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Exploring Guam and Saipan, America's Lost Colonies
Rate it! Votes (2) | Comments (3) By Tim Leffel Posted August 6th, 2007 Tim Leffel is the author of Make Your Travel Dollars Worth a Fortune: The Contrarian Traveler's Guide to Getting More for Less, (2006, Travelers' Tales)	Make Your Travel Dollars Worth a Fortune: The Contrarian Traveler's Guide to Getting More for Less

If you're an American, you can probably name all 50 states if given ample time, but how about all the US colonies? If you've paid close attention during the political party conventions you can probably tick off Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, but how about a few clustered islands on the other side of the international date line, a fringe of white beaches, palm trees, and spectacular diving sites, with weather in the 80's all year round?

Mention the Pacific islands of Guam and Saipan to most Americans and you'll be lucky to get more than a puzzled stare. Fewer still will know that the local inhabitants of these islands hold US passports and have representatives in Congress. The area was a fierce battleground during World War II, with both the US and Japan incurring heavy casualties. Eventually the Japanese were forced out and the islands became US commonwealths or territories.

Today the Japanese are back in force, but this time in swimsuits, carrying shopping bags. They are joined by vacationers from other Pacific Rim countries, as well as American and European expatriates who are working overseas. With as many signs in Japanese and Korean as in English, however, the military bases on Guam are about the only obvious signs that this is US soil.

Guam
Guam's Agana Bay and Tumon Bay are home to the island's beachfront hotels, with wide sandy beaches, beautiful and calm waters, and watersports. Agana Bay allows jet skis and parasailing, while Tumon Bay is restricted to wind and muscle-powered varieties.

Most hotels here have lush tropical gardens around their pool complexes, which often include waterslides, swim-up bars, and plenty of entertainment. Shopping is abundant too, though most of it is tacky tourist dreck not even made on the island, or brand-name clothing and accessories at prices that only the Japanese would think are reasonable.

Many golf courses lie inland from here and in the flat northern section of the island. Although courses are challenging and scenic, greens fees routinely top a hundred bucks for 18 holes. Fishing trips are popular and several record-setting catches have been made in the area.

The southern section of the island is more rugged and undeveloped, with some thick jungle areas, sheltered coves, and a few mountains. The rough seas make these areas popular with surfers and fishermen, as well as with the occasional nude sunbather or two looking for a private beach.

Hikers on Guam can boast of climbing "the world's highest mountains," even though they only stretch to a 1300 feet above sea level. This claim is made possible by a major loophole: you must use the measurement from the island's starting point--at the bottom of the ocean! The Marianas Trench is located here and is the deepest point in any of the world's ocean's. Measured from there, Guam's Mt. Lamlam is higher than Everest. (And you don't have to risk your life or cough up $75,000 to climb it.)

You can also follow trails down to small beaches, one of which features the remains of an old Spanish bridge and thousands of tiny hermit crabs. With such a deep point in the ocean nearby, there are plenty of unique creatures for experienced divers to find, including 880 species of coral reef fishes. Less adventurous types will also find plenty to look at as well, however, since snorkeling sites are abundant and most diving shops and hotels offer scuba introduction lessons.

Saipan
Saipan is smaller than Guam and is more laid-back, with hotels sparsely scattered along the western coast. You can survey the whole topography by driving straight to the top of Mt. Tapochao, the island's highest mountain. Most tourist attractions here are simply places where fierce battles took place during World War II, including a few massive "Banzai Cliffs" where Japanese soldiers and families leapt to their deaths to avoid capture and caves where soldiers hid out until as late as 1952, not knowing that the war had ended.

Most waterfront hotels have a beach to themselves, with warm turquoise water lapping on it gently. The environment is great for learning to windsurf, sail, or kayak since the water is shallow for up to a mile from the beach. There are some good snorkeling sites right off the shore, or you can take a boat over to Managaha Island for a bigger variety of fish.

Diving trips encompass a wide variety of dive sites, with the most famous being The Grotto. Here divers can swim through a tunnel from the sea and come out in a sunken, natural inland pool. There are 15 other official dive sites, including sunken World War II battleships.

Hiking opportunities here are more limited than on Guam since there are less mountains. One notable trail is located in the hills just past the Nikko Hotel. It is well-maintained and marked by the US military, who uses part of the land for radio antennas (for Voice of America and Radio Free Asia). The trail passes through some thick jungle foliage, but there are few steep grades and it is not difficult. There are usually varieties of colorful birds around and some big hermit crabs who at some point in their past climbed all the way up from the beach.

Saipan has four 18-hole golf courses, with great conditions year-round, but stratospheric greens fees.

Local Oddities
The Japanese tourism presence has resulted in some other unique attractions on both islands. One of the most noticeable is the proliferation of pistol and rifle shooting galleries. Gun ownership is illegal in Japan, so they get their kicks here by renting guns and shooting at targets in indoor ranges. Pachinko parlors are also abundant--the uniquely Japanese gambling game that looks sort of like a vertical pinball machine, with metal balls tumbling out instead of coins. And if you ever wanted to step into a real karaoke bar, there is no shortage of choices here, especially in the Micro Beach area, where massage parlors and sushi restaurants also fight for their share of the nightlife business.

