, but the air crisp and the rain had stopped.  Deer in Nara are protected and tame and frequently fed by the tourists who buy special biscuits for the task.  Legend has it that the god of the Kasuga Taisha came riding a white deer in the old days, so the deer enjoy protected status as envoys of the god.  They are, however, mangy and aggressive and for those of us used to eating venison, they enjoyed no magic or special status.

The walk through the park to the temple was magical despite the cold temperatures.  (We found ourselves quickly re-acclimated to the cold; our Michigan hardiness hadn't completely abandoned us in Guam.)  The perfectly manicured views and trees made us know we were in Japan. 

The plum blossoms were just emerging and we could only imagine what they would be like in another week or so.

Nara was the birthplace of Buddhism in Japan, arriving during the 8th century AD.  Today, 80% of the Japanese people describe themselves as Buddhists, and 90% describe themselves as Shinto, an older Japanese religion based upon reverence for ancestors and elders.  These are not contradictory, and Japan's reputation as not being particularly religious is not the case.  Nara, like Mecca to Muslims, is considered a place of pilgrimage, and Japanese Buddhists are supposed to visit Nara at least once in their lifetimes.

There really aren't words to describe the profound spiritual and intellectual experience of visiting the Todaiji Temple and its great Buddha.  The Temple is the largest wooden structure in the world and was last rebuilt in 1709, scaled down to 2/3 of its original size.  It is overwhelming; the pictures will do the rest of the talking, but can't replace or reproduce the impact of an actual visit.  One strong word of advice: go first thing in the morning before the throngs of tour buses arrive! 

 The entrance pavilion (above)

One of the guardians in the entrance pavilion (above)

 Todaiji Temple - note people in the foreground to get a feel for scale; a picture just can't convey it.

 Detail at the entrance.

 The massive bronze Buddha, the largest in the world.

Monks at prayer.

We headed into town to grab some breakfast and then planned to visit the 3 story and 5 story pagodas on our way back to the hotel where we needed to check out by 11AM.  As we headed up the stairs to the first pagoda, we were greeted by a friendly older man in English who offered to show us around.  These guides are free in Japan and are part of a good Buddhist's devotion.

He told us the stories of the early rulers and how they used the Buddhist priests to control the population, finding out from them about each family and what their needs and desires were, their weaknesses and strengths.  He showed us the proper hand washing technique in the sacred fountains and the rituals and symbols of the pagodas and the beautiful Tokondo Hall.  After experiencing the peacefulness, harmony, and awe of Todaiji, this education allowed us to appreciate the stories and people that go along with the monuments. 

 Our guide.

The 3 story pagoda; wherever there is a pagoda, there is a relic of Buddha.

The five story pagoda.  Supposedly the tallest in the world, but many pagodas make that claim.

 The octangle house.

Silvia blessing the child.

Tokondo Hall.

On to Kyoto!

Moving Out of the Hilton - housing on Guam

The Hilton Hotel quickly wore thin on us.  Because of Chinese New Year's, Guam was packed with Asian tourists and the hotel was full.  My wife's company had booked a block of rooms for its many temporary residents, supposedly on the Executive Floor, but the hotel put us in a tiny room overlooking ventilation ducts.  There was no desk space to work, just a huge television filling the space.  The tiny closet couldn't contain our array of suitcases, which spilled out to cover all of the available floor space.

My wife used her magic, and we were moved to a larger room in the newer tower of the hotel.  The room, a huge improvement, still bore the scars of too many years with no upgrades.  The carpet was irregular, stained and moldy, and the room smelled of stale beer upon entry.  The last time I had lived with an equivalent carpet was in college in one of the many Ann Arbor student ghetto apartments and houses we lived in back then.  But this was a Hilton Hotel, not a low rent college apartment.  And who puts carpeting down in a tropical climate?  Hard surfaces hold coolness and stand up to humidity and moisture; carpets become mildew factories.

