Boonie Stomping: Spanish Steps

Crab bro says "Don't tread on me"

To celebrate six months since I slammed my scooter into the pavement and attempted to break everything, Tom and I decided to do our first boonie stomp (that's Guam speak for a hike, folks). I had previously hiked Tarzan Falls with some friends, but this was the first time we had gotten to go out together. I've been a bit depressed for the past few weeks, and really needed to get out. I miss my job, my friends, and my activities back in Tucson, and just haven't really found my place here yet. But this hike reminded me that I really do like my new island home, especially all of the awesome outdoor activities it offers.

Directions

The directions we found online for Spanish Steps were a little vague, and since neither of us had been before we got a little lost. Because this hike is located on Big Navy you need to either have an ID card or be sponsored to get on base. Follow the main road all the way down until you reach the dive shop/marker for the Guadalupe Church remains and make a left. Go past the entrance to Gab Gab Beach, past a parking lot on your right, and past a guard house that looks rather intimidating if you don't know that your destination is beyond it. Immediately past the guard house take a left and then travel along a fairly straight path for a while (Note to self: next time we do this hike why don't you pay attention to the mileage so you can give better directions.) You will eventually come to a three way "intersection". At that point you can't go straight anymore because the road is closed. There is a sign that says "ordnance road", which is the left turn and then right behind that sign is a little pull in that leads to a dirt path. Follow the dirt path to a clearing, park, and you are at the trailhead.

The Hike

No really,  it's not that bad.

I was a little worried about the start of this hike as I had heard that it is rather steep and involved some scrambling with a rope. Normally this wouldn't be an issue, but since I'm still recovering from surgery I'm not as amazingly buff as before. Even so, the descent down the remnants of a stairway from the Spanish period wasn't bad at all as we took it slow and enjoyed the views from the cliff. When you reach the bottom the path leads into the jungle where you come across a well from the same period as the stairs. If you follow the trail (I say trail lightly, they are somewhat worn paths with occasional markers tied to trees) to the right you will reach a beach, but our destination was the lagoon to the left. During our walk we saw hermit crabs (I'm sorry hermit crab bro I almost stepped on), lizards, and lots of spider webs. While we did not see any brown tree snakes my biologist friends have PROMISED me that they were there. All over the place. *SHUDDERS*

The Lagoon

The lagoon was, in a word, stunning. The water isn't deep enough for diving, but was prefect for strapping on our snorkels and fins, and checking out wildlife. Gab Gab is definitely better for the variety of fish and coral you can see, but because of the trek to get there this beach is far less crowded. There was a family hiking back out when we arrived and a small group of Navy folk arrived as we were wrapping up, but otherwise we had the place to ourselves. The current was pretty rough while we were there and at one point we got pulled out further than we were expecting, but we were able to walk back on the rocks. Good thing too since the tide wouldn't be turning again for a while. My knee and shoulder were hurting pretty badly after the climb down and the swimming so we skipped the beach this time, but definitely will be going back with a group. I highly recommend this hike to anyone who can get on base. It's not too difficult, the views are amazing, and the lagoon is some of the prettiest water I've seen since coming here.

Markets, Festivals, and the Rainy Season

Two months and change into our time here on Guam and things are starting to settle into normalcy. All of our household goods have arrived, along with our car. So, while there are still pictures to hang, bookshelves to buy, and junk drawer dwellers to stash for another four years, we are settling back in to the routine of day-to-day life. I have high hopes that this little island will start to feel like home before it is time to pack up and move on to our next adventure.

Because eating locally is a ideal that I aspire to, though rarely do as often as I'd like, we have been exploring the local night markets and festivals to find out what we can get that hasn't been shipped half way across the world. The answer: more than you would think if you are willing to adapt your diet... which we are still working on.

To start, let's first have a little chat about mangos. Mangos grow on Guam. The southern half of the island is lousy with mango trees. There is even a mango season, which unfortunately was coming to an end when we got to the island. However, most of the mangos I've seen in the commissary are from Mexico. Ah globalization. Fortunately, there is also a mango festival in late May/early June so Tom and I headed south to see what there was to see. In the various edits of this post that I've written I tried to do a mini-lesson on mangoes, but it kept turning out so amazingly boring that I just stopped writing. So, here's the deal. You want to learn about mangoes? Go read Wikipedia. However, mango doughnuts? Freaking awesome. Mango smoothies? Super tasty. Am I a mango convert? Ehhh, not yet. They are kind of a pain in the butt to work with for a really stringy result. Since coming here I've made mango smoothies and salsa, and both have been good, so I guess that's a change from living in Tucson. I'll keep trying out recipes and supporting local growers since it is definitely silly to ship something so far that grows locally.

Happiness costs a dollar

Cassava

We have also spent a few evenings checking out the local night markets, the most famous and busy of which is the Wednesday night Chamorro Village Market.  This is a tourist favorite and definitely had that vibe. While there were stalls selling local crafts and food, most specialize in souvenirs. Being us, we did dive straight into trying the market food including $1 meat on a stick (If I miss nothing else about Guam when we go, I will miss $1 market meat on a stick.),banana lumpias, and cassava, a coconut dessert wrapped in banana leaves. Beyond the amazing food, the night we went there was great live music, dancing, and a cultural show put on by local youth. While the Wednesday Market isn't somewhere we would go to do our produce shopping, it's definitely a fun event we'll go back to when people visit.

