Guam - Green and Gorgeous! (Part 1): A Cross Between the Philippines and Hawaii?!

- December 21-22, 2022, Wednesday to Thursday.

- Have you ever heard of Guam? It's an island in the Pacific with a rather unusual situation. It is a territory of the United States of America, but it isn't part of its 50 states. Geographically, it is part of the Mariana Islands, and not too far from the Philippines. It is 2 hours ahead of the Philippines, making it the same time zone as some major cities in Australia like Melbourne and Sydney (without Daylight Savings Time.) As the westernmost point of the USA (and its territories), it is described as "where America's day begins."

- My family decided to go there for the holidays because we still have our US visas and wanted to go somewhere closer. Guam is essentially part of the USA, so a valid USA visa is needed to enter the island. It is just around 3 hours from the Philippines by flight, which makes it a quick hop to the USA from the country.

- We arrived at Guam at dawn of the 21st, and checked in at the Crowne Plaza Resort in Tamuning. (Tamuning is part of Guam's economic and tourism center. It's sort of like....take this with a grain of salt....the Guamanian counterpart to Hawaii's Waikiki.) We slept, had breakfast, and were off to explore the island. Public transportation is nearly non-existent in Guam, so the best way to go around is by renting a car. (A Philippine driver's license can work in Guam.) Most tourists rent cars in Guam, and we did just the same. There are public buses albeit irregular, or the tourist Red Guahan Shuttle that passes by major hotels, tourist spots, and shopping centers. Else, one can take taxi cabs (quite expensive,) or hail a car through a ride-hailing mobile app called "Stroll" (just like Uber or Grab Car.) By the way, Guam is a small island and it's possible to go around the whole island for 2 hours without stopping.

"Hafa adai" (pronound as "half a day") is how you say hello in Chamorro. Chamorro is the language spoken by the Chamorro people, the indigenous people of Guam.

- My first impression of Guam is like a small town in the Philippines with the Hawaiian island life. The ocean can be seen everywhere you go - not only because it's an island, but also because there aren't a lot of high-rise buildings. Due to its proximity to the Philippines, every other person you'll meet is most likely Filipino (either from the Philippines or American-born). Not only that it also shares similarities in colonial history with the Philippines, so there are influences from the Spanish, American, and the Japanese. 

- Our first stop was Puntan Dos Amantes, or Two Lovers Point in northern Tamuning. While the lookout was made in the 1970s, the story surrounding the cliff has been around since the Spanish times. It is said that a Chamorro lady was about to be married to a rich Spanish man against her will. The lady also loved a Chamorro man. Not wanting to part with her Chamorro lover, the Chamorro couple tied their hair and leapt to their death. Today, Guam is a popular marriage destination, and all those who got married in Guam are listed in Two Lovers Point.

The two lovers.

Sea.

I like how the sky and the sea are almost the same color.

As can be expected with any love-related venue: love locks.

The lookout.

Two carabao lovers.

- Across Puntan Dos Amantes is Micronesia Mall. Micronesia Mall was built in 1988 and frankly I feel it's the best mall in Guam. However, it is far smaller than malls in the Philippines, and it does retain its late-80s/90s look. By the way, it is owned by Filipino-Chinese tycoon, Lucio Tan. Apart from the stalls, Micronesia Mall is a must for Filipinos because it has the island's only branch of Jollibee. Just like any international fastfood chain, Jollibee in Guam is a little bit different but I like it too! (It's a different kind of delicious from the one's we have in the Philippines.)

Micronesia Mall.

Dito tayo, dito tayo, kung saan bida ang saya, Guam version.

Jollibee around the world.

My food. (Pardon me, I didn't have a full breakfast....so this was my lunch.)

It brought me back to the 90s.

- After our visit to the mall, we headed to the island's capital, Agana, for the Wednesday night market. As you can tell, it only happens on Wednesday nights, so I'm glad that we were able to catch the night market during our week-long stay in Guam. Since we arrived a bit early, we went behind the market to pass by the Agana pillbox from World War II, and Statue of Liberty replica.

Chamorro Village. (Yes, the "CH" in CHamoru are both in capital letters because a normal "ch" sounds like a "dz" in the Chamorro language.)

The Agana pillbox. It's called a pillbox because of what it looks like. It's meant to be a small protection shelter in wars. This was used in World War II.

Saw some traditional boats lying around.

The Statue of Liberty replica, made in 1950 by the Boy Scouts of America.

I loved this mural. Reminds me of Arabic and Persian murals. 

