Hafa adai!
(Hafa Adai (pronounced as Half A Day) means hi/hello. it is the basic form of greeting in Chamorro language in Guam.)
I really had a great time in that state.Anyways, I'm always happy whenever I go anywhere actually, as long as I’m with my whole family. Unfortunately, my elder sisters weren't able to come with us, just me, mom, dad, ate joy and her boyfriend.
Everything that happened when we were there were all unexpected. Why? because, first of all, we didn't have any itinerary and we don’t know what we'll do and what's waiting for us to happen there. Next, we don't know anyone there, and lastly, it was my first time to go to Guam...but everything turned out fine and it's way too better than what I expected. Here's the rundown of my visit in the land "Where America's Day Begins"
We depart Manila at around 10PM via Philippine Airlines Boeing flight.
In the plane...
Our in-flight meal was sumptuous! Noodles with big yummy prawns,steamed little tomatoes, bread and butter, orange juice and Goldilocks choco pudding were served but I didn't ate my dessert because I was already full.
I'm not a sleep fan specially this moment when I prepared for a good sleep prior the trip which caused me to be very much alive during the flight, so what's for me to do but to just read a magazine and listen to music.I had fun exploring the plane's built-in playlist. I really enjoyed the songs and the bands I've only heard for the first time so I listed down all the songs from the playlist.;)
Welcome to Guam, USA
The Hotel
We were fetched by the hotel representative of the Imperial Palace Suites Hotel where we'll be staying in for four days. Imperial Palace Suites, also known as Ramada Imperial Suites is Located on Yapao Road (Route 14b) between Marine Drive and the Tumon Beach area. Our hotel is just a few kilometers away from the airport. The hotel rate is cheaper compared to other hotels that are in vicinity of Tumon Tourist district. Anyhow, I still find it accessible because it is located along the highway which makes it easy to go downtown in Tumon District plus the hotel offers shuttle service or you can coordinate with the concierge if you want to get a rent-a-car to drive you around.
GOOD MORNING!~ dad
The Plaza
We headed downtown via the hotel shuttle service. The driver dropped us off at the Plaza where we'll also be picked up by 7PM. Still early for our day tour, my family and I decided to stroll around in the heart of the clean and pretty pleasure island.
The Strip of The Plaza
The Grand "Sand Castle Theater" by day
There are a lot of shopping stores to visit here such as Duty Free, Louis Vuitton, Prada, ABC Store, Birkenstock etc, you might want to check out their website: http://theplazaguam.com/
Statue of Liberty
You may be wondering why the statue of liberty which definitely is standing in New York comes to Guam.This is actually the replica which was constructed by the Boy Scouts of America in celebration of their 40th anniversary. The statue is located in the Paseo de Susana overlooking the Hagatna bay/harbor.
Admissio Fee: Free
Fort Santa Agueda
Our next stop was at Fort Santa Agueda, honestly when Susan was telling the history of the place, I was not paying attention..I just learned from a website that Fort Santa Agueda was built to keep the bay and city of Hagatna safe, and provided defense from pirates for trading ships that were docked in the bay.
The place resembles our very own Corregidor with a spanish outlook and few historic cannons.
Fort Santa Agueda is on top of the hill and offers a spectacular view of Hagatna, Tamuning and the Philippine Sea
Above is the most popular coconut stand outside the Fort. The man sells shredded coconut drizzled with kikkoman sauce and topped with wasabe. I wonder what it tastes like.
Admission Fee: Free
I hopped into the bus and to my surprise saw how fast my skin got sunburned =P
Our tour guide Susan gave this Gumamela to me. She said that Hibiscus flowers also known as Gumamela are worn by Chamorro ladies to signify her availability for marriage.
Latte Stone Park
Latte Stone Park is popular in Guam culture. Lattes stones are built by Chamorros about 500AD ago and are thought to be pillars for elevated houses.
Just a stone's throw away from the Latte Park can be found another park named after my uncle..hehe
Plaza De Espana
A few meters away from the park is the Plaza de Espana. The place used to serve as the house of Governor.
Admission Fee: Free
Dulce Nombre de Maria Agana Cathedral Basilica
Located adjacent to the Plaza Espana is this beautifully constructed Cathedral which is the first catholic church in Guam.
The facade of the church
A statue of Pope John Paul II stands near the church
Two Lover's Point
I'm so excited to share our next destination because I fell in love with the legend about this famous tourist spot in the northern part of Tumon Bay, the Two Lover's Point.