If you want into get into the local rhythm, you could try getting a quick buzz from chewing betal nuts, join in a local village festival, or take a seat on the bleachers at a cockfight. None will take much of a search.

Food and Drinks
Harder to find is authentic Chumorro food, traditional dishes prepared by the islands' indigenous people. American bad eating habits have caught on big time here, with fast food and other fattening items from the mainland taking over. Guam's residents have the dubious designation of being the world's largest per-capita consumers of Spam.

The culture mix of locals and tourists sometimes has humorous results: where else could you walk into a convenience store and buy Spam sushi? Or find betel nuts for sale next to Korean kimchi? There are some good local food restaurants around, however, and the effort to find them is rewarded with some tasty cuisine, much of it using the abundant local products of coconut and breadfruit. The latter is often treated as a vegetable and cooked like a potato.

One of the most common dishes is kelaguen mannok, a spicy salad made from barbecued chicken mixed with crisp peppers, chopped onions, coconut, and lemon juice. Tinaktak is a beef stew made with coconut milk and different kinds of fish are often cooked over a fire while wrapped in banana leaves. Coconut crabs are an interesting local delicacy. They climb up into trees and eat the meat inside the coconuts, so the meat is very sweet.

Finding local beer is the toughest search of all, since there is only one local brewery in all of Micronesia. This is Pacific Universal Brewing (PUB for short), located a few miles from Tumon Bay in Guam. It's a large brewpub with a Korean-American owner and a German brewmaster, serving three kinds of fresh-brewed draft beer and a variety of food. Containers of the beer are for sale at retail locations where tourists shop. Otherwise, Budweiser rules the market and Asahi and Kirin battle it out with Miller for the remaining shelf space.

Guam and Saipan are both great destinations for someone working in the Pacific Rim: the flights are inexpensive and frequent, the language is English, and Americans don't need a visa. For someone on a business trip abroad, it's also a great stop after endless frustrating meetings in Japan, Korea, or Taipei. Or, it can be a nice way to break up a 15-hour flight back to the US from Asia. Whenever you go, you'll find sunny weather, beautiful beaches, and plenty to occupy your time.

For more Information on These Destinations

• Visit the Guam Tourist Bureau website at www.visitguam.org
• Visit the Saipan Chamber of Commerce website at www.saipan.com.

Tim Leffel is a freelance writer who just spent five months traveling through northern Africa and the Middle East, before spending a year teaching English in Korea. He now resides stateside in between adventures.  A budget travel expert, Mr. leffel is also the author of  Make Your Travel Dollars Worth a Fortune (see top of this page).

