Anyone ever been to Guam?

WildBlueSooner · 06-16-2009, 06:17 PM

Looks like I could be going to Guam for four months here soon. What should I expect? What should I make sure I do? Cigars?

Thanks in advance,

James

Ranger_B · 06-16-2009, 06:53 PM

Ohhhh boy! Bring some smokes with you.

WildBlueSooner · 06-16-2009, 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ranger_B

Ohhhh boy! Bring some smokes with you.

****, what does that mean?

I dont like the sound of it!

pnoon · 06-16-2009, 07:08 PM

Send Eric (Goat Locker) a PM. He lived there for a while.

WildBlueSooner · 06-16-2009, 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pnoon

Send Eric (Goat Locker) a PM. He lived there for a while.

Thank you good sir

Ranger_B · 06-16-2009, 07:13 PM

No man its a great place. A lot like HI but great for a few months. If you dive you will love the place(as long as your command doesnt ban it). There are a few bars and night clubs there and I found the food great. The smokes I found there where not always the best. I did a lot of diving and beach stuff while there. The whole island felt like a strip mall but you know people have to make a buck. You have any specifics you want to know shoot me a PM. I may still have my trip packet around here somewhere.

ade06 · 06-16-2009, 07:13 PM

That's a long way from home. Good luck out there. I hear that we are building up our miliary out there.

WildBlueSooner · 06-16-2009, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ranger_B

No man its a great place. A lot like HI but great for a few months. If you dive you will love the place(as long as your command doesnt ban it). There are a few bars and night clubs there and I found the food great. The smokes I found there where not always the best. I did a lot of diving and beach stuff while there. The whole island felt like a strip mall but you know people have to make a buck. You have any specifics you want to know shoot me a PM. I may still have my trip packet around here somewhere.

Awesome...as far as I have heard diving is allowed! I probably will PM you later this week if it is confirmed I am going! Thanks

kelmac07 · 06-16-2009, 07:37 PM

James...there are a lot worse places to be!!! Guam isn't bad at all!!

WildBlueSooner · 06-16-2009, 07:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kelmac07

James...there are a lot worse places to be!!! Guam isn't bad at all!!

Oh I know...I am actually really excited. This will be the first time the USAF has taken me over seas

jjirons69 · 06-16-2009, 08:56 PM

Had a friend in the Air Force stationed there. He said there were a chitload of tree snakes. You don't see a lot of them, but they're everywhere. Don't walk in the jungle at night.

GoatLocker · 06-16-2009, 09:20 PM

Looks like you will be there just in time for typhoon season!

I spent 5 years there and loved it. If you like white sandy beaches and 84 degree turquoise water filled with tropical fish and coral, you will love it. It is pretty warm and humid, but being in the south, you are pretty use to that.

SCUBA diving is outstanding, as is fishing, snorkeling and hiking (known as boonie stomping there). There are nice restaurants, a mini-waikiki like tourist area and Guams famous Fiestas, basically big parties hosted by various villages on weekends. You might also want to visit the islands of Saipan and Rota just to the north of Guam.

Definately drop me a PM if want some specific recommendations!

pnoon · 06-16-2009, 09:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoatLocker

Looks like you will be there just in time for typhoon season!

I spent 5 years there and loved it. If you like white sandy beaches and 84 degree turquoise water filled with tropical fish and coral, you will love it. It is pretty warm and humid, but being in the south, you are pretty use to that.

SCUBA diving is outstanding, as is fishing, snorkeling and hiking (known as boonie stomping there). There are nice restaurants, a mini-waikiki like tourist area and Guams famous Fiestas, basically big parties hosted by various villages on weekends. You might also want to visit the islands of Saipan and Rota just to the north of Guam.

Definately drop me a PM if want some specific recommendations!

I knew I could count on you, Eric.

WildBlueSooner · 06-16-2009, 09:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoatLocker

Looks like you will be there just in time for typhoon season!

I spent 5 years there and loved it. If you like white sandy beaches and 84 degree turquoise water filled with tropical fish and coral, you will love it. It is pretty warm and humid, but being in the south, you are pretty use to that.

