Day 1

I wake up about eight. I am surprisingly refreshed. I head down to the beach bar and restaurant to get breakfast. I order an omelet. Ten minutes later the waitress comes out and tells me the power is out and I won’t be able to have my omelet. Eventually I settle for a bagel and some fruit. Back at the room, I give James a call. He picks me up and and takes me to Cars Unlimited to rent a car.

For $25 a day I get a 1999 Nissan Sentra that has seen better days. It is dented, rusty, the paint is faded and chipped, and the interior isn’t much better. But it does drive at low speeds and the AC works. I follow him south through Tamuning, Hagatna, Asan, and Santa Rita to his girlfriend’s house in the hills overlooking Apra Harbor. Apra Harbor is Guam’s main port and is predominately a naval base. It is a spectacular view. After a few minutes we head back down the hill to the Visitor Center near Santa Rita. James works as a cultural resources Park Ranger which means he works on the museum collections among other projects. On occasional weekends James does a “curator’s corner” program at the V.C. I help him get out some rare WWII guns and get a glimpse of the extensive NPS collection. After the program I head back to Tamuning and walk around the beach for another amazing sunset. After that, I’m back to the room for sleep (still trying to adjust to the time change).