My Yogyakarta on Lifestyle Asia Travel

Yay yay, another published article! I am extra thrilled this time because like my last article on Santorini, this one also made it to the cover! This time I wrote about Yogyakarta in Indonesia and the temples of Borobudur and Prambanan. It was an experience I won't soon forget, and I hope I did it justice.

I love this issue (Lifestyle Asia Travel, June/July) because it is the Asia issue, so you can expect lots of breathtaking pictures and alluring descriptions of places in our own backyard and in neighboring countries. My favorite is the very comprehensive feature on Macau written by my friend Pierra and photographed by her husband Toto. I was not planning a return to Macau in the near future but that's changed now, thanks to them.

Pacific Coast Highway : the road trip part 4

Shopping was the main order of day 3 in this city known for its microbreweries and more importantly, tax-free shopping! Surrounding downtown Portland is a cluster of neighborhoods each with it’s own distinct character and the shops and restaurants to go with it. Suffice it to say, we did some major damage.

It was the morning of day 4 and, sadly, time to say our goodbyes to Therese and to Portland. However, I refused to leave without trying the legendary maple bacon log at Voodoo Doughnuts featured by Anthony Bourdain in his Pacific Northwest episode. It was even more sinful and scrumptious than I imagined it to be!

After punching in Seattle as the next destination on the GPS, we were on our merry way. Washington state was just as beautiful as I remembered. The Columbia River, Mt. Rainier, the Cascade mountains, Puget Sound, all of this made for a spectacular scenic drive.

My heart did a tiny backflip when the Seattle Space Needle came into view. I’d been to Seattle twice before but could never get enough of Pike’s Place Market. After a quick lunch and coffee from the very first Starbucks outlet, we explored the colorful, noisy aisles of the market. It was too soon when we left an hour later.

Crossing the US-Canadian border was pretty uneventful. The queues weren’t very long and we made it through without a hitch. It was 7:30 when I rang the doorbell of my sister’s place in Richmond and practically knocked her down when she opened the door. If there was any regret that our road trip had come to an end, it was quickly forgotten with the joyful family reunion. I spent the next two weeks spending quality time with my sister and her family and having a blast touring Colo and Lizzy around Vancouver. But that’s another story.

Though we didn’t stick to the planned route, I have no regrets. Life can be full of surprises when you are spontaneous. And though taking the plane is the fastest way to get to where you want to go, there is a richness in the journey of the open road that is absent from flying. But don’t take my word for it, make your own road trip memories. Who knows, I may just see you on the road. :)

Tunes that make me wanna hit the road:

Magic Carpet Ride – Steppenwolf
Runnin’ on Empty / Tender is the Night – Jackson Browne
Slowride – Foghat
Lowrider - War
Free Bird / Sweet Home Alabama – Lynyrd Skynyrd
Midnight Rider – Allman Brothers Band
Boys of Summer – Don Henley
Life is a Highway – Tom Cochrane
Born to Run – Bruce Springsteen
Take the Long Way Home – Supertramp
Summer of ’69 – Bryan Adams
Touch of Grey – Grateful Dead
Long Train Runnin’/ China Grove – The Doobie Brothers.
Midnight Train to Georgia – Glady’s Knight & the Pips
Pink Houses / Jack & Diane / Wild Night– John Mellencamp
Solsbury Hill – Peter Gabriel
Have You Ever Seen the Rain – CCR
Fool in the Rain – Led Zeppelin
Southern Cross – CSN
Baba O’ Riley – The Who
Fly Like an Eagle – Steve Miller Band
Werewolves of London – Warren Zevon
Here I go Again – Whitesnake
Little Green Bag – George Baker
In the Air tonight – Phil Collins
La Grange - ZZ Top
Ants Marching – Dave Matthews Band

Pike Place Market

Pacific Coast Highway : the road trip part 3

Back on the road, I noticed many cars towing speed boats or carrying canoes as well as an ever-increasing number of motor homes. On 101 you’re never too far from the ocean or one of the many state parks. As I pondered the idea of renting a motor home for my next road trip, Therese announced that she was hungry. And why wouldn't she be? It was 3:30 pm! Almost immediately, my tummy growled in agreement.