Mo and Jamila's Empanadas

For actual shopping we head to either the Friday night market in Yigo or the Sunday morning market in Dededo. Both have good selections of locally grown produce and friendly locals who are generally happy to explain to me what these new and strange things are and how I should cook them. If you go to almost any market on the island, you will also run into Moe and Jamila who sell fresh empanadas. I can't speak highly enough of these two. Not only is their food amazing, but they are also the nicest people you will ever meet. We met them at the Tuesday market down in Agat when one of the first major downpours of the rainy season forced us to take shelter under their awning. Not only were they happy to talk to us about life on Guam, but they also gave us some fresh mangos to nosh on while the rain came down.

Oh, did I mention that it's the rainy season? For two people who spent the last four years living in the desert the humidity is a bit of a change. And by a bit of a change I mean, I DIDN'T KNOW MY HAIR CURLED. *sighs* Culture shock nothing, it's the moisture shock that is going to drive me mad.

The hobbit moves to her new island home

"We're going to Guam." was the message I got from Tom. To which I replied, "Where the hell is Guam?" If you don't know, go look at Google Maps, I'll wait. Just a heads up, you are going to have to scroll out more than a few times to find the next land mass. It's not close to anything, but to give some perspective it's about 3 hours by plane south of Japan, 3 hours east of the Philippines, and 8 hours west of Hawaii. It's a small, tropical island 13 degrees north of the equator with an air force base on the north side, a navy base on the south and a lot of jungle in between. And I will be here for the next four years.

Am I excited? Absolutely. Does my little hobbit heart want to scream and run crying back to someplace familiar? I'm probably not supposed to admit it, but yes, it does.

Say hello, Quicksilver. 

So far we have been living out of a hotel room while we look for housing. We don't know many people yet, and I'm still physically limited from the accident so there has been a lot of time spent watching videos on the laptop. We did buy a guam bomb so we wouldn't have to keep paying for a rental. She's a 91 Corrola painted with Rust-oleum and is named Quicksilver. She won't win any beauty contests, but she runs well and should be easy to work on if she needs repairs. We're still looking for a house off base. Houses here are definitely different from what we became accustomed to on the mainland, but hopefully we will find something that works for us in the near future. Both the husband and I are getting a little frayed from living out of our suitcases and having to go out to eat all the time. Having a place to call home and a working kitchen will definitely help with the settling in process.

The day after we arrived, we took a drive around the southern tip of the island which was recommended to us by an acquaintance. This is where the jungle is the thickest and where the "mountains" are. Hiking is a major activity here and I'm looking forward to joining some boonie stomps once my arm is out of the sling. We've become acquainted with a local biologist here who is working on the brown tree snake problem so we have an excellent guide to Guam's wildlife. I am excited about the amount of foraging prospects with coconuts everywhere,  mango trees, wild boar, and of course fishing.

We then hit Tarague beach on Andersen AFB where I had my first of many rounds of  "OMG STUPID ACCIDENT I WANT IN THE WATER." The beaches here are great. Clear, warm water, protected harbors with mild currents, and an amazing variety of fish out in the preserve. We finally gave in, bought some snorkeling gear, and headed to Gab Gab beach down at the navy base. The reef here is a nature preserve that doesn't allow fishing. After some false starts we figured out where to go and kicked around for a few hours. Since I wasn't able to use my arm we stayed close to shore to avoid strong currents. I've read that there are sea turtles that hang around a little further out, so once I'm able to really swim again we will definitely be checking that out.

So yeah, hafa adai from Guam, where the day starts in the US. Living here will definitely be an adventure for this hobbit. I have a lot to learn about my new island home and will have many opportunities to travel to new and exciting places.

A late introduction of sorts

Hobbits are a little people, smaller than dwarves. They love peace and quiet and good tilled earth. They dislike machines, but they are handy with tools. They are nimble, but don't like to hurry. They have sharp ears and eyes. They are inclined to be fat. they wear bright colors, but seldom wear shoes. They like to laugh and eat (six meals a day) and drink. They like parties and they like to give and receive presents. They inhabit a land they call The Shire, a place between the River Brandywine and the Far Downs. ~ Introduction, The Hobbit. 1966 Ballantine Books

One of the benefits with age is a better understanding of the self. When I was a teenager, I thought myself more like the elves or the fey. A woodland sort of creature with a sense of magic. Now I understand that I am a hobbit, and that is a very pleasant way to be thank you very much. Some of my greatest pleasures are baking our weekly bread, sharing home brewed beer(s) with close friends, and working in my garden. If I must go out, I prefer a quiet pint at the pub over a cocktail at a loud club. Yes indeed, the simple life of a hobbit is for me.

However, I am a hobbit of the Took line. People say that somewhere in our past one of our ancestors must have taken a fairy wife, as once in a while we have a tendency to go on adventures. I do love a good adventure and have been racking my brain for years for a suitable title for a recording of both my day-to-day life and my adventures. Of course I should have known that eventually I would turn to Tolkien for inspiration (and no Mr. Colbert, I do not challenge your supremacy in the field of Tolkien trivia, it has been many years since I spoke any Sindarin or Quenya). So here is a place I have made for myself, a modern "There and Back Again" if you will, to chronicle both my mundane hobbit existence along with my very un-hobbitlike adventures.

Welcome, or as the elves would say: Tolo na naur, gi nathlam hí.