Almost Heaven

Chris' alarm went off at 4am. I missed it but heard him get up, so I got up, too. He made himself breakfast, but I could not eat. I packed a few last minute things. I repacked my suitcase to settle well. I got dressed in clothes I had laid out on Saturday. I packed my last tomato and the nuts that soaked overnight. I also took my seed crackers and container of chocolate. The taxi came early and Chris took the luggage out. I put on my shoes and followed him. It was cold but not bitterly so. Chris and the driver filled out some paperwork, and then we were on our way. As he drove, Chris asked him if he had a good Christmas and the man mentioned that a lot of drinking was involved. But he did not smell of alcohol and drove well, though there were very few cars on the road at 5am. I stared out the window for an hour and then we arrived at the airport. Chris had been there before and knew where to go. I was confused by all the signs. We checked in at Jinair. Once our luggage was on its way, I stopped by the bathroom and then we headed for the departure gate. I was called to a back room where a man kept saying “Remove battery”. I did not understand and told him so. He brought me to a table where I could see my checked suitcase. Then I knew. I reached in and pulled out the cylinder that recharges my phone. He said “Handcarry”. So I put it in my purse. Then I followed Chris through Immigration to gate 8. As we sat there, I ate the seed crackers. Then I bought a bottle of water at a nearby stand. I drank it, hoping to run it through before we boarded the plane. Over an hour later, boarding was called. I rushed to the restroom one last time, but there was a long line, so I went back to Chris. Ironically, he got called aside for a random security check. I stood and waited while he and his carry-ons were searched. Then we boarded the plane. We had a middle and a window seat. I used the restroom on the plane, then sat at the window. I had noticed a number of aisle seats empty, as was ours. I put my anti-pressure ear plugs in for the ascent. After the plane took off, Chris moved to the aisle seat. Almost immediately, a small meal was served: triangular kimbap, yogurt and a rice-filled pocket. I gave Chris the yogurt and ate the other two. The triangular kimbap was wrapped so that the plastic kept the rice from the seaweed, but when unwrapped properly, the plastic slid out. I hoped I hadn't eaten any plastic with my first two bites. I had also brought three hard boiled eggs. When the customs forms were handed out, Chris did not want to declare that we had eggs, so I ate two and he ate the third one. I tried to sleep on the plane but it was difficult. I took off my socks and shoes, trading them for airline socks. When the descent started, I put my earplugs back in. But they did not work on the way down. My eardrums hurt a lot. I tapped and tried to distract myself; which became easy when I saw the sun-covered hills and blue water of Guam. The plane landed and we waited just a little bit to deplane. Then we walked as fast as I could, through the hallways, to Customs. There were machines that we inserted our passports into. A lady helped me make all the right choices to process my passport. Then we went to Baggage Claim to pick up our suitcases. I thought everything would be inspected, but once we were through the doors, we were at the car rental place, no questions asked. Chris had the paperwork for the car and we were led through the parking lot to a black Nissan. The air was warm and humid. And it felt like paradise! The man told us that the doors locked individually, and a few other things. Chris asked about a GPS and he told us that at $7.50 a day it was too much. We climbed in the car and took off. I tried to read the map we were given but the road signs were a little misleading. On the other hand, we had nowhere to be, so we took our time. We found our way eventually to the Navy Base. They had a huge Nex and Commissary but we did not have the privilege of shopping there because Guam is part of the U.S. After a few wrong turns, we found the Navy lodging office. Chris talked to the ladies behind the desk at length. They gave us room keys and maps. The place we were staying was on another part of the island. We took a few wrong turns getting there, too. But it was a nice place. We parked and went to our room. It was cold! We put our stuff down. I went outside to take pics but did not have my phone with me so I went back to the room. We connected the tablet to the wi-fi to get a map, so we could see where we were. Chris asked the maid for the nearest grocery store and she explained where it was. She also told him that there would be fireworks for New Years! Chris went to the front desk to greet those ladies. They recommended a restaurant in town. Then we headed out toward the grocery store, but again missed it a few times. We tried little stores we saw, but they did not have fresh foods. I could see papaya trees with ripe fruit everywhere. At one place we asked, and she recommended a farmer's market on Tuesdays for papayas and said to ask anyone who had a coconut tree if we could pick their coconuts. Riiiight. Then we found the Pay-less. This was a real grocery store. We bought a papaya and pork ribs and sprouts etc. We went back to the car. The driver's side had the only key hole, so each time we approached the car, Chris had to unlock his door with the key and then reach over to the passenger side to unlock my door from the inside. Who designed this system? We took our food home. Chris put the ribs in the oven. Then we drove down the main street to the west until we found a beach park. We parked and went to the water's edge. I took off my shoes and walked in, in spite of the very rocky beach. Chris took some pics of me. The water was so clear, and warm. Did I mention paradise? Eventually, I came out. Chris dried off my feet with a towel and put my footwear back on. We went back to the lodge where the pork was almost done. I worked on a Sudoku puzzle. Chris also cooked some lentils. Then we ate the pork, lentils and sprouts. I dozed on the couch. Then I sat up and got on my laptop to check e-mail. Chris sat beside me and we watched two episodes of Xena. He played his game while I wrote up my blog. What a great day! I bought Chris a t-shirt for Christmas and he bought me a 10 day vacation in paradise. What a great husband!