Long weekend in Guam

About a month ago I agreed to go with a friend to Guam. I didn't really want to mention it at the time, because you know, North Korean missile scare and all, but after some careful research and talking with parents at school who regularly do business in Guam, we decided to go ahead with our planned trip. I'm so glad we did! Guam wasn't really on my radar as a travel destination, but my general attitude towards any new location is "why not?" A four day weekend was a perfect amount of time to explore the island. After all it is only about 30 miles long (so you won't be surprised that we drove around the island more than once). I didn't really know what we would find when we arrived, except that it was supposed to have nice beaches and that there was a large US military presence there. So it was a true trip of discovery. 

First impressions: This is America! Being from the continental United States I've never really thought about Guam much at all, nor have I ever considered it a part of the US. However after one visit, it definitely is. As you go through immigration the wall behind the immigration desks declares "Welcome to the United States of America." The island definitely felt like I was (sort of) back in the US. With a huge K-Mart (yes, we went shopping), numerous restaurants that I would find back home, but also with a certain amount of businesses catering to the large number of Japanese tourists that come through. Guam became a territory of the US first in 1898 when Spain ceded the island in the Treaty of Paris. Although Liberation Day on July 21, 1944 when the Americans reclaimed the islands from the Japanese seems to be a much more popular date in history.

In fact while I was in Guam I learned quite a bit about the role it played in the War in the Pacific. There is a national historical park (definitely the most far flung national park stamp I've collected yet) that protects sites around the south side of the island. Since the majority of our weekend was rainy, I spent a couple of afternoons visiting the majority of locations, seeing left over (decommissioned) guns protecting the harbors and high points, bunkers dug into rocky hillsides, as well as memorials to the local lives lost. While there were not a huge number of locals actively involved in the war, it did affect a huge number of Chamorro (native people) and Guamanians when they were forced into working for the Japanese and then marched inland to concentration camps where many died or were injured. As in any war memorial, I found the memorial walls, with the extensive list of names of those affected sombering.

My weekend wasn't all about war history though. There are a couple of natural and historical sights that worth seeing. My two favorite being the Inarajan Natural Pools, a peaceful swimming spot on the south-eastern tip of the island, and checking out the lattes in Senator Angel Leon Guerrero Santos Memorial Park. No, I don't mean a latte you can drink. A latte is an original stone building block of the Chamorro. They were used as supports upon which the roof and sometimes the entire building rested upon. They are not widely used now, but are protected as part of the history of this island.

Of course I also spent time on the beach relaxing. Did a lot of eating. As well as a fair amount of shopping. Guam was a truly relaxing weekend away.

Long weekend in Hong Kong

Random beautiful staircase we found while walking

A few weeks ago I headed to Hong Kong with a friend for a long weekend. We didn't have much of a plan, but just wanted to go somewhere where we could walk around, eat good food, and get around fairly easy. Hong Kong fits the bill for all of that. It does make me miss having good, quick, public transportation, especially with how much easier it makes exploring. I've been to Hong Kong before so I wasn't all that interested in doing most of the typical tourist things, although I will admit I was excited to get to ride the world's longest escalator this time around. Although that is a bit of a deceptive title. It is actually a series of travelators and escalators that work their way up the hill from the harbor. The idea was to make commuting a bit easier for that area of town.

Colorful Choi Hung Estates

What we did do was go out and find all sorts of interesting spots for photos. The process of which reminds me of just how much the internet has changed travel. Most of the places we went to, we would have never known about before the plethora of photos that are now posted online. Andrea, the friend I was travelling with, was great at mining Instagram for idea of spots that we wanted to see. Those included the colorful Choi Hung Estate, an apartment block that is a literal rainbow of colors as you look up, as well as the Yik Cheong Building which is that quintessential snap of densely packed humanity that you expect from a huge Asian city like Hong Kong.

Yik Cheong Apartments

Perhaps my two favorite spots though were visiting the Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery, where the over ten thousand Buddhas was not actually the highlight (hey, one large number is as good as any other, right). No, for me the highlight was the over 500 golden statues that lined the path up. Upon returning I had to do a bit of research, as I was pretty sure that these statues weren't actually Buddhas. Seems I was correct, they are Arhan statues, images of individuals that are fairly advanced on the path to enlightenment but have not yet attained the level of being a Buddha. These showed a wide variety of features, and even situations. I saw one that stood out with its super long arm and others that were standing on animals (tiger, turtle, ox to name a few). It definitely kept the walk up the stairs interesting and entertaining. Although at one point I was wishing I had a statue by statue description so I knew more about each one. Of course then I might never have made it up the hill.

Arhan statues at Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery

Perhaps the most interesting and different stop was a quick walk through what is called goldfish street. A street that sells...goldfish. Something about seeing all those fish bagged and hanging from grates was just fascinating. Although I couldn't help but think about the guy in Turkey who used to sell goldfish from the top of his car close to my school there. So perhaps my fascination had something to do with memories. Or maybe it was just about how the bag changed the perspective on many fish. In any case it was a memorable street to explore. And seemed well tied to the goldfish that we saw being sold as part of the Mid-Autumn Festival decorations as well.

Goldfish street

Welcome to the ber months

Welcome to the ber months. That is what they call them. As in September, October, November, and December. In other words, Christmas has come to the Philippines. What, you think it is too early? There is no such thing. Signposted countdowns began with 99 days until Christmas (my personal theory is that they only wanted to do 2 digits, otherwise it probably would have started earlier).

Trees are going up in stores and malls around town

I will admit that September really only brought out the Christmas music...just about everywhere. I've been grading in coffee shops to carols for the last month now. As soon as you enter the mall you're sure to hear the recognizable tunes. September also brought out Christmas decoration sales at many stores, after all, they have to help people get ready for the ber months too. However, once the first of October rolled around the Christmas decorating stepped up a notch. Each time I walk around town I notice a bit more going up. Slowly large trees are being set up and decorated. The lights are going up on the streets. Malls are starting their decorations. Even with that though, I know it will only continue to ramp up as we get closer to Christmas. After all the two story decorations in the mall aren't up yet, the street lights haven't turned into trees and stars yet, and there aren't huge red decorations on the grassy areas of the neighborhood yet. But it is just a matter of time. Welcome to the ber months in the Philippines, Christmas is almost here.

Outdoor decorations are going up this month