Snorkeling at Tumon Bay

In Guam, one learns that kilawin is an art of the possible. Known in the native Chamorro as kelaguen, this pickled dish can be prepared not only with fish, as is the Filipino culinary custom, but with all conjugations of meat, from the borderline to the exotic. Invited along to a local political fundraiser by Guam Senator Jim Espaldon (who, like most Guamanians we met, is of Filipino extraction) our big Philippine media group descended on a gastric symphony of the popular kelaguen, all sinfully bracing and roiling in acid, be they chicken, pork, fish, beef, shrimp, Spam, or deer.

Guam offers many delights, and none to do with the vaunted, duty-free shopping. Kelaguen, of course, is one, a rousing starter to a Chamorro feast, a freewheeling, hefty, island cuisine ranging from short ribs doused with finadene sauce (a fiery combination of soy sauce and lemon juice, with chopped hot pepper and onion, a blanket sauce to make any dish Chamorro), to octopus stewed in coconut milk and sweet peppers, to the Chamorro version of eskabeche, fresh fish marinated in soy sauce and vinegar, to the chewily delectable Macadamia nut and chocolate chip Chamorro cookies, which, we were told, is the one distinctly Guamanian pasalubong to stock up on.

The paradisiacal scenery of wide beaches and breathtaking promontories, even on “Guam USA”’s cheerily cosmopolitan terms (check out the row of five-star hotels on Tumon Bay) will no doubt whet any visitor’s appetite for natural wonder. The diving, it is said, is superb, characterized by novelty dives such as the undersea cave Blue Hole, a number of WWII shipwrecks, and an astounding diversity of marine life.

And then, for the conscientious traveler, there are the historical sites, starting with the pre-colonial latte stones on which traditional Chamorro huts were built, to the intermittent Spanish inflections (mainly forts, churches and shrines), down to the numinous memorials to Guam’s liberation from Japanese occupation during the second world war-- an assortment of gun emplacements, fortifications, cave complexes, cemeteries (including the War Dog Cemetery honoring the K-9s that helped the US troops flush out the enemy), trenches and military museums that are the stuff of boyish fascination for Pacific War buffs and an afternoon’s worth of instructive sightseeing for the rest.

The density of attractions on a 30 mile-long island of 160,000 inhabitants is impressive—there will never come a “what now?” moment here, surely—and the hardworking Guam Visitors’ Bureau, which brought over a phalanx of Asia-Pacific journalists last October to spread the word on island travel, hopes to increase tourist traffic from the Philippines by positioning Guam as an alternative to the region, a lush place of possibility (not to mention, shopping) for the AB market looking for short-haul destinations other than Hong Kong, Macau or Bangkok. If Filipino tourists with the necessary US visas can fly to Guam on promotional fares as low as US$177 (so long as passenger presents a hotel voucher) on Continental Airlines, the promise of duty-free shopping coupled with island frolic and the inescapable American vibe make this US territory a more attractive proposition than other popular Asian destinations. (“We’re very happy with the performance of the Philippine market,” GBV general manager Gerald Perez told us during the media gathering at the Outrigger hotel. “We’d be happier if the Philippines is included in the visa waiver program, but, of course, we do not make the legislation.”)

“For some travelers, Guam is a more relaxing kind of destination than Hong Kong, with good scenery and activities,” says Marianne Jamero, marketing officer of Continental Airlines, which flies to Guam from Manila nine times a week. “If you factor in the shopping, of course, it becomes doubly attractive, as the prices come out very cheap, you can even buy pasalubong, like lip gloss and mascara, for one dollar each.”

Indeed, parking oneself inside the 24-hour K-Mart, where one-dollar bargains, from makeup to hair care to home ware, are plentiful, has proven addictive. The same goes for Guam Premium Outlets, where the fashion discount store, Ross, and Payless shoe store, are located. Shopping is never a casual exercise when in Guam, even refuseniks succumb to the lure of the cheap score. This particular non-shopper found herself going home with sundries she never thought she needed—everything from lighted screwdrivers to baked cheese puffs to vintage board games.

Of course, for the GBV, shopping is just one wee aspect of the Guam experience. At the Asia-Pacific media gathering, GBV officials unveiled Guam’s brand signature—a tier of crescents of ascending size, in yellow, blue and green, respectively, signifying “smiles, the proa, the first quarter moon, welcoming arms, latte capstones, a Spanish fountain and even the horns of a carabao,” designed to celebrate “the unique, diverse, and welcoming nature of Guam.” “We would like to emphasize that Guam is a community, more than anything else,” said GBV’s Perez. “We have lined up activities and festivals, such as dances and arts fests, to showcase our community spirit.”

