Guam Vacation Day 1

Dear Friends, Family, and Readers:

            Today, I am going to start the first blog in a series of our spring break vacation in Guam. This blog will only be about our first day in Guam. The future entries will be about each day we spent in Guam and the last entry will be a hotel review of the Days Inn, Guam and the Airport Hotel, Guam. Our first day in Guam started out a little slow, but eventually started to pick up.  Since our hotel had a check-in time of 3pm (sorta odd right?), we decided to go to K-Mart and shop like an sensible Saipanese resident would do. While at K-Mart, we bought a few touristy things & essentials we needed for life in Saipan. My wife on the other hand also thought of some friends and the things they need or would want.  I will always admire my wife’s thoughtfulness and desire to remain “in-relationship” with people even when it inconveniences her or is hurtful to her.

            After shopping at K-Mart, we went to our hotel to check-in.  We stayed at the Days Inn, Guam.  I will save my hotel review for the hotel review blog entry.  I will say, however, that the service we experienced at the hotel was wonderful and that the rooms were kept tidy, but the noise around the hotel was probably some of the worst noise pollution I have ever experienced at a hotel.  I believe the reason for this is that it is situated along a two lane road that many Guam residents use as a thoroughfare to reach Marine Drive. 

            After checking in to the hotel, we decided to go to Two Lovers Point (a popular tourist attraction). Two Lovers Point offers a beautiful view of Tumon Bay and has a story about two Chamorro lovers. The woman is being forced into marriage with a Spaniard and because the Spanish have come to the island to claim it.  I am not too sure about the historical details but there was a Spanish/Chamorro war a long time ago in Guam’s history.  The woman and young man decide to run away and jump to their deaths off of the cliff face leading to a watery death hundreds of feet below.  On a positive note, while we were at the point I met a lady named Rose in the gift shop who used to work for a teacher at our school and she gave me the advice that Wednesday night was the best night to go to the Chamorro Village (Guam’s version of street market).  We also made friends with Glenn & Sandy, a couple we met after Glenn offered to take our picture with Tumon Bay in the back ground.  While I was in the gift shop, Kara began to converse with Sandy not knowing she was the wife of the man who just took our picture.  After telling her that we were Christian school teachers, Glenn & Sandy wanted to take us out to dinner at Outback Steak House as they wanted to bless us.  We could not turn down the opportunity for such Christian hospitality.  With them were three of their kids (2boys and a girl), all of whom were delightfully energetic.  In the end, we made friends that we will never forget. These are some of the pictures from our first day in Guam, I hope you enjoy. Remember to click on the picture for an enlarged image.

           

Kara and I in the center of a sandy heart at Two Lovers Point.
Our love just like sand gets everywhere hahah

Silhouettes of Kara and I at Two Lovers Point as she kisses
me on the cheek.

Kara at Two Lovers Point with the beautiful flowers that
match her shirt.  Tumon Bay, Guam is in the background.

A picture of one of the six or so concrete depictions
of the story of the two lovers.

The picture of the sunset at Two Lovers Point that night.

Glenn and Sandy, the kind couple who took us out to eat.
We will never forget their generosity and will try to do that
in the future when we have the financial means to do so.

I hope you enjoyed our first day there are many more photos to come in later entries.  Yours Truly, Grant