At the first sign of food, we stopped the car. While the rest of us stretched out the kinks in our joints, Therese scrounged under the seats searching for her left shoe. We tried to help her look for it, but nada. Watching her dismayed expression as she balanced on one foot, we all burst into uncontrollable fits of laughter. Who loses a shoe on a road trip?! We figured it must have fallen out when she opened her car door while we gassed-up back in sungitville (we named it so after the less-than-friendly woman behind the counter). It was too far now to turn back, and fortunately Lizzy had an extra pair of sandals that fit. Somewhere out there now is a wistful man cradling a red 4” wedge platform looking for his Cinderella.

The Riverwood Inn, is a classic 1937 roadhouse, the type you see in those biker movies where Harleys are parked out front all in a line, almost possessively and menacingly, daring you to enter. It’s location along the Avenue of the Giants in Humboldt County makes it a popular stop for motorcycle clubs and tourists. It took a while for our eyes to adjust to the dim interiors and the floor creaked under us as we crossed the bar to the restaurant where we filled-up on fairly decent Mexican food alongside bikers and firefighters taking a much-needed break from battling the forest fires that were raging in nearby Mendocino county.

I suppose this wouldn’t be much of a road-trip without the requisite speeding ticket, now would it? As soon as the patrol car parked on the other side of the road pulled a u-turn towards us, she exclaimed, “Uh-oh, CHiPs!”. But she was the picture of calm as she handed over her California driver’s license. Later blaming her distraction on the giant golden bear statues back at the Klamath bridge, Colo admitted she had gone over the acceptable speed limit. Thankfully the cop, who was thumbing through the vehicular paperwork I handed to him, turned out to be very. He sent us off with clear and thorough instructions which included a list of options for dealing with the violation later, leaving no room for questions.

At the junction near Crescent City, we turned east for the shorter route via 199 then I5. We had another 300 miles to cover before arriving in Portland and if we wanted to make it there by midnight (Therese had to go back to work the next day), we had to forego the Oregon coast and save it for another time.

It was almost 9:00 when we crossed the state line into Oregon and the sleepy border town of O’Brien where we stopped for some gas. We had barely put the car in park and climbed out when we heard a booming voice, “Here I’ve come to save the day! How can I be your knight in shining armor, ladies?”. We turned to see a jolly-looking man wearing a cap that failed to conceal the laugh lines around his eyes which deepened with his smile, purposefully striding towards us. We were helplessly drawn to this charming man who was pumping gas for us in his self-service station. Welcome to Oregon.

It was my turn behind the wheel. Wispy clouds in twilight hues faded slowly into the darkness as drove along, thoughts of hot showers and warm beds filling our minds. It was a long day and I was getting sleepy. It didn’t help that Colo napped beside me, and it had grown quiet in the backseat. I wondered how truckers managed to drive their rigs and keep themselves awake on long, lonely roads. I gained a newfound respect for them.

We stopped for a quick bite in a KFC in Eugene before finally pulling into the driveway of a Victorian home in downtown Portland another two hours later. It was midnight and Therese’s charming 2-bedroom apartment was like an oasis for the weary traveler.

to be continued...

Also in this series:

Pacific Coast Highway : the road trip part 1

Pacific Coast Highway : the road trip part 2

Pacific Coast Highway : the road trip part 2

From this point, Highway 101 takes on a new nickname, the Redwood Highway. So named because it snakes the rest of way through northern California’s redwood empire and all the way up to Josephine County in Oregon. About 20 minutes west of the Redwood Highway is the Point Reyes Seashore where we hiked over the sand dunes and spread out some blankets for a light picnic lunch of cheeses, fruit, deli meats and bread from a quick stop at Trader Joe’s earlier.

