Dec 24, 2014

Tropical Christmas

 



Tumon Beach, Guam 

pIA

Guam, USA

Dec 21, 2014

Kelaguen Binadu: Deer Kelaguen

Kelaguen is a Chamorro dish from Guam and the Mariana Islands eaten as a side dish or as a main course. A pickling marinade of lemon juice, fresh coconut, green onions, salt and hot red chili peppers or donne dinanche is used to marinate cooked chicken, raw shrimp, fish, beef, or deer. With the exception of the cooked chicken, the acids in the marinade "cook" the raw shrimp, fish, beef, or deer instead of heat. It is served cold or at room temperature and eaten as is, over rice, or wrapped in a warm corn or flour tortilla. - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelaguen

Dec 1, 2014

Marble Cave

A short hike through the jungle and a quick walk down into a cave puts you face to face with this perfect blue water. Put on your mask, dive down, and at the right time of day this is what you will see. 
Mangilao, Guam

Nov 4, 2014

Election Day

Ridding through Guam today, my stomach began to rumble. Having forgotten my wallet at home there was no way to buy lunch. However since today was election day in Guam I was in luck.

Unlike the mainland US, election day in Guam is another excuses for the villages to have a fiesta.

Ridding down a small side road I came across one of these parties, was flagged down, and asked if I wanted something to eat. Of course I said yes and spent the rest of the afternoon talking with a funny assortment of locals.
Inarajan, Guam

Nov 2, 2014

Gab Gab Part II


Six years. Six years since I last swam with turtles. 

Fear, shock, and surprise are the emotions that explode through your entire body as you encounter an unfamiliar shape underwater. Your mind races to associate the thing you are seeing with something, just something that will not kill you. 

Oh its a sea turtle. The last time I swam alongside one, decent cheap underwater cameras were still a year or two off. 

Today I had a camera able to dive to over 59 feet that fit in my pocket. So as the fear subsided, I drew my camera from inside my wetsuit and began to shoot. As luck would have it, the turtle surfaced for air in perfect alignment with the sun rays. 

The six years waiting for technology and my own ability to catch up was more than worth it. 

Santa Rita, Guam

Oct 27, 2014

Mt. Pinatubo Offroad Trail

Capas, Philippines

Lost Lunch

     
You're alone and lost in a foreign country. Not irreparably lost. Its late morning, so you have plenty of sunlight left. The odometer shows you are no more than 30 miles from where you started and the local populace speaks English. The volcano you have been riding towards all morning turns out to be a mountain and the place you thought you were is not. 

Who cares, you have the whole day to ride yourself out of this adventure. 

Grain being dried on the road is a normal sight in many places in the world. There is something beautiful about the contrasting colors. In some places random chickens will be eating it, in others people will be raking it. 
Further down the road you find a sign with your name on it, you take a picture of course. 
Its still early, but you are hungry. You stop off in a town you have never heard of. As you take off your helmet people look at you with grins, wondering what this white guy is up to. 

The kind old lady serves you a dish of beef and offers you some soup. It turns out to be beef intestine soup. She makes small talk with you, casually mentioning that her daughter is single and has no children. She pushes the issue several times, but you have already caught a glimpse of her and know she is not your type. 

The entire meal costs $1.30 and you are full. Even better your stomach never misses a beat and the meal settles perfectly. 
You push deeper into the mountains finding a road that leads to the Aeta Tribe. As you ride into the center of the village, little children run into a hut screaming with excitement. Their mother looks out unimpressed as the children peer from behind her. 

From there its down into the river at full throttle into the sand and water till you cannot ride any further. You have no idea where you are, but it does not matter. You'll be having beers at the hotel by sundown. 
Luzon, Philippines

Oct 26, 2014

Honda CRF250L



Down the last of the paved road you go, straight into the riverbed. Standing there is a smiling man carrying a machete, wearing nothing but a loincloth.

Its the dry season, so the riverbed ahead is likely passable. Sand below, sandstone walls on both sides of you. There is no road. This is the place where you push yourself and the bike until the canyon narrows to the point where you cannot ride anymore.

It all ends at a waterfall dripping raindrops from above. There you stop, sit, think, and then rev down the ride without a road.

Puning Hot Springs, Pampanga