Two Lover's Point also called Puntan Dos Amantes is a high point cliff in Guam where a legend has been told about a couple (the girl from a wealthy family and a chamorro boy) whose parents have not allowed them to marry tied their hair and jumped to their death at the 378 foot cliff. I could not imagine how in love the couples were that they chose to brave this very high cliff to be together forever.
The view from the top was breath-taking. I can't find words to explain how magnificent the place is.
I may be acrophobic, but I cannot miss this chance to see and feel the presence of this wonderful creation of God
quick stop in the souvenir shop
Admission Fee: $3
Shops!Shops!Shops!
After the tour, we returned to Tumon district and ate lunch at Mc Donalds. After lunch,we strolled around the malls within the Plaza and got a taxi to bring us to different malls.We first went to Micronesia Mall,the largest mall in Guam which is apparently owned by SM's Henry Sy. Micronesia Mall houses the famous US store, Macy's. Then we went to K-Mart and ABC Store etc. We returned to the plaza and returned to the hotel.
On the Tram
Fish Eye Marine Park
For our last day tour, we requested the hotel concierge for a cab that will pick us up at the hotel. We were talking inside the car and realized that the driver was Filipino, his name is CJ. We asked him if Underwater World is a good place for us to see and he recommended that we go to Fish Eye Marine Park instead.
Fish Eye Marine Park is located at the shore of Piti Bay marine preserve, one of the most popular dive spots in Guam
We walked through this long bridge to reach to the observatory.As you look around, you will see the beautiful fringing reefs Just have to say, seeing the view around me; the clean and crystal clear water and the fresh air, took my breath away.
When we got to this submarine-like observatory, the first things you'll see are frames of different kind of species that you can see underwater/
"Fish Eye's unique facility is the first and only underwater observatory in Micronesia. Located in the center of the famous "Piti Bomb Hole", a very popular dive location, you can see this site's amazingly diverse and condensed population of marine life. The observatory structure and pier also provides a special habitat for fish and other marine life. This extra living area enhances the diversity of over 200 fish species with a hiding place similar to the nearby natural coral reefs. "
Admission Fee: Adults 12 yo and UP - $10, Child 6-11 years - $5, Infant 0-5 yrs - FREE
For more details, you may check out Fish Eye's website at www.fisheyeguam.com
The Dream Show at Sand Castle Theater
Our new friend, CJ who also fetched us from Fish Eye invited us over to see a show in Sand Castle Theater. We found out that he is the manager for night shift of that grand theater and operates a taxi business by day. We're so lucky we got him as the driver. Such a nice guy!
So we came in at the theater and CJ assisted us to the best table there is fronting the stage.
My observation to this very beautiful, classy place led me to realizing that our group is the only one looking laid-back casual. I for example was donning shorts, button-down shirt and flip-flops. It looked like our visit was so sudden that we didn't get to change coming from what seemed like a field trip. Somehow true!
While waiting for the show to start, CJ gave us their menu and asked us what we like to eat and drink, on the house baby!
I'm taking picture of the gorgeous ceiling..hehe
Admission Fee: We got it for free!:) but I did some research and the adult price ranges for about $75 up to $300.
The Sand Castle, Guam is located at Pale San Vitores Tumon, Guam.
website: guam-sandcastle.com
Indeed, a great end to our Guam trip.
FAST FACTS:
Food: Yeah food!what I like about Guam is the big red PRAWNS available, approx. 1 kilo of prawns will be served to you alone.The first time we ordered prawn dish, we weren't able to finish it, we had to help each other to finish our bowls. Living in the Philippines, usual servings were really small so I love the fact that the servings there are worth it.
People: people in Guam is of Spanish, filipino, and american descent..but half of the small population I guess are mainly Filipinos, most salesladies and drivers that I've met are Filipinos. One of the drivers told us that Filipinos are more-- hardworking than the local Chamorro so the locals tend to marry Filipinos so they would be the ones to work for the family. There are also lots of Japanese/Korean tourists, and it's unfair because some of the periodicals/brochures/resto menu were written in Japanese as if we're in Japan. What about us??we don't understand japanese!ggrrr..Arigato!that's it.
Language- it’s very Philippines. anywhere you go you could hear someone speaking in Filipino. but the native language is Chamorro.
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