Guam's Cultural Charm - Random thoughts!

Hafa Adai! (sounds like "haf a day"), which means hello, how's it going?!

This was my first trip to Guam. Here are some of my impressions, and then I will make one more post with some "travel tips" to Guam. Again, these are my impressions, and may or may not jibe with the "facts". My impressions are based on living in the mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. my entire life. I see all of my comments as being a part of the "Guam charm". This is a very ALIVE place!

First of all - this is America. They speak English. They use the dollar.

It is 8 hours BEYOND Hawaii! Whew! Hard to believe, when you are looking down from an airplane, while getting leg cramps (!!) that the ancients traversed this distance in outrigger canoes! It's mind bogging!

Because Guam is protected by a coral reef, the waves break WAY out on the horizon. The water has indescribable shades of indigo, turqoise, seafoam green, and violet!

It's not "air conditioning", or "AC", or "Air" - it is called "Air-Con", like some military operation or Hollywood flick. So don't get confused! :-)

They drink lots of iced tea, sweetened with a liquid sugar/water mixture. (I am guessing because this is Asian, and also packs of sugar might get hard in heat and humidity.) Sometimes this is in a pour jar, and sometimes in a small "creamer" sized package called "Gum Syrup". Cheesecake is always a featured dessert.

The locals CANNOT understand what happens stateside with all the massive damage in Florida and the East Coast from hurricane winds! They live in cement fortresses for houses, with built-in aluminum storm shutters. Their power poles are cement and rebar, not wood. So when a storm is coming, one merely stocks up on batteries and bottled water, and spends a few minutes bolting the shutters, and then hunkers down and waits. Some cars are not safe, but people generally are. You would never see an entire village "leveled" by winds in Guam. Typhoons hit 180 mph. When it's over, yard work is the biggest nuisance for many people. They do NOT understand U.S. government policy that would allow stick-built wooden homes to continually be reconstructed in storm-prone areas. There is no massive "screwing of plywood over windows" operations in Guam. They were calling for a typhoon while we were there, and it was truly amazing to see how this culture mobilized, did not panic, and simply took care of business. And then, per the odds, the storm shifted and missed us.

You don't see many birds other than chickens, even in the jungle. I saw a few sparrows by a hotel. The brown tree snake was accidentally introduced to Guam and has eaten most of the birds. Google for more information. It's a good thing they have pretty fish!

They have green or brown gecko lizards the way we have houseflys. They get in and out of the houses, and I even saw one strolling across the TV screen. The locals don't even react. It would be like "catching flys". Ha! Ha! There is always another one, and they are harmless.

Japanese tourists smile and do "peace signs" with their fingers when getting their pictures taken. They wave them about. Reminded me of Nixon!

Guam is the "Las Vegas" for the Japanese. Lot's of Japanese weddings and wedding chapels going on 24/7. The bride and groom were always dressed in stylish Western wedding clothes - tux and gown.

The locals AND the Japanese tourists are PAINFULLY polite! A typical job advertisement often includes the qualification of "must be polite and friendly". You will ALWAYS feel welcomed on Guam!

This is a bountiful land! Chickens, fruits and vegetables, growing wild everywhere. No one goes hungry on Guam. Coconuts, bananas, breadfruits, mangoes, papayas, fish, chickens, etc. Let alone the village fiestas. And of course, the infamous Betel Nut trees, which you can google. :-)

There have been lots of wild chickens here for a LONG time. It's "free range hen" paradise here! Even Ferdinand Magellan, when he discovered Guam, commented about the wild chickens. The chickens are brightly colored.

Roosters crow 24/7, and not only at dawn.

Check out the local DJ/comedians/singers called Malafunkshun. They are on K94, at 93.9 if I remember correctly. These guys parody the most popular hit songs in a very Chamorro way, and also engage in local political satire. They are hilarious. Their CDs are only available in Mom and Pop stores on Guam. I've been unable to locate any stateside.

There are a lot of homeless dogs wandering about in packs, aimlessly looking for food. They are called "boonie dogs". The ones I saw were not overly agressive, but I wouldn't try to pet them. I was told that there is no "rabies" on this island.

They also like pit bulls here! I never saw a pit bull "boonie dog". The boonies look to be a mix based in shephard/rottweiler. But once I DID see a "wiener dog" boonie dog! :-)

It's hot and humid. We were here mid-March to mid-April, and the temperature was a consistent 88 degrees. But somehow, it feels more hot than 88 degrees does at home on the East Coast. I poured sweat the whole time. The ocean breeze makes the humidity deceptive. It's not muggy and hazy, but it IS still humid despite the constant wind! It takes awhile to adjust to the temperature, especially if you came from a cold season (winter) like we did! :-)

This is a VERY patriotic island. The islanders/Chamorros are our fellow Americans and VERY friendly, with great senses of humor. There is a lot of laughter and fun here. Because of the Catholic influence, this is a VERY "family-friendly" island.

There is a bit of unsavory Asian culture going on, but it is "under the radar". Your kids won't know it, but beware the "Karaoke Bars" and SOME of the "massage facilities". There are genuine massage spas, as the Asian tourists love getting massages and body scrubs and the like, but there are also some "parlors" as well. Generally, you can tell the difference from the signs. My understanding is that, although there IS Karaoke going on in the Karaoke bars, this is also a sort of "code word", for "girls with back rooms available". I only saw a few Karaoke bars, but a LOT of massage facilities. I did NOT see a "red light district" anywhere, like you can see in big cities stateside. So again, it was actually more "hidden" than it is in some big cities here.

