Guam

After passing over the Marianas Trench, the deepest point of the ocean (over 33,000 feet in depth) at about 2 AM, our ship arrived later in the morning at Guam.  Naturally, we had to clear customs aboard the ship before being permitted ashore.  This did not take very long since there were a large number of immigration officials likely due to the fact that, because Guam is a US territory, most people are employed by the government if not the military.  About 40% of the island of Guam is occupied by US military bases.  
The weather is again hot and tropically humid.  We will not complain about the temperature, however, but rather enjoy the heat as it is apparently snowing in Tokyo, our next port of call.  
Gasoline prices are $5.29 for premium and $4.79 for regular per gallon, which helps to account for the high costs of taxis.  So we took the option of the the free shuttle to the nearest town which was about a 35-minute drive away.  There were long queues to board the infrequent buses.  This provided us with the incomparable delight of observing a fellow passsenger, who we refer to as Toothpick Man.  Toothpick man is a corpulent fellow, slightly unkempt and consistently scowling, who is never without his toothpicks.  Regardless of the social setting, toothpick man always  has  his toothpick present.  While he does store these utensils in trouser and shirt pockets, it is particularly de rigeur to tuck the soggy twig behind one's ear for ready access in case of emergency (that is when it is not, as is more customary, waggling around and protruding from the corner of his mouth.) The Cel watched in fascination as toothpick man used a single toothpick that he pulled out from behind his ear to firstly clean his ears, then teeth, then fingernails, then another round in and about his mouth and teeth.  All the while his wife (who was immortalized in the taxiomy lesson as a Fashionista) was wiping greasy sweat from the back of his neck and his back with her handkerchief and then plucking the back of toothpick man's shirt from his sticky skin and 'fanning' the shirt like a bellows to cool her beloved.  The Cel mused whether or not he would reward her with a toothpick of her own, or, joy of joys, perhaps the very one that he had been using to such great purpose.  But toothpick man remained largely oblivious finding her ministrations but one of her expected duties.  The scene was so repellant and gross that the people in front of us in line were compelled to make conversation with us so that they could turn around to avoid watching the spectacle.  Finally we were saved by the bus that took toothpick man and his minion away, while we waited for the next bus.  
During the drive into town we could see the surf pounding against the reefs which surround the shores of Guam. We were dropped off at the Hyatt Regency and went to information.   They were mainly selling tickets to a shuttle bus for $10 a ticket.  We later learned from fellow passengers that these buses were always full and required one to wait for several buses before getting one that was going in the right direction and was not already overflowing with people.  We did hear where free wifi was so we went to the Outrigger Resort to test.  It worked but not effectively enough to have Facetime discussions with family or to download Macleans magazines. At least Facebook allowed for a quick chat.  
We basically walked the entire shuttle route stopping at Kmart to puchase new runners for Cia because, we noted while she was sliding in the mud in Dravuni that the tread on the soles of her shoes was virtually worn away.  The town we were in is comprised of high end resorts that cater to predominantly Japenese tourists, and a number of high end stores like Prada, Tiffany's and Gucci.  The rest of the town is more in keeping  with a military  base island with numerous  tattoo palours, massage parlours, exotic dancing and karoke bars.  After a short period of time we we ready to go.  We decided that if we were ever to go again we would bring snorkeling gear and head for one of the beaches .  So we returned to the bus stop and there was chaos with about 100 passengers awaiting the bus and no organization.  So our 2:15 bus which we had targeted to get on, filled before we could board and departed.  We finally managed to squeeze aboard the 3 pm bus and got back to the ship at 3:35, just in time to take in the brief show by a local group who demonstrated Marianas Island cultural song and dance.  It was a combination of Hawaiian hula dancing and Maori body slapping.  
At 4:30 the ship was scheduled to leave and a coast guard gunship and a police boat joined the tugboat that escorted us out of the harbour.  The next highlight will be a scenic cruise around Iwa Jima.

Cruise tip: in Guam, rent a car from Budget.  They will deliver the car to the port and will pick it up there as well.  The island is not very big and the north coast is off limits but the coastal drive is said to be nice.  Alternately, if your cruise stops  in Guam, just stay on the ship.