I know I took longer then I had said that I would on posting pictures, but here they are in full, beautiful color. Our trip to Talofofo. For anyone that has never been (I'm guessing that's a large majority of earth's population since most people don't even know that a place called Guam even exists) Talofofo Park is a small place. I would say that we wasted $25 seeing as we were only there for about thirty minutes, but the train and cave were closed (I'm guessing it's off season at the park) and the beauty was well worth the money as was the cute dog that traveled with us in our cable car, Puppy (no really that was her name). She rode with us both there and back. I don't know why she chose to ride with us, but it kind of makes you feel special.
Talofofo Park contains what else but the Talofofo Falls. As you ride in the cable car you reach a point where the land falls away and you are greeted by a beautiful vista of jungle and falls.
The cable car takes you down to the #1 Falls where you follow a slippery rock trail down to #2 Falls. The scenery is beautiful and you feel as if you are on an excursion through an Asian forest..... minus the animals.
You then cross a wobbly bridge reminescent of Indiana Jones and hike up a hill (steep) to the Guam History Museum.
From there you can hike to Yokoi's Cave (although we weren't aware of that at the time and missed out on seeing it) or take the small seat tram to the cave. Yokoi was a Japanese soilder who hide after the US showed up on Guam to liberate it during World War II. He was there with two other soilders and they lived there for several years. Both of the other men died and Yokoi was left alone there in hiding under the belief that the war was still going on and in fear of becoming a POW. He stayed in there from the time World War II was over in 1944 until he was discovered in the 1970's (I think it was 1971).
Twenty something years living in a cave. That takes determination...... of not getting caught. I believe that the cave in the park is actually a replica of the original and not the actual site where Yokoi and his two comrades hid out.
From the Museum you can walk a little ways up and you come to #1 Falls which has a lagoon that was rumoured a good swimming hole, but we saw a sign stating no swimming. We saw pictures of people swimming in there back when they dedicated the cave for Yokoi, but it seems today that swimming is no longer permitted. We don't know why.
Another wobbly bridge brings you two tiny alcoves that house many Buddha statues. The first one has a medium sized Buddha surrounded by many tiny Buddhas. The second has a slightly larger Buddha surrounded again by tinier Buddhas. There is a lot of coinage in there so I'm guessing Japanese and other Asian or Buddhist tourists throw coins in there for good luck or to have a prayer granted.
Climb up another slippery rock slope and you are back at the cable car to take the ride back up to the entrance. At the entrance there is a train that is open most days to ride around the park (it was closed when we went) as well as a haunted house (that also seemed to be closed). We went on a Saturday and fully expected everything to be open, but tourist season is probably over with the recent start of school and ending of the summer. It'll pick back up around Christmas time when all the Asian travelers look to escape the cooler climate.
We had fun but would have gotten more of our money's worth if everything had been open. At least we got the discounted rate reserved for those who are in the military and locals which is half of the actual price. Although I must say that there are plenty of places that share the same beauty here on island and are free or at least as close to free as you can get. A guided Boonie Stomp only costs $2 to go on and after 10 of them you get a free Parks and Recreation Boonie Stomping tee shirt. You can take the hikes on your own for free, but for two dollars it's worth it to travel with a group and have an experienced guide to point things out to you. It's just about the only thing on island that's a steal. The only other that I can think of would be the Chamorran Village on Wednesday night. It's such a big event that the locals come every Wednesday to ride th canival rides, check out the market shops and kiosks and to get the second best deal on Guam, barbeque. All the best barbeque vendors cme to the Village every Wednesday night and cook up some really great food. You get three side which can vary from vendor to vendor but usually include local favorite, red rice, Philipino pancit and any number of vegetables. You can walk away with a huge plate that will feed you for a few meals for only $6. Also walking around the Village you can meet all kinds of people from all over Asia as well as mingle with the locals who are very hospitable and love to share their culture. My friend Amanda and I went out one night and were offered a sampling of Sweet Tube (normally $1 a glass). I liked it but she didn't. It's a fermented drink made from the sap of the coconut tree. This particular concoction was only 1% alcohol because of the location of where it was sold. Beware other Sweet Tuba around the island as it can have a powerful kick. Only sample if you have a designated driver. For reals.
At the village there was also a fruit vendor. We were checking out what she had and we saw a strange spiny fruit. A man buying some explained to us that it was called Laguna in native Chamorran (I don't know if the spelling is right, but the pronuciation sounded like how I spelled it here) and that it was like their form of ice cream. He gave us one and told us to take it home and put it in the refrigerator overnight and then eat it the next day. It contains small black seeds (like a watermelon) that you have to pick out and is a little on the stringy side, but the taste is that of a slightly sour peach. A treat for anyone from the American south as there are few peaches (actually none) on island (that I have seen anyways).
Hmmmm. Reading this it sounds like a travel book. That's amusing and a little creepy.
:-)
