Day 60 - 09 Sept - Guam

Our visit to Guam today went not exactly as I planned it. First we had to go through another immigration check with US Border patrol officers, most packing sidearms. This was done again in the Explorer's Lounge on Deck 8. We were assigned a number 3 which was planned to be called around 9am. Shortly before 9am it was called and we were through in about 15 minutes. We then gathered up our things and headed off the ship to take the shuttle into town which is about 40 minutes north of the port. Miss Guam World and Miss Guam Universe were there to present guests with bead necklaces.  

The shuttle bus line was already over a bus load long and as a rain shower approached the line was broken into sections standing beside one another in three groups. There was also a heavy police presence including several officers with assault rifles at the ready. Personally I really don't see the need for the extreme display of firearms for the arrival of a cruise ship (and I'm not opposed to gun ownership). End of rant!

We ended up waiting an hour under the tents and took the second shuttle in to town and it looks like a typical American town. The Micronesia Mall is large in a star shape with an anchor tenant at the end of each of the 4 points of the star. There's a very large food court on the second level of the mall where I found a Taco Bell and had 5 tacos and a gordita. After lunch we found shuttle that would take us out to Two Lovers Point where legend has it that a warrior and his lover who were restricted from seeing each other, tied their hair together and jumped to their deaths off the cliff. Now there is a statue honoring them and a full tourist site with gift shops, a restaurant and an elevated viewing platform. And did I mention that it poured cats, dogs, and monkeys!  

After our visit to Two Lovers Point, we caught a shuttle back to the mall to dry off. We also purchased all the September date coded Pepsi at one store. So now we have enough Diet soda for rest of our voyage.

The shuttle back to the port took 45 minutes door to door and we had once again a full bag inspection & examination by US Border agents. Fortunately, unlike our visit 4 years earlier where there was a full face to passport inspection in the bus at the port entrance, the armed guard wished us a welcome and said the entertainment was arriving shortly.

Back on the ship, we changed out of our wet clothes and littered the bathroom with wet articles to dry out. With our new dry clothes donned we went out to deck 6 to watch the sail away. Eventually the sail away music and dance troupe assembled under the plastic tents before performing native dances and music in the steady rain. Finally around 6pm the Captain announced we were waiting for our US Coast Guard escort, but because we are missing Jayapura due to civil unrest, we have extra time to sail around a deepening tropical depression. It was still twilight, but it wasn't until during the 7:30pm BBC programming that I fell the whir of the bow thrusters kick in which announced our departure. The next day I asked the Captain what it meant to have a Coast Guard escort, and he said it was to have them sail around us in their rubber boat as we depart. Only now the ship had to leave in the dark which was not his preference. He wasn't a happy camper.

Greg Redfern gave a presentation on the future of US manned space flight and paid honor to those astronauts that we lost to accidents. Ron Orenstein presented his travel story about how he got started in birding and the value of birding.

Tomorrow starts the beginning of a three day sea day segment before reaching Wewang, Paupa New Guinea.