We watched lazily and contentedly from our little spot on this long stretch of beach as a couple on horseback rode past us along the water’s edge while a couple of kids dug up holes in the sand and took turns burying each other.We must have been there for a couple of hours at the very least and it was late afternoon by the time we reached Marshall, a town famed for it’s oysters.

In fact, half the state’s shellfish growers source their supply from here. Colo, being a former SF resident and frequent customer at Tony’s Seafood Restaurant, proclaimed that they served the best oysters she’s ever had. Tony’s is a family-owned roadside seafood shack set on stilts above the waters of Tomales Bay, the very source of half their menu.

For this die-hard fan of raw oysters, these super plump grilled oysters topped with homemade BBQ sauce and some garlic was indeed a revelation! After exploring the market downtown for a bit, we retired for the night with a pay-per-view move at an inn in Petaluma.

It was now day 2 of our road trip and we had a long day ahead of us. Today’s final destination: Portland, Therese’s home and where she would be leaving the group to go back to work. The increasingly familiar voice of ‘Maggie’ directed us to 101 North and past hundreds of acres of ranch and farmland to our right dotted with grazing cattle and or corralled horses. We shared the road with tractors and milk trucks and the occasional flatbed. The left side of the road was lush with evergreens that perfumed the air around us. Overhead, the signs announced our approach to Healdsburg and informed us that we were another 17 miles from the next town of Cloverdale. Somewhere about here, I should have realized we were still on the scenic route but I was enjoying myself too much. Route 101's claim to highway fame is the spectacular scenery that is bestowed upon you at every turn.

We are about 2 hours into our road trip and the yakking in the car hasn’t lost steam. As a matter of fact, we never seemed to run out of things to talk about. Truck stops, fast-food joints, motels and petrol stations are familiar sights that turn into welcome pit-stops for us when we desperately need to answer a call of nature or to stretch our legs. It goes without saying that one of the best things about driving is that you’re free to stop whenever you please. Not just for a tinkle or a bite, but for all those amusing roadside discoveries. Somewhere before the big sign in which Willits proudly proclaims itself as the Gateway to the Redwoods, I spot a stand up ahead selling cherries and what looked like peaches. Freshly-picked fruits I can’t resist so I yell for Colo to stop so I can grab myself some.

It was in Leggett, CA, in the heart of the magnificent redwoods, that we came up-close and personal with these giant trees (some grow beyond 300 feet, making them the tallest – and oldest- living things on the planet!). We turned onto a dirt road and followed a trail lit by sunlight filtered through the trees. The forest floor on either side was covered in a wide variety of flora including three-foot tall sword fern bushes and horsetails. It was so beautiful we felt compelled to turn off the radio, and we were rewarded for doing so with the nature’s lovely music as performed by the songbirds above accompanied by the sounds from a nearby creek. This is why I don’t believe in wearing earphones when I travel. Ambient sounds and local music make up as much of the experience as do the sights and tastes. We emerged in a clearing where there in the middle was a 315 foot coast redwood with a 6 ft wide and 9 ft high hole carved out of it’s base. The Chandelier Tree is only one of four drive-thru redwoods in California that have become popular tourist destinations as evidenced by the souvenir shop, picnic tables and refreshment stands.

Not sure our massive SUV rental would make it without a scratch, we turned the side-view mirrors in before Colo eased the vehicle expertly through. This was actually more fun than I thought, a big part of the thrill being the fear and anticipation of hearing the sound of metal tearing. Now if that isn’t enough to lure you, maybe the rest of this little piece of paradise is. Our attention was drawn to the meadow with the duck pond at the center and apple trees forming a natural boundary. Colo and Katrina raced towards the pond then ran all the way around it chasing the wild geese while Lizzy and Therese sat on a log watching them. I walked around taking pictures, enjoying this peaceful interlude in our journey.

to be continued...