- That evening, I had fun shopping and eating at the market, and catching a glimpse of a traditional dance just before calling it a day. Or at least, right before our quick stop to K-Mart for some groceries.

Chamorro Wednesday Night Market.

There was place giving carabao rides.

The market sold souvenirs, food, clothing, and so on.

Cultural performance. It has many similarities to Hawaiian dances.

Guam's KMart; it's said to be the largest KMart (but disputable.)

Inside Guam's KMart.

- The following day, we headed straight to the other side of the island to visit the Valley of the Latte. The Valley of the Latte is an immersive cultural experience that shouldn't be missed! One would need to purchase a main activity, like the river cruise or paddle boarding. Most people choose the river cruise as it is suitable for all ages. The river cruise brings people to several stations, and a park staff will guide people through the place. Visitors are not allowed to roam around on their own. However, there is enough time to take photos so I personally did not feel hurried. 

That is our river cruise boat.

Saw crabs during the cruise.

This is an actual river by the way, not man-made.

Saw a catfish and other local fishes.

- "Latte" is a word that will come up in my Guam blogs. Pronounced "lah-ti," it refers to the stone structures characterized by a bowl-like structure on a based that appears trapezoidal. These latte stones were found all over the valley, hence the name "Valley of the Latte." Latte stones are mainly used as supports for traditional houses, so they are often arranged in pairs. 

These are latte stones.

Ancient latte site.

It was a big scary spider.

An ancient latte and a grinding stone (on the ground.)

- Part of the tour was learning about Chamorro daily life, such as the art of leaf-weaving, shredding coconuts, and making fire. We also had a traditional Chamorro plated lunch (grilled chicken and rice, vegetables, and local coconut pudding.) We were also encouraged to play a game of rock paper scissors. Winners were given a chance to choose prizes first, and the losers next. The prizes were hand-woven Chamorro crafts! Although I lost during my round, I was still able to get what I wanted - a woven Chamorro fan!

Adam (who is part Chamorro, part Filipino), teaching us how to weave leaves.

Now, how to open coconuts.

Of course, I had to dress the part too!

Our Chamorro lunch.

How to make fire.

With my woven fan!

- Another highlight during my visit was I was able to finally ride a carabao. Carabaos are not native in Guam. There were brought to the island from the Philippines by the Spanish!

Deer a the animal sanctuary.

Little pig!

My first carabao ride.

The houses at the back would represent each of the islands in the Marianas. (The house to the right was being built/renovated?)

- After a fantastic experience at the Valley of the Latte (despite the rain!), we headed towards the southeast of the island to visit Fort Nuestra Senora de la Soledad. One of Guam's last surviving forts, it was built in the 1800s during the twilight of the Manila-Acapulco Galleon trade. The fort was left alone after the end of the galleon trade. It was rebuilt in the 1990s as a historical tourist site.

Sentry post.

Spanish-era cannons.

I still have my Chamorro look.

View of Humatak Village (also where Magellan landed in the 1500s.)

Humatak Bay.

- On the way back to the city, we had a stop over at War in the Pacific Historic Parks. The national park is actually huge, and covers many war sites. However, we just went to T. Stell Newman Visitor Center to learn about Guam's involvement in World War II.

T. Stell Newman Visitor Center.

Inside the museum. (My favorite part of the museum was the air conditioning!! It was quite hot outside.)

Uniform.

Slippers, textbooks, and money used during the Japanese occupation.

May of Guam (rotated 90 degrees for easier display I guess.)

- After an insightful visit to the museum, we headed to Guam Premier Outlets. Celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2022, this outlet store carries some brands with a food court at the basement. I was quite surprised to see that the mall was quite small. Despite the hype, I wasn't too interested in the mall due to a lack of options. (However, if the mall carries the brand you like, why not, right?  I also appreciate that it has an ABC store, which is a popular convenience and souvenir store in Hawaii and the Pacific Islands.)

GPO.

 I also noticed how Guamanian malls tend to look dark and stuffy? Not sure why.

- That night we tried Meskla Chamoru Fusion Bistro, which is a restaurant specializing in Chamorro food. I enjoyed the Chamorro platter that had kelaguen (Chamorro ceviche), grilled meats, and vegetables. (Be careful, you will also see "Meskla Dos" around Guam. Meskla Dos is a more casual version of Meskla that mostly serves burgers/sandwiches and sides.) 

Too much food!

- Our first two days in Guam gave my family a good introduction to Guamanian history and culture. I honestly never thought of visiting Guam since I'm not a big fan of beaches and water activities (which Guam is known for). Now that I did get to visit Guam, I was happy to learn much about the USA's westernmost frontier!