Guam - A Few Surprises

Glow in the Dark Fish at Piti Bomb Holes

We thought we had Guam figured out – An Americanized destination between Hawaii and Manila where we would acclimate to the time zone changes.  We were told the food wasn’t exciting and we shouldn’t expect much…Going in with this expectation, we were surprised to discover a few gems along the way.

It started at Hotel Nikko where we met TOTO, the sophisticated Japanese-style toilet that included what we’ll refer to as an advanced “cleaning feature” complete with instructions on its use.  Did we use it?  We’ll just say one of us let our curiosity get the better of him or her.  Do the surprises stop there?  Heck no!

We spent the next morning exploring the town (Tumon).  We ate at a local breakfast place named The Kracked Egg.  Jenn went for the Ramen noodle with spinach, spam, and poached egg – totally yum.  Matt added on a French toast slice stuffed with ham and cheese accompanied by apple Mogu Mogu (drink).  It’s like any other fruit juice, but with gelatin bits added for texture.  It sounds weird, but is quite tasty.  It’s apparently sold in Asia Pacific areas, so we’ll try some of their other flavors during our future travels.

Guam has a huge (HUGE) Asian influence and it is a popular Japanese tourist destination.  We didn’t put it together until we saw the TOTO and realized that many signs are in Japanese with English subtitles.  The food is Asian-influenced as well and we had the privilege of eating one of the best meals of our lives at Toh-Lee Restaurant.  Almost all of it was seafood (lobster, stuff crab claw (stuffed with more crab), whole fresh fish, etc.)  It was a flavor sensation and we ate every bit of it up.

We rented a car to further explore the island and found the usual activities – snorkeling, sightseeing, and pretty beaches (the best of which was difficult to reach, but worth the effort – Ritidian Beach).  After three weeks of “beach time”, we are ready for city life again – Just in time to leave for Manila tomorrow. 

Comments

[Elle]

Hi guys! I'm interested to know if you'd put guam on your itinerary again? I met 3 ladies from Guam in Thailand taking my yoga training last November. It peaked my interest in going there myself.

[DINKS Travel]

Elle - We found Guam to be a great stopover spot. It helped us avoid really long flights and eased our time zone adjustments. But since it is a seven hour flight from Hawaii, which is already a long haul from mainland US, we wouldn't recommend Guam as a singular destination target. If you are heading on to Asia-Pacific destinations, Guam may offer a nice diversion, especially if you have friends there.