Guam OVERVIEW
To take the real pulse of Guam, don't loiter too long at Tumon Bay, press-agented by gleaming holiday brochures. If you stick around this gaudy zone thick-packed with duty-free shoppers, sporty beach combers and tipsy bar hoppers, you'll readily join those giving Guam a bum rap for allegedly having sold its soul to the Americans... or will be all the more grateful for it if that's what makes your day on holiday. But the allure of Guam goes a lot deeper than the island's urban attractions, and that's what you need to investigate first to make an unbiased judgment.
For those who prefer to run lone wolf style rather than follow the herd, Southern Guam unfolds bucolic expanses dotted with Chamorro villages, rolling hills, solitary beaches and stunning waterfalls. It is here that you dig to the core of Guamanian identity that has been for long years burdened with the occupants' influences. Catch the aroma of BBQ ribs wafting by and eat your way to the hearts of the locals at Chamorro Village Wednesday Night Market, or browse for the best of crafts if you're on a diet. Going northwards, drill through the US military base to arrive at the snow white sand stretches of Ritidian Point, a kind of imagery dreams are made of. And if history is your bug, it does grab hearts in War in the Pacific National Historical Park, a significant protected area honoring the sacrifices of the WWII Pacific Theater participants.
As usual,
de gustibus non est disputandum
, so the choice is yours. The island's center of tourist industry has little to take you aback but plenty to address the hedonistic pleasures of visitors, so you may well have the time of your life. But why go all the way to Guam for a well-mixed drink and a chintzy hotel lobby? Angle for the real thing and enjoy it while it lasts. That's what
we
would do.
0 comments:
Post a Comment