We discovered that housekeeping would only vacuum the room upon request, not as part of their daily cleaning routine.  But like all of the staff at the Hilton, they were polite and quick to respond positively to any request, it was just a matter of communication.  The two or three dollars left every day for the staff, combined with a brief note on our needs, was enough to ensure we were well taken care of.

The Hilton is located on the far south end of Tumon Bay, the gorgeous horseshoe shaped bay where all of the major tourist hotels sit.  The bay, a protected natural area, is protected by a long coral reef and provides safe swimming, snorkeling, and non-motorized water sports.  But watch out for the Trigger Fish: in my many years of snorkeling, from the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, to Negril Bay in Jamaica, to the barrier reef in Belize, snorkeling with rays, sharks, and barracuda, I'd never had any problem.  Until the Trigger Fish that took several small bites out of my arm as I returned to the Hilton.  I found out from the man at the snorkel desk that Trigger Fish are very aggressive defending their nests, cone shaped sand castles on the bottom.  I had inadvertently invaded her space.  It was definitely time to leave the Hilton.

**********

"Did you hear that?"

I could hear the concern in Silvia's voice.

"Yes, I did; it sounded like screams."

"I know; is someone being mugged?"

"No, I don't think so, because...wait, there it is again...like someone from a moving car, you know, Doppler effect."

"But it sounds like it's right outside our window!"

And, it was.  The Guam Slingshot, that is, right outside the balcony of our apartment that we'd just moved into in the Pia Condo Resort.  Our fifth floor view commanded Tumon Bay and provided nightly sunset shows over Ypao Point and the ocean.  But right down the hill was The Slingshot, "Zero to a One Hundred Miles an Hour in One Second!"  Well, probably, not, but, nonetheless, the device does throw two patrons in an open steel roll cage, straight into the air on bungee-type steel cables.  Open from noon to midnight every day, we quickly let the screams blend in our heads with the usual background wind, rain, and jets approaching Anderson Air Force Base at the end of their sometimes daily maneuvers.

We investigated a variety of apartment options, ranging from luxurious resorts in the countryside (Leo Palace Resort, with golf, 50 meter swimming pools, and baseball stadiums), to closer in condo developments (Ypao Gardens, on a semi-busy street between the main transportation route, Marine Corps Drive and the main tourist street, Pale San Vitores Road.)  We settled on Pia Resort because of the spacious apartment (with compact washer and dryer), lovely pool, spectacular views, and walking distance to the main tourist area with its many shops and restaurants.  In Michigan, where we live, it is a half mile walk just to our mailbox, and, although we are only a little under four miles from town, Silvia very much wanted to return to our urban roots and be somewhere where a car wasn't necessary to go everywhere.

Sidebar:  probably the best of the rest -

·      Verona Resort and Spa - hotel rooms, but mainly studio, one-bedroom, and two bedroom housekeeping units in a great location, also right on Tumon Bay.  Not on the water, but with excellent views and a two or three minute walk to the beach.

·      Ocean View Hotel and Residences - similar to Verona, on the north end of the tourist strip, but not quite as nice as Verona.

·      Holiday Resort and Spa - right on the beach; we didn't see the units, but it is supposed to be quite nice.

·      Oka Towers Condominiums - on the next bay over, Agana Bay, and in a beautiful, quiet spot.  The units are supposed to be quite nice, but not often available for rent.

·      Alupang Beach Towers - on Agana Bay, but wedged right next to the very busy Marine Corps Drive; these units are also supposed to be quite nice.

·      Ladera Tower - out in the countryside, about 20 minutes from the main commercial areas of the island, Ladera used to be a hotel and now has many furnished 2 bedroom units available.  The units have commanding views of the east side ocean views and the building has a nice pool, fitness center, 24-hour security, and covered parking.  But if you're going to be out in the countryside, Leo Palace Resort is in better shape with many more amenities.