In this series:
Pacific Coast Highway: the road trip part 1

Pacific Coast Highway : the road trip

This is the unedited version of the article I wrote for Travelife about my road trip on the Pacific Coast Highway, from San Francisco, CA to Vancouver, BC Canada. I've been meaning to post about that trip so this is a good way to start, and an even better way to save me from having to write it all up again. :)

It’s late at night on a Friday, one of many typical Friday nights during the salad days of my HS and college life. I’m in the backseat of my friend’s Pathfinder pick-up which is cruising effortlessly through the dark and foggy, yet thankfully familiar, Tagaytay highway heading for the beach. The collective energy in the car is almost palpable: the windows are rolled all the way down, all thoughts of school and curfew have been cast away, Don Henley’s Boys of Summer is blasting from the tape deck, and we’re singing along with him at the top of our lungs while the cool breeze dances along in our hair.

Being on the road in a reliable set of wheels with good company and great tunes can put me in a fantastic mood. It didn’t always matter where we were going because getting there was already half the fun. So when it was decided that we would be driving to Vancouver, BC from San Francisco, I was over the moon! Not only would I finally be visiting my sister and her family again after twelve years, but I was finally going on a proper road trip! It must have been all those songs that played like soundtracks to road movies or those compelling books by Kerouac or Steinbeck that triggered my own longing to hit the road for my own adventure. There was no real agenda apart from arriving at the final destination. I wasn’t escaping anything nor was I trying to find myself. I was simply giving in once again to my wanderlusting, fun-loving and thrill-seeking nature, open to whatever the universe cared to toss my way.

The road trip gods had gifted us with the perfect sunny California summer day. Being the most experienced and confident driver of the group, Colo volunteered to take the wheel. I rode shotgun as navigator and Therese happily took the back seat. We would pick up Katrina and Lizzy in the city. The Chevy Trailblazer rental we picked up the night before was loaded with five women and five women’s worth of stuff with room to spare. Lizzy supplied the junk food and drinks and I supplied the tunes from my iPod with a playlist made especially for this occasion. My stack of printed Google maps had been discarded and stuffed under my seat, in favor of the infinitely more high-tech Magellan GPS which we named ‘Maggie’.

The plan was simple: we would drive up to Pt. Reyes, do an overnight in Petaluma, then continue on to Portland, OR, stay a couple of nights, then on to our final destination in Vancouver, BC, from where we’d take a plane back to San Francisco a week later. And as with most major decisions in life, we were faced with two options: take the longer, more rewarding scenic route via Highway 1 or the shorter but less picturesque Interstate 5. I suggested we take I5 all the way past CA/OR border, then veer west to drive the scenic route along the fabled Oregon Coast, to which everyone agreed.

But that wasn’t what happened. You see, Highway 1 which is also called the Pacific Coast Highway and Route 101 in certain parts, is the type of road driving was invented for. The type of road you see in movies or commercials where the handsome star in a red convertible has one bronzed arm draped across the shoulders of his blond leading lady with the over-sized sunglasses, while he tackles each hairpin turn skillfully with the other. It’s the type of road that makes you forget that you’re supposed to be about 50 miles east on I5. Yes, there is a reason it’s called 1.

It doesn’t matter how many times I do it, crossing the Golden Gate Bridge could never be a been-there-done-that experience for me. Whether shining brightly on a crisp and clear day with sailboats playing underneath or enshrouded in the famed San Francisco fog as it was on this day, it is certainly a thing of beauty which represents one of my most favorite cities in the world. Though the bridge isn’t very long at 1.7 miles, traversing it is like travelling to another country. One made up of sweeping rolling hills, redwood forests, rugged coastlines and craggy cliffs where you might half-expect a leprechaun to jump out at you from the side of the road. Except this isn’t Ireland it’s Marin County, and that was a wild deer, not a leprechaun.

to be continued...

Carlitos' Way

I've gone on many of Carlos Celdran's walking tours, some more than once, which I highly recommend to anyone who wants to learn more about the Philippines or who simply wants to be entertained for a few hours. Because much more than just a tour guide, Carlos is a highly-entertaining street performer.