The recent media tour, in fact, is in support of one of GBV’s premier annual events, the Guam Gatorade Ko’Ko Road Race, a run to raise awareness for the preservation of the flightless Guam Rail or ko’ko bird, (the previous outing was won by Filipino distance runner Pepito Deapera) as well as the 22nd Guam Micronesia Island Fair, a tourist’s showcase for the indigenous Chamorro and Micronesian cultures, where one can watch Chamorro dances, buy handicrafts (mostly wooden carvings) and sample Chamorro cuisine. These events are only two in a busy year-round calendar designed to attract tourists to the island.

Even if one never leaves the touristy environs of Tumon Bay, a three-day layover can go by very quickly. Especially if one is billeted at the Pacific Islands Club (PIC), a resort hotel with a fantastic water park where one can go canoeing and jumping over rafts in its massive pools or playing “gigantic chess” or archer at the activities center. This hotel, ideal for families, is a destination in itself, even adjacent competitors include a day trip to the PIC as part of their packages. (Apart from the magnificent view of Tumon Bay, this hotel boasts a remarkable wedding chapel which resembles a sail, and is surrounded by a serene pool of water.)

On the main road, Pale San Vitores (right across the DFS Galleria shops), is Underwater World, an in-mall aquarium with a 300-foot transparent tunnel, said to be one of the longest in the world, where visitors can trawl “undersea” and watch assorted marine life swim past or hover over them. Nearby, at Sand Castle Dinner Theatre, the Vegas-style “Dream” show nightly presents a jaw-dropping display of acrobatics and illusions (coupled with some fun, hokey dancing), with a large white tiger thrown in for good measure.

At one end of Tumon Bay, Two Lovers’ Point, a cliff with a vertiginous, 400-foot drop, where two Chamorro lovers, forbidden to be together, jumped to their deaths during conquistador times, offers a romantic afternoon idyll. Backdropped by the amazing view of the Philippine Sea and Tumon Bay, the point has become a popular wedding venue, inspired by the promise of undying love (To ensure the amour, lovers buy a heart-shaped padlock at the nearby store and secure it at the point’s perimeter railing, it would be wise to forget the combination so neither can unlock it and break the vow).

Off the beaten path, the southern part of Guam is both scenic and culturally authentic, the coastline dotted with historic Chamorro villages (among them Agat, Umatac, Merizo, Inajaran and Talofofo) offering glimpses of the old lifeways of Guam’s original inhabitants and where nature lovers can delight in discovering pools, waterfalls, and beautiful coves along the way. 

Guam holds special resonance for the Filipino traveler, with the shared history of Spanish followed by American rule, and the significant Filipino presence (26 percent of Guam’s population are of Filipino origin) on the island. Peel away the shopping and the tropical pleasures and the US infrastructure, and the place still retains that patina of home. One of Guam’s main attractions is the fiesta, village-wide celebrations instituted during Spanish times, a concept any Pinoy knows all too well.

Drop by residential districts and you will find Filipino locals playing “tong-it,” the card game, with their neighbors. Chat up a Guamanian and you will likely end up comparing notes on the Philippine province from where you both originated (Senator Espaldon, for one, has a plaque in his office indicating he is an adopted son of Imus, Cavite, from where his mother hails.). Sample the cuisine and you get, well, kelaguen, aka kilawin, albeit fancy versions of it.

It is tempting to think of Guam as a parallel Pinoy universe, familiar and yet different, that paradise run by Americans that we could have got. But beyond that ultimately tedious speculation is a friendly destination one can hie off to for a quick getaway, whether for a lazy beach loll, a Chamorro cultural experience, a Pinoy diasporic dissection, or, simply, for manic shopping. Guam’s delights offer sequential fun, whatever your interest. If you’re done with the usual Asian destinations, a visit to this little island is worth taking instead.

Continental Airlines flies from Manila to Guam daily, at 11:10 pm, with additional flights on Wednesdays and Fridays at 10:10 pm via Palau. For more information, call 818-8701. For more information on Guam, contact the Matua Agupa Corporation, Guam Visitors’ Bureau’s Manila marketing representative, 727-7755.