	Happy 2009 New Year's, Happy Valentine's, & Welcome To Guam! Written by: Nrop Gnippots Wednesday, 07 January 2009
	LATEST UPDATE: Here lays this little island in the Pacific Ocean that few have heard of unless from its mention in movies. What few realize is that Guam sits atop the highest mountain in the world when measured from the bottom of the ocean. Here in Guam there are military bases, beautiful tourism locations with white sandy beaches... and a dip after the coral reefs to one of the deepest part of the ocean in the entire world. Wow! Who would have known? What's fun in Guam other than hanging out at the beach for a tan? There's golf, jet skiing, sailing, canoe rides, a year round 80 degree outdoor temperature while hanging out at the tiki beach bars, swimming pools, waterparks, try fishing, or barbecuing at the picnic grills. If you enjoy site-seeing, take a drive around the island. The cliff views are amazing, not to mention historic caves and stone carvings. There's several malls and shopping centers if you need supplies. What about the night life in Guam, what is there to do? You could start the night off with dinner at a Tumon restaurant. Then check out one of the live bands at the pubs or dance at a nightclub. [Lecture: When hanging out at these pubs, don't leave stuff unattended on the tables, especially your cellphones, ipods, wallets etc., and watch your pockets when walking the strip... like any tourist zone always be weary of your surroundings, and do not drive if you've been drinking.] What about some excitement? If you really want to have a wild time that is less tame, try one of the dance clubs. After checking out several, my favorite is Club USA, very popular with the Japanese tourists and military personel. You can tell by how many stickers are all over the stage! Some of the chics that use to work at Club USA fell in love and married military guys. Most imported models at USA put on a very entertaining show performance, are well-proportioned, not overweight nor anorexic, have pretty faces and cute smiles, plus friendly personalities, and are single and available. The latest batch of new hotties worth mentioning include Eurasian Winny, Irish Blue-Eyed Honey, Hawaiin-Philipino Tiffany, Missourian Sylvia, Scottish-Native Indian Blondey Julia, English-Asian Hazel-Eyed Kimely, German-Asian Kwimi, Japanese-Korean Mina, Korean Bora, and French-Chinese Green-Eyed Kammi. There are many other chics that work at USA, but these are the top ten as far as overall criteria. When away overseas or touring the Marianas... party away with the Club USA chics, fun, companionship, and good times, yeah! If you're military make sure to carpool and try sharing a room at the Westin, Ohana's or Outrigger, in walking distance of shops and nightlife, that way everyone can party safely. If fully booked try Grand Plaza or Pacific Island Club aka PIC that has a wild dinner with fireshow, jungle costumes and a set like out of the King Kong movie with loud drum beats that rock the night away. Otherwise, if driving back... make sure to appoint your designated drivers ahead of time, that is an order.
	Guam and its many wonders... Written by: Nrop Gnippots Wednesday, 03 December 2008
	Yes, Guam sits in the center of the Pacific Ocean atop one of the highest mountains of Earth's creations when measured from the bottom of the ocean. I checked out the dinner show at PIC's Pacific Island Club and really was amused by the jungle costumes like out of Tarzan and Jane plus the set design like out of King Kong, along with the fire show and loud drums. I was also impressed with my next stop back to Club USA where there was a rockin variety of music, an international variety of dance performers... including my favorites of Mina half Japanese and Korean with sexy hip moves and Korean Bora with a cute smile, Tiffany half Hawaiin and Philipino with new implants but best watched from away of the stage unless you're into wild and belts, newbie Sylvia so petite and sweet, bleached blondies Julia half Native Indian and Scottish plus Honey whose an Irish ski bunny, dingly boxed redhead Scarlett and sexy hips Diamond both with neat pole moves, two tall blonde chics Joellie and Haley who both also athletic on the pole, Lesbo panther Sweet also neat pole moves, but my most favorite is Kimmie with aqua green eyes that hypnotize, long hair, well-proportioned, sexy pole moves, flips and baton act plus I'd of married her if I wasn't already spoken for, then there's Olivia with very amusing triple-Es that bounce. Anyhow, back to what's fun about travelling, hotels like Guam Reef and Westin usually require advanced reservations as these are mostly booked up, yet Club USA is in a little plaza on the 2nd floor in between these, plus Outback Steakhouse and several Sushi restaurants near there, so if spur of the moment likier to get rooms at Outrigger where DFS and JP Superstore is near or Ohana up hill from the Outback Steakhouse, or further down try Grand Plaza or want to catch PIC's dinner show rooms likely there. All these hotels are in Tumon in walking distance of the Tumon Bay beach with aqua blue waters. Also, outdoor tiki bars at Marriot and Hilton have delicious tropical drinks, plus many hotels have water rides along the beach for rental, including canoes and jetski rides, lots of fun under the sun and stars. Guam's a nice pitstop for a day and night of vacation adventure.
	Atop the highest mountain in the world with presence of military & tourism. Written by: Nrop Gnippots Tuesday, 30 September 2008
	Yes, here lays this little island in the Pacific Ocean that few have heard of unless from its mention in movies. What few realize is that Guam sits atop the highest mountain in the world when measured from the bottom of the ocean. Here in Guam there are military bases, beautiful tourism locations with white sandy beaches... and a dip after the coral reefs to the deepest part of the ocean in the entire world. Wow! Who would have known? What's fun in Guam other than hanging out at the beach for a tan? There's golf, jet skiing, sailing, canoe rides, a year round 80 degree outdoor temperature while hanging out at the tiki beach bars, swimming pools, waterparks, try fishing, or barbecuing at the picnic grills. If you enjoy site-seeing, take a drive around the island. The cliff views are amazing, not to mention historic caves and stone carvings. There's several malls and shopping centers if you need supplies. What about the night life in Guam, what is there to do? You could start the night off with dinner at a Tumon restaurant. Then check out one of the live bands at the pubs or dance at a nightclub. What about some excitement? If you really want to have a wild time that is less tame, try one of the dance clubs. After checking out several, my favorite is Club USA, very popular with the Japanese tourists and military personel. You can tell by how many stickers are all over the stage! Some of the chics that use to work at Club USA fell in love and married military guys. Now there's a new batch of single hotties... All imported models put on a very entertaining show performance. Olivia has the most well-endowed oversized chest at any of the clubs, almost amusing. Tiffany is so small she's adorably cute, yet performs like a wild maniac. Sweet is like a jungle panther, and Diamond is Wonder Woman on the pole. Kwimi has an alluring hour glass figure like the mermaid statue in front of the building of the club, and Kwimi does out of this world backflips, bends and a baton show. Joellee is very athletic on her routine. Grace has a spicey hispanic look, and Skye is an Australian blondey. Sassy is a very sassy teenager, Scarlett is fever hot, and Honey is an Irish ski bunny that use to work at a ski resort. Party away with the Club USA chics, fun, yeah! If you're military make sure to carpool and try sharing a room at the Westin or Guam reef, in walking distance of shops and nightlife, that way everyone can party. If fully booked try Grand Plaza or Pacific Island Club aka PIC that has a wild dinner with fireshow, jungle costumes and a set like out of the King Kong movie with loud drum beats that rock the night away. Otherwise, if driving back... make sure to appoint your designated drivers ahead of time, that is an order.

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