Stuck

It's another beautiful day today. From my desk, I can see the waves breaking on the reef and the calmer water, closer to the shore. It's a little overcast. But, this just means that it's not too hot outside. The breeze is blowing through the leaves of the trees in the foreground of the view and you can almost smell the hint of salt in the air. Beautiful and picturesque!

Alas, I am stuck inside! But, you know what? Just to be able to sit and enjoy this beautiful scene is a blessing in itself. To add to that, there is an arrangement of flowers sitting on my desk that is filling my senses with sweet smells and vivid colors.

For the past week or so, I've been in vacation planning mode. Granted, here on Guam, a cheap and easily attainable vacation would be a weekend at a hotel in Tumon with friends. Possibly, a trip to Saipan to remove yourself from being summoned by family, friends, or community for the weekend. For now, I'll go with Tumon and switching off the cell phone or screening calls *wink*.

I was lucky enough to spend a day off with some friends on a tiny island off the southern end of Guam. For some people, this is as close to being 'off-island' as they've ever been. It's just a small resort for spending the day on the beach, away from home. Our trip to the pier consisted of a 'road-trip' from central Guam to the south. I was able to observe the beauty that surrounds us. Once you get out of the central area, the island is fairly undeveloped. You see, when you live in central Guam, you get used to seeing all these tall buildings(by Guam standards) and cars everywhere! But, once you hit southern Guam, you're surrounded by nature... views of the ocean... cliff lines that stretch for miles. The only drawback to living in the south is that it's so far from everything(again, by Guam standards)!

Back to the island! In all my years of living on Guam, I had never been to Coco's Island. I'd always heard of it and all that you could do there. But, I'd never taken the time to visit this little gem. I'm glad to have had the experience with S.O.U.L.(Andy, Ted, Lawrence, Jamie, Zack, Chrissy, Damian, and Karen). They added to the beauty of the experience. Not to mention, the endless stream of entertainment! I've heard that you used to be able to overnight on the island. But, in recent years, the island has seen some damage from typhoons and they have yet to fully rebuild the facility. I'm not quite sure if they ever plan on rebuilding. But, it would be a shame if they chose to keep it as it is today.

So, mini-vacation number one out of the way! Next stop? We're thinking about The Reef Hotel or the P.I.C. for a couple of days.

It's funny how, here on Guam, we think of hotels as nothing to boast about! I recently had a conversation with a friend in the UK who thought that it was funny that we spend so much time in hotels. He thought it was an upper-class experience. But, as far as I can recall, we've spent holidays or weekends at hotels just to get away from the house. To break the monotony of home living without the huge expense of plane tickets and accommodations in foreign lands. I suppose, for many, this is also the reason why they never feel the need to leave the island. You have all the necessities of a vacation without being too far from home.

Summer will be spectacular this year!