·      Perlas Court Condos - next to a large open area that used to be a dog track, in a residential area near the public hospital, the units are nice and many well furnished; a larger complex than Ypao Gardens and not quite as conveniently situated or as private.

Pia Marine Resort (and its sister, Pia Marine Condos, off of busy Marine Corps Drive), are cast-in-place concrete, curved monoliths with balconies lining one side and the outside hallway on the other.  Like most Guam construction, it is solid and simple, built to withstand typhoons, tropical storms, earthquakes, and tsunamis.  Building codes are strict, although many older houses don't conform, and wood frame construction is almost non-existent.  All of the more recent construction has typhoon shutters and most have back-up generators.  Our building's generator powers only the refrigerator and one outlet in the kitchen, but also the water supply, so power outages of a day or two aren't dire.  And, especially during the summer storm season, such power outages aren't unusual.  As with much of Guam's infrastructure, work is constant on the island's electrical grid, and daily planned power outages in various parts of the island are noted in the daily newspaper, the Guam Pacific Daily News, a small tabloid that costs a dollar and usually leads with a crime story or a political controversy, of which there are many.  (More on Guam politics later.)

Our fifth floor, 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment is stark white, with polished white marble tile floors.  The kitchen is somewhat ancient (dating pretty much from the building's likely construction in the 1970s), but adequate, and nicely open to the spacious living/dining area.  Furnishings are sparse but adequate, with a king bed (really two twins next to each other as is common in this part of the world) and dresser in the master bedroom, a small desk and chair and nothing else in the second bedroom, and a third, prison cell sized bedroom with a single bed, no light, and no closet.  We use that room for our luggage storage area.  The living room has floor to ceiling bookcases, a white vinyl coach set, modern, flat screen TV, and a dining room table with four chairs that could seat six.  Both bathrooms are well appointed with copious hot water and excellent water pressure.  The air conditioners are through-the-wall units, very noisy, but efficient.  And, soon after moving in, we caught a break in that the living room unit kept leaking water on the floor, and the building management finally replaced it with a silent, split unit, providing even more efficiency.  The street noise from below can be loud, so running the bedroom unit at night drowns out the Sling Shot screams and the open-air Lizard Lounge nightclub.

The Resort still also functions as a hotel catering to Japanese clientele, with both rooms and housekeeping apartments, although our rental is from a private condo owner.  The maintenance staff is excellent and responsive and the downstairs desk is manned for two hours every morning to respond to any concerns.  The pool is a beautiful 20-yard lap pool, with a small children's area separate from the larger pool.  Comfortable lounging furniture surrounds the pool and fills the open air lobby that also has free Wi-Fi for visitors and serves as an outside smoking area for the excellent little Japanese restaurant, Doraku, which sits off the lobby and is very popular with the Japanese tour bus drivers from the company offices just down the hill from us.

Most of the residents of the building are long term and are a mix of mainland transplants, Japanese transplants, and military.  We've met a few of our neighbors already, a wonderful woman who lives two doors down (the aforementioned Lisa) who is a security consultant, speaks fluent Japanese, and lived in Japan for four years.  (She has been an invaluable informant for our upcoming trip to Kyoto.)  We also recently met another outgoing gentleman who is the island's "Culligan Man", having arrived by sailboat on Guam 25 years ago on an adventure.  Originally from Minnesota, he had run out of money, so he decided to stay and started the island's first water-conditioner company.

Long term rental housing on Guam is problematic.  Most of the Air Force military personnel attached to Anderson Air Force Base live off base and are given a fairly generous housing allowance (depending upon rank.)  Apartment and condo buildings must be inspected and approved by the military to qualify for rental, thus, qualifying buildings command top rent.  Military personnel also can buy furnishings, and if they wish, have them shipped by the military back to the states when they leave at minimal or no cost.  Thus, furnished rentals are difficult to find, even though the condo market for sale is definitely a buyer's market, and many owners are willing to rent.  There are multiple developments that cater to both the rental and resort market; some that were originally built as hotel properties and then converted to rental/condo, and some that target the short-term "housekeeping" market that come furnished.  But those units fill quickly and when we arrived in January, none of the housekeeping buildings had units available until March or April at the earliest.

