Queen Mary 2

Queen Mary 2, the flagship of the Cunard Lines. She stopped by for a day on her way around the world. I checked the prices years ago when she was first in service. $12,000 per week. You have to 'dress' for dinner and there is one crew member for every two passengers. I wonder how much this around the world cruise costs. She was in Japan before here then off to Australia.

Maybe on my next bucket list.....


At Agat pier, picture taken from the top of Nimitz Hill.

Deadly Starfish

When I first spotted this two foot across starfish I thought I'd found the Holy Grail of starfish. After I Googled it I learned different.

This is a Crown of Thorns Starfish, it eats coral reefs and most divers kill them when they're discovered. As the starfish eats it realeases a scent into the water that attracts more starfish. I rarley pick anything up in the ocean but this intrigued me.

First I touched it with my camera, it was soft and moved easily across the coral. Wearing dive gloves I gently picked it up, turned it over to take a picture of the underbelly and examine it closer. Boy it moved fast. It balled up, turned hard and stuck me in three finger of my left hand. I intented to gently set it down until the burning pain set in. I dropped that little sucker with a by your leave hand gesture.

OMG, the burning got intense and started moving up my are. I new I needed help and headed for the surface where Lori was floating. Within three minutes my whole arm was burning and my finger were bleeding through my glove. I told Lori to let me know if I went into respirtory arrest or my face fell off.

Over the next two hours my arm felt better but my fingers turned dark blue and swellen up. Today they're just sore with little slivers of the thorns trying to work out. I sure learned my lesson...NEVER, NEVER, NEVER touch one of those critters again, at least not until I get a dive knife...then I'll kill the creeps.


Lori and I feed the fish Vienna Sausages, she looks like the Pied Piper. Yep, that's me with my new best friends.

Lori and a gift from me....before I got attacked.

Paget Caves

We started early, 0900. One Respritory Tech, two ICU nurses, a L&D nurse and a pilot. We started our hike to Paget Caves. In the Guam Hiking Guide it was advertised easy to medium difficulty, marked path, wide enough to drive for a distance then only brief areas of steep trails. Yea...right. 1.6 miles down and 1.6 miles up. Elevation change of 450 feet, some parts with ropes to help, little colored ribbons tied to branches to keep us on the trail. I walk faster than most people so I took the lead. Down down down until I spotted a cave opening. Flash lights came out of backpacks then down down down into the earth.

Another 50 feet we found clear cool water in the pitch blackness. In we went, through another opening all hunched over, worried about bats or bugs or fish or more crabs...we entered into a huge chamber. The water was almost too cool but after sweating through the jungle it felt great and thrilling to swim underground. Our laughter echoed and our flashlight found more secret holes to explore.

After leaving the caves we hicked to the ocean....another quarter mile. The limestone cliffs and waves were magnificant. It was time to return, we all had to work...me at 1500 the rest at 2300. The hike up was a killer, I had a brief moment that death would be better than gasping for air with sweat running into my eyes.

Today...my legs are screaming...boy I'm out of shape....

Paget Cave main entrance.


Main chamber, 80 x 50 feet and about thirty feet high in the middle.
Crystal clean fresh water.

Queen Mary 2

The Queen Mary 2 will pull into port here on Guam Feburary 22nd. The ship is bringing 2700 passengers for the day. I'm going to take pictures.

Happy Valentine Day

Returning to Gab Gab on the Navy Base. Lori and I had a relaxing dive. 60 minutes at 30-40 feet. I'm learning to save my air. If I can just learn how to take pictures underwater, I'll be a happy girl.

I took Vienna Sausages again, what fun...until the Baraccuda showed up. I need a spear gun. Then we'll have Baraccuda Fish Tacos. Sorry kids, maybe next time.

Sea Turtles are always amazing. I never get tired of chasing after them.I've found several giagantic anenomies. This photo is it's mouth...I think. Each creature has an area like this. Reminds me of a giant Squid mouth. I'll research it and let you know.




The clams are amazing. Large and beautiful. Hard to see and nearly impossible to photogrape open. Wait till I get to the Figi Islands...I hear they have giant clams I can put my foot in. Better than my mouth.

Gunn Bay Snorkeling

After my first two days at work it was time for a bit of adventure. Gunn Beach, secluded and beautiful. The Manta Rays are in the area for the next several weeks and this is the place to see them.

It's important to be in the water at high tide because we have to swim along a trench with pipes. Once out about a hundred yards it gets nice and deep and you're able to swim about the coral. I took Vienna Sausages in a plastic bag to feed the fish.

WOW. They loved the little snacks. Dozens of fish of all colors and sizes came for brunch; even some Baraccuda. Boy are they fast.

I saw new beautiful fish and new coral. I've ordered a book of Pacific/Micronesia Reef Fishes. Soon I'll add names to my pictures. Oh....I never saw any Mantas, maybe next time.

Saipan

Saipan, a United States Commonwealth, 70 miles north of Guam. Once a holding of Japan and the sceen of some bloody battles in WWII. We found old Pill Boxes, tanks and cannons. There are several war Memorials around the island. This was a Pill Box build onto a limestone cave. The holes from cannons were pretty cool.

I traveled with other nurses from GMH. I'm finally starting work tomorrow.

Saipan has lots of bars that men pay $40 per cocktail for female "companionship". Also, massage parlors that do legitiment massage but for a small fee, men get a "happy ending".

Suicide Cliff; Japanese soldiers jumped to their deaths rather than surrendering. The watery cliff pictures are Banzi Cliff, where dozens of families including children jumped because they heard the Americans would tourture and rape captives.

I ate Spam Sushi for the first time, not bad. Don't know what type of eggs these were, but the Japanese loved them.

We dove the Grotto, the #2 best cave dive in the world. I got temporary anchor tattoo because I feel I'm a real scuba diver after such a technical dive. We saw a baby shark, amazing coral formations and Feather Coral. I'm called the 'bottom dweller' because I'm deeper than the rest. I like to see creaters and take pictures.

Flowers in bowls all over the hotel.