Exploring Kwaj

I've been on Kwajalein for a little less than a week now, and so have had a chance to explore a bit more and learn my way around. First and foremost, the island is certainly bigger than it looks from the air. It's still not BIG - but everything is not within the quick walking distance I thought it would be.

My school is around a 20 minute walk from where I live... not bad. I made the walk a few times and it's an absolutely gorgeous walk in a beautiful neighborhood. I felt like I was strolling through a vacation resort.

But when I wanted to go out to a beach that I was told would be devoid of students (important for a teacher) on another part of the island, I wanted to check it out. But Google maps showed it to be about a 50 minute walk, one way (around 3 miles or so). So that was out... especially because the island is prone to absolutely random rain showers.

So it was time to get ahold of the ultimate Kwajalein transportation tool - the bicycle. Civilians are not allowed to own motorized vehicles on the island, so everybody just rides a bike. I didn't have one, so I picked up an aluminum frame bike (to prevent rust) at the Bike Shop a few days ago. Here she is...

I also had the chance to go out on a boat with some colleagues and attempt (poorly) snorkeling for the first time. I'll save that for another blog post, but for now I'll leave you with a picture of the sun setting off Emon beach. It's an absolutely spectacular view...