For those of you still hanging, in, thanks for waiting! Between work and trying to get back on a sleep schedule, it’s been tough.
The final day on Palau was actually a full day, since our flight didn’t leave until 2:45 AM on Friday morning. We had a leisurely breakfast and then prepared for a day on the beach. It’s really funny how the weather is there in the Northern Marianas. It’s so incredibly hot and humid when you’re moving or in the sun, but is actually quite pleasant when you’re stationary in the shade. So we were stationary in the shade!
Gregg and I were two of only 3 people on the beach for the day. The museum offered an optional excursion to go snorkeling, but we decided to spend the last day relaxing on our own. And one thing that I quickly found out when we started on this trip, I am WAY TOO WHITE to spend any length of time in direct sunlight, sunscreen or no.
The water on Palau, and in the other places we went, is just amazing. It’s crystal clear and refreshingly cool, but not cold. We usually go to Gulf Shores when we have a beach vacation and, no matter the time of year, the water seems always so incredibly cold so that you have to ease your way in. We really, really loved the water being the perfect temperature and so clear you could see your toes.
Mid afternoon we decided to pack in in when it started raining. It started off slow and by the time we had collected our things and walked the short distance to the patio, it started pouring. It continued for an hour or so and was very nice to watch from the patio in our room.
Then we started the process of packing, which is always a chore. We originally were going to do carry-on, which we’ve done for years. After realizing that TSA would not let us carry our collapsible hiking poles in the plane, we switched to a medium suitcase in order to check them in the bag. And one thing that I had forgotten over the years is that if you stuff a medium sized suitcase to capacity, you’re probably going to go over the 50 pound limit and have to pay. Thankfully, we came in at 49 pounds on our medium suitcase and 37 on our carry on size. And thankfully, our luggage made it to every stop and even made it home with us. Yay!
So, about the trip. We both just had an amazing time. I know people say “trip of a lifetime” a lot, but this truly was. Spending so much time with the WWII vets, one of Gregg’s favorite WWII authors, his trip to Iwo Jima and the amazing 5 start resorts was incredible. And all of this on top of the historical locations among the beautiful scenery. It’s not something we’ll ever be able to repeat. Well, we are writing to the Guam tourism board to tell them we would love to come back, if they could just drop that humidity down by about 20%. So we’ll see.
We met some funny and interesting people on the trip. I spent a lot of time with Tim, a retired school teacher from Kansas City, who winters in Acapulco. He had lost his husband 7 years before and spoke fondly of their life together. There was Cordelia from Birmingham, who was always so friendly and upbeat and I swear never sweat a drop. Ned from Los Angeles was accompanied by his son and 16 year old grandson. His grandson knew almost as much about WWII as the guides and it was interesting hearing him debating with them. There were many other friendly people from all over that with whom we had engaging conversation over the course of our two weeks, including Kirk (AKA Mr. Pewterschmidt). Then there was Wade, who clearly had more money than manners, when he referred to the bellman, who was clearly a Pacific Islander as “Señor” when he wanted his bags put on the bus. Be kind travelers, people!
All in all, it was a great trip. Other than the weather being a lot more humid than we’re used to, we really couldn’t have asked for it to go smoother. The museum staff did a great job with all of the logistics of what had to be an organizational nightmare. The only major fail was the water on Iwo Jima, which was not the responsibility of the museum, but still needs to be addressed. In talking with other guest after the fact, the situation was actually a lot more dangerous than I had known. But apparently, the Japanese government has no incentive to make the trip comfortable and would rather the Americans not come. As it stands, the Marines have to bring in EVERYTHING, from water to port-a-potties to golf carts to the tent for the ceremony. There was even talk that we’re getting close to the end of being able to go to Iwo Jima as tourists. I heard both that the agreement was for 75 years AND that the agreement was while there were living vets who served on Iwo Jima. So we’ll see how long tour groups can continue to visit.
Thanks for sticking with me and reading along. Check back at the end of May when I go on an Alaskan cruise with Gregg’s sister, Carrie, my niece, Elisabeth, Gregg’s cousin, Jamie, and Gregg’s Aunt Marge and Uncle Bob from the other side of his family. Basically, a full showing of every group in Gregg’s family MINUS Gregg. He will be happily staying behind with the cats.
~Dawn