Save for the photos I've taken while on his tours, this post isn’t going to be about that. If you're looking for information about his tours, please click on this link and this one. Neither is this going to be about my experiences on his tours because you already know I'm a big fan. He's been written about countless times by bloggers and has even been featured on television shows both here and abroad, even making it to Time and Lonely Planet.

Instead, I’d like to share with you some interesting tidbits about Carlos' past and personal life that most of you probably don’t know. There was quite a few items I had to leave out because they’re not meant to be published and I didn’t want to be responsible for ruining his reputation. ;)

If These Walls Could Talk collage

As early as the 5th grade, Carlos designed his own cards with the cutest caricatures and witty sayings. I remember the first one I ever received from him, I think it was for my birthday, and I was amazed! It looked like the work of a professional graphic artist rather than that of a 10 yr old. At that moment, I knew this guy was going to be famous someday.

He slept through school. Literally. As you can imagine, this amused his classmates but drove his teachers batty. He got away with it, because each time they caught him sleeping and tried to get him with a difficult question, he managed to answer it correctly.

He knew a whole lot about anything and everything without having the slightest ‘know-it-all’ attitude that usually comes with the territory. You can talk to him about anything!

He swallowed mayonnaise by the spoonfuls just to gross us out.

He once shaved off our girl friends hair on stage, for art’s sake.

Carlos was the youngest cartoonist of the Samahang Kartunista ng Pilipinas. He had a funny comic strip in Business Day & Manila Chronicle called Bar Sins.

He played Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar at the Metropolitan Theater, but was rejected when he auditioned for the Miss Saigon London cast.

The North Bank tour collage

Whatever is the opposite of OC, that’s Carlos. His room and car looked like mini-landfills.

He’s the man responsible for the designs of the then famous Island Spice T-shirts. With the profits he made from the shirts, he replanted an entire forest in Mindoro, single-handedly driving the trees across the channel.

In between all the careless partying and beach-bumming that made up our high school life, Carlos was already an active member of the Haribon Foundation.

His bathroom mirror had “Lose weight, Charlie!” written across it in permanent marker.

While everyone around him was going through teenage angst, and struggling with the trials that come with puberty and high school, Carlos was just…..steady. Nothing fazed him. He was our rock, and that was always comforting.

And I bet you didn’t know Manila’s favorite tour guide CAN SING! During the Battle of the Bands, he treated us to a fantastic rendition of Hotel California!

All the way down to Chinatown collage

His first car was a silver VW bug with a green stripe that would noisily announce his approach from 2 blocks away.

He was our comedian, our jester and our clown without even trying to be.

He’s been known to take his dog with him to a meeting with one of the heads of a big corporation.
He secretly dropped out of UP to live like a hippy in Baguio.

He was already frequenting Penguin and Cosa Nostra long before Malate became a popular bohemian hang-out.

When he had used up all his allowance, Carlos would borrow small change from different people in school, in the pretense of using it to make a phone call, until eventually he would come away with more food from the cafeteria than those who donated their change

Living La Vida Imelda collage

Our friend John claims you could count on Carlos to lock his keys inside his car especially when it was raining cats and dogs, and most definitely lose his parking ticket as well.

He once dated a 250 lb lady doctor whom he painted nude, before he married Tesa. But he himself also posed nude for other artists while in college at RISD.

Carlos is a genius. He’s like the Rain man, but not quite autistic. Just a naturally tremendously talented artist and intelligent person.

But those who know Carlos and know him well, will attest to the fact that he was the one person you could count on to cheer you up no matter how down and out you are, because within a minute in his presence you’re sure to be laughing your butt off.