SCUBA diving is outstanding, as is fishing, snorkeling and hiking (known as boonie stomping there). There are nice restaurants, a mini-waikiki like tourist area and Guams famous Fiestas, basically big parties hosted by various villages on weekends. You might also want to visit the islands of Saipan and Rota just to the north of Guam.

Definately drop me a PM if want some specific recommendations!

Eric,

Thanks so much for the information. I am getting even more excited now! I will definitely hit you up for some more information later. Thanks to everyone who replied!

--James

TanithT · 06-16-2009, 09:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjirons69

Had a friend in the Air Force stationed there. He said there were a chitload of tree snakes. You don't see a lot of them, but they're everywhere. Don't walk in the jungle at night.

Boiga irregularis is harmless. Also kind of cute. They are technically venomous (rear fanged), but the envenomation experts who have intensively studied the species say that it's a non issue to humans.

I've worked with that genus a fair bit, though I prefer the more attractive and medically interesting species. They're fairly laid back and easy as pie to handle. And when they're not, mostly I don't care since a bite is inconsequential. It is somewhat annoying to get a faceful or a hand full of Boiga teeth, but really not that big a deal. It may bleed a bit freely as they have interesting components in their saliva as well as rather long teeth designed for arboreal hunting. Don't sweat about it; it's unlikely to get any worse than that. It is theoretically possible for you to have an allergic reaction (a type 1 hypersensitivity) just as with a wasp or bee sting, but that is a rare case, and unless that happens, the bite won't even be as bad as a wasp or bee sting.

The worst systemic effect anyone has ever reported from a Boiga bite is a headache and dry mouth, and that was from something much larger and more potent than the brown tree snake currently invading Guam. I am aware of the reports of one infant death and several infant injuries on Guam, but I just got back from an academic summit where those specific cases were laid out and discussed. The expert verdict was that it was not the venom that was the actual cause of death, but asphyxia. Whether this was caused by the snake is also questionable. The better questions to ask in the cases I saw discussed were, "why did the parents leave the infants outdoors and unattended for that length of time?"

Summary: those tree snakes = not much for humans to worry about, except that they have moved in and wrecked the indigenous wildlife. They're an ecological concern, not a human safety concern.

jjirons69 · 06-16-2009, 10:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TanithT

Summary: those tree snakes = not much for humans to worry about, except that they have moved in and wrecked the indigenous wildlife. They're an ecological concern, not a human safety concern.

Thanks for the info. Tree snakes = heart attacks for me!!!

GoatLocker · 06-16-2009, 11:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TanithT

Summary: those tree snakes = not much for humans to worry about, except that they have moved in and wrecked the indigenous wildlife. They're an ecological concern, not a human safety concern.

They are pretty harmless, but the Guam Power Authority would be lost without them, as they blame them for virtually every power outage on the island.

They do get pretty big, like 7-8 feet.

colimo · 06-17-2009, 12:16 AM

Sounds like fun james....take care...and enjoy if you go...

TanithT · 06-17-2009, 12:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoatLocker

They are pretty harmless, but the Guam Power Authority would be lost without them, as they blame them for virtually every power outage on the island.

They do get pretty big, like 7-8 feet.

They're correct in blaming them for the power outages. These slithery fellows are causing massive problems in that respect as well as to the local wildlife. They can be somewhat naughty and snappish, but are not dangerous to humans. Unless they blow your power lines while you are on life support, in which case you're screwed.

In their natural habitat these guys generally max out at 5-6 feet, but they're getting bigger on Guam due to the easy pickings and optimal temperatures. It's a shame they're federally banned; I would not at all mind adding some of the Guam giant Boiga to my collection. They are a bit drab and their venom is nothing to write home about, but at a size like that they might be fun to play with. Sneak me back two or three of those 8-footers in your pocket, would ya?

This is how much fun they are to play with.