I noticed that the local teens seemed less outrageous and the girls were definately more conservative than here stateside. There were children EVERYWHERE. Families are prized, as are children.

On the other hand, there WAS some vandalism and a lot of graffiti writing, it seemed. Restless, island-bound teens, I guess. There's a flip-side to everything.

And the locals are related to EVERYONE! :-) Something like, "my great-aunt Maria's cousin's husband's sister-in-law" is a pretty common statement. It's really interesting! I could not count the times I was listening to one local speak to another local, and at some point one of them would get excited and say, "Oh, yeah, I'm related to that guy!" It was just surreal for a statesider like me. Everyone is related to everyone here, and there seems to be some sort of programmed genetic coding to be able to recall hundreds of one's distant relatives, three times or more removed. :-) I mean, I haven't seen my brother in 3 years now, but these folks see their 3rd cousins more often than that! :-)

The military influence, from both a U.S. Naval base AND Anderson Air Force base, permeates the environment. Joining the military is a popular way for the local Chamorros to have a good job with good benefits, and to be able to travel off the island. Many young locals dream of getting off the island to see the world, and this opportunity is available. There is a constant sense of pride and patriotism. Locals who join the National Guard spend over a year in the Horn of Africa, doing logistics for Iraq. Some officers end up in Iraq, though.

There is also some resentment and political commentary regarding the "military occupiers", but it is not as strident and loud as what we hear stateside. The frustration is often vented through political humor and satire in the media, something sorely lacking here at home. They DO manage to find a way to laugh about just about anything! Most of it seems to be about "unfunded Federal mandates", as the local population is about 150,000, and it's tough to fund some things because of the small population base. Also, there are infrastructure issues with power and a little bit with water, because massive military buildups do NOT always translate into help to the local Guam government in coping with these changes. My perception is that the power situation is teetering a bit, right now. But they still find ways to joke about it as they try to address the problems with the financial and manpower resources available to a remote island.

But don't be mistaken. This is NOT a lazy, Caribbean-style island. This is America. There are lots of nice SUVs and trucks everywhere. I noticed that there were many newer, nicer vehicles than I see in Pennsylvania at home. There are lots of people coming and going to work and to the military bases. At times it it bustling. There are many government employees on Guam. "Rush hour" is actual similar to what one might experience in a larger East Coast City, but it is NOT "gridlocked" - just "heavy" - from around 4 pm to 6:30 pm, particularly on the main roads.

And the beach life here is different than on the Mainland U.S. You don't see very many people lined up on towels, broiling like lobsters! :-) I don't think I saw any beach umbrellas, let alone thousands of them back-to-back, like at Ocean City or some such. The white sand beaches have a FEW sunbathers/swimmers, but it's very hot and reflective. The white sand and clear waters are just DIFFERENT than the East Coast's murkier sands and waters, so it's tough to stay out there for more than 30 minutes without hiding under a palm tree somewhere. It's like going out on a mirror in 90-degree weather. I had on a 40 SPF sunscreen, spend 30 minutes combing for shells, and nearly got a bad burn.

The purpose is NOT to come here to "get a tan". The focus is on water sports, be it fishing, dolphin watching, kayaking, outrigger-ing, scuba, snorkeling, jogging, jet skis - etc. My impression was that people were trying NOT to get too much sun in order to embrace the outdoors, because being outdoors is what Guam is all about! You can't be "outdoors" if you've just been cooked and burned by the sun! It would ruin all the fun! :-)

The "tourist district" is small (maybe a mile or two) and confined to one area, newly-renovated, beautiful, and caters to Japanese tourists primarily, although there are others. The hotels are side by side, all pretty pristine-looking high rises. Directly across the street from the hotels are nice boutiques, souvenir shops, duty-free shopping, American chain restaurants, Asian restaurants, and then a steep cliff. You don't see all the tacky mini-golfs and ice cream stands and such that you would see at Ocean City or Rehoboth Beach. Nor do you see the more "slummy" hotels that typically exist a block or two off the main beach area on the East Coast.

I am guessing the tourist hotels are cheaper than a comparable one in Hawaii, but one would need to research that. The tourist hotels are awesome. We walked through some, and they were "wide open" (no glass) with beautiful lobby views of the beach and water, and spotless-looking. Check out my post on that to see some photos. Most have shaded water parks/pools between the hotel and beach. I believe there was quite a bit of renovation/repairs done since the super-typhoon a few years ago. Basically, everything looked brand-spankin' new in that area.

Visiting Guam is like visiting America, visiting an ancient South Pacific Island, AND visiting Asia all at the same time! There is so much Asian influence in the tourist district and at the local shopping mall. Water-sport lovers, archaeologists, historians, war buffs, and people interested in Asia will find lots to interest them on Guam. Basically, there are 3 cultures going on at the same time - Asian, American, and Chamorro - and 4 historical arenas to investigate - ancient Guam/Chamorro, Magellen/Spanish, WWI and WWII.

But you CAN escape up north to Ritidian Beach during those times when all you want is "South Pacific Island". It is remote, gorgeous, and with no services. You can also get some "South Pacific Island" in the south, but the south is more volcanic, and looks totally different than Ritidian Beach.

If you are looking for a STRICTLY unpopulated, remote South Pacific island vacation, then Guam is NOT your best bet. Guam has something for everyone, and there is no need to "rough it" on Guam. It's a modern American island, with a mix of cultures and things to do.