Carlos shows us how it's done - at a temple in Chinatown

HS Grad Picture

Follow these links for some articles on Carlos:
Carlos Celdran is changing the way you look at Manila - by Pepper Marcelo
A Walk through History - by Trina de la Rama
Walk the Talk with Nostalgia - for Go Negosyo
Local Heroes - by Irwin Cruz

I survived the Guam shopathon

view from Two Lovers' Point

Wanderlust had gotten the better of me that before I knew it I had overbooked myself for the month of February with a trip planned every weekend. It all started with a journey to the north (Ilocos), a day trip to Clark for the hot-air balloon festival the weekend after, followed by an overnight tour of Corregidor with Carlos (will write about this very soon!), and then that lovely long weekend in Bohol. As if that wasn't dizzying enough, I threw in yet another destination, this time to Guam, for the last weekend.

It might sound crazy to some, and yes a schedule like that can be quite exhausting. But if you're like me and you get energized on the road instead of on the couch, you'll understand why I do this to myself. I'm usually tired at the end of a trip, but it's a happy tired. Travel is my drug and I'm hopelessly addicted! So when I found out about PAL's $98 (exclusive of taxes) promo for Guam, slave as I am to my addiction, I took a hit and went for the ride. :)

Our group of six arrived in Agana, the capital of the island territory of Guam, at the ungodly hour of 5:00 am. But that was no problem, we had it all planned. We would dump our luggage at the hotel lobby then proceed to the 24-hour K-Mart where we kicked off our weekend of hard-core shopping. Oh yes, two full days of tax-free shopping, and we shopped like we've never shopped before and until I got blisters on the balls of both my feet (my mistake for wearing flip-flops instead of trainers!). If you know me well, you'll know I have a very short attention span for shopping unless it involves a local food market or local arts and crafts, so this will come as a shock to you. But for someone as - ahem! ;) -voluptuous as I am who is seriously deprived of off-the-rack shopping in the Philippines, or anywhere in Asia for that matter, where everything is made for the teeny-tiny Asian body, it was much needed retail therapy!

Guam Premium Outlets

After Kmart, we had breakfast at Shirley's Coffee Shop, the diner beside our hotel (recommended by Santos) that serves up hefty Chamorro, American and Asian comfort food. It's a daunting task perusing their large menu and faced with so many choices such as steaks, scrambles and omelettes, french toasts and waffles, porkchops, curries, yakisobas, country fried chicken, salmon fillets, English muffins, grilled seafood, sweet and sour pork and other Chinese stir-fries. Evetually I settled for the Chamorro sausage with eggs, Shirley's award-winning fried rice and some nice fluffy pancakes. The servings were huge but shopping can sure make you hungry. The Chamorro sausages were delicious! They were served sliced and fried to perfection, hot and spicy, just how I like 'em. The fried rice came chockful of diced ham, carrots, green onions and egg, and really was a meal on it's own. We washed it all down with an obscene amount of coffee. We enjoyed Shirley's so much for our first meal, that we chose it for our last meal too.

two lovers at Two Lover's point :)

Fueled with that power breakfast and with caffeine finally in our system, we checked in quickly at the hotel before setting out for more shopping. A couple of my friends stayed at The Marriott while the rest of us chose the Hotel Santa Fe in Tamuning, a rose-colored adobe-style boutique hotel situated on Hagatna Bay. The rooms were cheerful and sunny and the beds were comfortable. I was happy. The hotel's restaurant, The Grille, is around the back by the beach. It looked like a lovely place for a sunset cocktail and some beach BBQ. Unfortunately, we never had a chance to enjoy this little pleasure.

Getting around Agana is a breeze with the Lam Lam Trolley system of four color-coded courses that make regularly scheduled runs to most shopping centers, hotels and tourist spots. We bought the 7-day unlimited pass which is a better value at $10 compared to 2 one-day passes at $6 each. We spent the rest of the day at the Guam Premier Outlets or GPO, that housed stores such as Ross, Anne Klein, BCBG, Payless Shoe Source, Nine West, Nike Sports, Guess & Levi's. So we hopped-on and hopped-off the open-air trolleys conveniently, unloading bags at the hotel just 5 minutes away and going back for more. They just make it too easy for you to spend your money here!

symbols of eternal love on Two Lovers' Point

For dinner we went with another recommendation by Santos - the Jamaican Grill - for some jerk BBQ. We were joined by an old friend I hadn't seen since he moved away after high schoool and his friend (who turned out to be a former actor in the Philippines), both now residents of Guam. We shared the huge family platter of Kingston Jerk chicken and a slab of Boston Beach ribs served over a mountain of Jamaican rice with salad on the side. The restaurant had a festive ambience that pulsated to reggae beats and appeared to be very popular for families. The meat was juicy and moist and we dug in until there was nothing left but squeaky clean bones on our plates.