WildBlueSooner · 06-17-2009, 04:27 PM

Bump

06-16-2009, 06:17 PM	#1
WildBlueSooner I'm nuts for the place Join Date: Feb 2009 First Name: James Location: Lexington, KY Posts: 3,322 Trading: (19)	Anyone ever been to Guam? Looks like I could be going to Guam for four months here soon. What should I expect? What should I make sure I do? Cigars? Thanks in advance, James __________________ "To dilute the will to win is to destroy the purpose of the game. There is no substitute for victory"-- Douglas MacArthur

06-16-2009, 06:53 PM	#2
Ranger_B Have My Own Room Join Date: Apr 2009 First Name: Frank Location: North Carolina Posts: 1,321 Trading: (31)	Re: Anyone ever been to Guam? Ohhhh boy! Bring some smokes with you.

06-16-2009, 07:08 PM	#4
pnoon YNWA Join Date: Oct 2008 First Name: Peter Location: San Diego Posts: 29,919 Trading: (20)	Re: Anyone ever been to Guam? Send Eric (Goat Locker) a PM. He lived there for a while. __________________ Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are. -John Wooden

06-16-2009, 07:13 PM	#6
Ranger_B Have My Own Room Join Date: Apr 2009 First Name: Frank Location: North Carolina Posts: 1,321 Trading: (31)	Re: Anyone ever been to Guam? No man its a great place. A lot like HI but great for a few months. If you dive you will love the place(as long as your command doesnt ban it). There are a few bars and night clubs there and I found the food great. The smokes I found there where not always the best. I did a lot of diving and beach stuff while there. The whole island felt like a strip mall but you know people have to make a buck. You have any specifics you want to know shoot me a PM. I may still have my trip packet around here somewhere.

06-16-2009, 07:13 PM	#7
ade06 Have My Own Room Join Date: Jan 2009 First Name: Ade Location: Philadelphia Posts: 1,190 Trading: (24)	Re: Anyone ever been to Guam? That's a long way from home. Good luck out there. I hear that we are building up our miliary out there.

06-16-2009, 07:37 PM	#9
kelmac07 Resident Maduro Whore!! Join Date: Apr 2009 First Name: Mac Location: Newport News, VA Posts: 27,322 Trading: (218)	Re: Anyone ever been to Guam? James...there are a lot worse places to be!!! Guam isn't bad at all!!

06-16-2009, 08:56 PM	#11
jjirons69 Haberdasher Join Date: Oct 2008 First Name: Jamie Location: Chucktown, SC Posts: 4,120 Trading: (94)	Re: Anyone ever been to Guam? Had a friend in the Air Force stationed there. He said there were a chitload of tree snakes. You don't see a lot of them, but they're everywhere. Don't walk in the jungle at night. __________________ Somebody has to go back and get a chitload of dimes

06-16-2009, 09:20 PM	#12
GoatLocker Dr of Quantum Inebrionics Join Date: Oct 2008 First Name: Eric Location: Sandy Eggo Posts: 434 Trading: (1)	Re: Anyone ever been to Guam? Looks like you will be there just in time for typhoon season! I spent 5 years there and loved it. If you like white sandy beaches and 84 degree turquoise water filled with tropical fish and coral, you will love it. It is pretty warm and humid, but being in the south, you are pretty use to that. SCUBA diving is outstanding, as is fishing, snorkeling and hiking (known as boonie stomping there). There are nice restaurants, a mini-waikiki like tourist area and Guams famous Fiestas, basically big parties hosted by various villages on weekends. You might also want to visit the islands of Saipan and Rota just to the north of Guam. Definately drop me a PM if want some specific recommendations! __________________ "I drink a great deal. I sleep a little, and I smoke cigar after cigar. That is why I am in two-hundred-percent form." Winston Churchill

06-17-2009, 12:16 AM	#18
colimo friend of Brother Maynard Join Date: Mar 2009 First Name: doug Location: centennial, colorado Posts: 1,322 Trading: (41)	Re: Anyone ever been to Guam? Sounds like fun james....take care...and enjoy if you go... __________________ Life is too short for cheap beer, cheap liguor and bad cigars...gimme a guinness, glenlivet and a good cigar on a golf course and its heaven on earth!!

06-17-2009, 04:27 PM	#20
WildBlueSooner I'm nuts for the place Join Date: Feb 2009 First Name: James Location: Lexington, KY Posts: 3,322 Trading: (19)	Re: Anyone ever been to Guam? Bump __________________ "To dilute the will to win is to destroy the purpose of the game. There is no substitute for victory"-- Douglas MacArthur