Houses on Guam are also easily rented, again mainly because of the relatively weak house sale market.  But these are rarely furnished and the ones that don't qualify for military rental are generally in poor condition or fairly rundown rural areas.  The tropical climate is very harsh on houses with moisture and water seepage constant potential problems, so diligent upkeep is important.  Neighborhoods, except for the gated communities, can have a wide mix of housing with well-maintained, large, beautiful residences mixed in with near dilapidated houses.  If you are buying on Guam, your choices are wide-ranging and reasonably price; but keep in mind that water and electricity are very expensive, so efficient systems are a must.

A word about water: Guam is tropical with copious rainfall and an extensive public water system.  You will find an ongoing debate about the quality of the water: many people insist on buying bottled water (usually in five gallon containers at the store or through one of the many "water stores", or home delivery); others don't hesitate to drink it - it certainly tastes and smells just fine.  The water is soft and because of the volcanic soil and rock that acts as a natural filter, it seems clean and safe.  I don't hesitate to drink it, although we do have a Britta water filter pitcher that Silvia insists on using for her drinking water and making coffee and tea.

Our new home, Pia Marine Resort, as seen from the Hilton.

Our new living room.

Looking back at the kitchen/dining area.

The view from the living room/balcony.

The open air lobby at Pia; there's always a nice breeze.

The pool - fresh water and not over-chlorinated.  It does get a little hot on sunny days by afternoon.  You don't need to heat your pool on Guam - the climate keeps it quite nice.

The entrance to Doraku, our little Japanese restaurant.  It is nice to just be able to take a quick elevator ride on nights when we're too lazy to cook or go out.

The Sling Shot in action.

Pictures Not On Facebook

Today I went through some of the pictures I've been taking and wanted to post some that haven't been on Facebook yet.  This is a very photogenic place.  Not in any particular order:

The full moon rising over Waikiki Beach on our brief stay over in Hawaii.

A view up the west coast from the grounds of the Hilton Hotel.

Another view from the same spot.  The cliff is known as "Two Lovers Point" and, well, you can guess the rest of the story....

A view of the more rugged and dryer south side of the island.  Many of these areas have unexplored ancient Chamorro sites.

Guam is famous for its sunsets, for good reason.  No retouching here; real colors.

The companion shot...

Tropical rain - hard to photograph, but you get the idea...

Ah, the light, the light: Tumon tourist strip near sunset from the Hilton.

Early Guam Pictures

The view from our Hilton Hotel room of Tumon Bay - looks a lot like Waikiki.  Like most of Guam, the bays and inlets are protected by coral reefs, so snorkeling is pretty good.

After the first heavy rains, these guys were around - toads!  Of course, one of the first things you read about Guam before visiting is all about the huge problem with Brown Tree Snakes.  Well, it's completely overblown in the media.  In almost two months on the island so far, we've seen one dead snake, that's it.  They are not aggressive or obvious, even in heavily forested areas.  And, while bird life is not prolific, most of the birds were wiped out during heavy bombing and fighting during World War II, not so much from the snakes.

Old Guam, Tumon Bay, the main tourist area.

Hip Guam.

New Guam - 3 major shopping malls are in the main tourist area and every worldwide upscale brand for purses and clothes is represented.  For the Japanese, Koreans, Chinese, and Russians, the prices are much lower than back home and they spend THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS on purses, shoes, et al.

Surfin' Santa!  Tumon Plaza has an every changing seasonal display that is garishly lit at night and constantly entertaining.

Good old "Guam Beer" is actually brewed in Wisconsin.  But, it's not bad; but not nearly as good as the Japanese beers, which are widely available and less expensive.  And then there's Philippine beer, which is even cheaper.