Tumon's entertainment and shopping strip

We kicked off the next day with a massive brunch at Denny's before hitting the outlets one more time. There were some exchanges that needed to be made and last-minute purchases before we could make our way to Macy's at the Micronesia Mall which had an ongoing sale. In Macy's, I spent a good amount of time drooling over the Martha Stewart kitchen and dining collection but didn't buy much. I had to be practical since we still had some sight-seeing to do after Macy's and a baggage allowance to be watchful of. But I did buy some small items which I couldn't resist. :)

And finally, we headed out to our one and only tourist attraction on this trip, the Two Lovers Point. We arrived shortly before sunset. Two Lovers' Point is the island's most visited landmark and it is from here, 378 feet above sea level, that you are presented with a panoramic view of Tumon and the west central coast of the island. The legend tells of the beautiful daughter of a Spanish aristocrat and a young Chamorro warrior who fell in love but were forbidden to be together in this world; so off this cliff they leaped to their death so they could be together in eternity. Sigh, I love these tragic/romantic tales. The romance was not lost on the others. On the wire fence that surrounded both upper and lower decks are hundreds of locks left by couples as a symbol of their eternal love. Seeing them shine in the golden glow of the sun's remaining rays, I couldn't help but smile.

We took the last trolley out from Two Lovers Point to DFS Galleria, where we literally breezed through the high-end stores. DFS is located right across The Plaza where you can find more exclusive brands, on Tumon's most happening road known as Hotel Row. It is reminiscent of the Vegas Strip complete with Vegas-style magic shows, clubs, and restaurants. We had wanted to eat at Sam Choy's but after hearing mass at the chuch in Tamuning, we were too lazy to head back there. We opted instead for, you guessed it!, more shopping. This time for goodies at the grocery near our hotel. It was here that I decided to be true to my Pinoy heritage and purchase a balikbayan box (large cardboard box Filipinos usually use to ship gifts home to their families) because I had a serious space problems. However, the box only gave me more reason to buy more since I now had more space. What I failed to consider was how the heck we were going to lug everything back to hotel a few blocks away. The bags were heavy and no taxis would come take us because it was too near. Fortunately, I have strong friends who were kind enough to suffer along with me! Thanks, guys! :)

So that was my Guam experience in a nutshell. Sorely lacking in attractions and experiences other than shopping that it fit in one post. heehee. But I loved it, I loved everything I bought and I loved Guam. I think I may even love it enough to live there. It's got the best of both worlds: island lifestyle and urban living. It is a unique amalgam of western and chamorro culture with a generous sprinkling of Filipino flavor. It felt a little strange being on an island in Micronesia, paying in $US but conversing mostly in Filipino.

I'm definitely not done with Guam. That was a sneak preview at most. A good friend of mine is returning to Guam for good sometime in May. She's currently packing up her stuff in Arizona to move back to the place she has called home since she moved there straight after college. I'd let her take me to her favorite places, it would be so nice to see Guam through her eyes. And hopefully that time, I can finally meet Santos and thank her in person for the lovely presents she left at my hotel lobby! :)

Hotel Santa Fe, 132 Lagoon Drive, Tamuning; Tel. # (671) 647-8855
Shirley's Coffee Shop, Tamuning; Tel. # (671)646-2288
Jamaican Grill, Tumon; Tel # (671)647-3000/4000
Lam Lam Tours; Tel. # (649)5314/5; (brochures available at your hotel lobby)