ip we went on in December. I know what you're thinking...another vacation already?! How can I get that job? Well, with the way the Korean school system is set up, their "Spring Break'' is during the last week of February because the new semester begins in March. So, it just seems like we had two awesome vacations back to back...but really...we had a lot of teaching hours in between...remember the English Camp post, 3 weeks, 11 hours a day, getting punched in the face? Guam was the perfect place to get away and enjoy a little American culture for a change.Andrew and I set off on our sunny beach bound vacy on February 20th. We decided to fly out of Busan instead of Seoul this time. It's about $50 more, but MUCH less of a hassle. So we boarded a bus at 7:00am and rode for an hour to the airport. Our first flight took us to Narita, Japan...a small little city in Tokyo. We purposely scheduled a six hour layover so we would have the chance to leave the airport and explore a little. Everyone says that Japan is a lot like Korea, except that it's outrageously expensive to get to but also to tour. It's about a one and a half hour flight, but costs about $500.
I had previously done some research on what to do in Narita (my typical Type A personality self) and found out tha
t there is a cute little town and temple just a 10 minute train ride from the airport. So once we landed, all we needed to do was to find the train station. Well lucky for us, there was a stop at the airport! We paid about $6 for a two stop ride and it couldn't have been easier. We made a quick stop at McDonalds so Andrew could have some nuggets, and then we were off. As we made our way down the long street, we noticed th
at it was just a bunch of little shops and restaurants. Having nothing but time to kill, we made our way in about 90% of them just enjoying the beautiful weather and tourist gimmicks. Being slightly more adventurous, I decided to try a local snack from a street vendor. It smelled of syrup and calories and I just had to try it. Turns out, it was a pancake type doughnut with red bean filling. Ahhh...we have stuff like that in Korea. And even though it's put inside a pancake, the red bean taste is disgusting in both Japan and Korea.
t there is a cute little town and temple just a 10 minute train ride from the airport. So once we landed, all we needed to do was to find the train station. Well lucky for us, there was a stop at the airport! We paid about $6 for a two stop ride and it couldn't have been easier. We made a quick stop at McDonalds so Andrew could have some nuggets, and then we were off. As we made our way down the long street, we noticed th
at it was just a bunch of little shops and restaurants. Having nothing but time to kill, we made our way in about 90% of them just enjoying the beautiful weather and tourist gimmicks. Being slightly more adventurous, I decided to try a local snack from a street vendor. It smelled of syrup and calories and I just had to try it. Turns out, it was a pancake type doughnut with red bean filling. Ahhh...we have stuff like that in Korea. And even though it's put inside a pancake, the red bean taste is disgusting in both Japan and Korea.About an hour or so later
, another food vendor smell caught my attention. But this time, it was a salty aroma. It looked like a giant round pretzel and sounded delicious. Again, a disappointment. They covered the snack in soy sauce and seaweed leaves. It was ok for the first few bites, but it was just so salty we couldn't eat anymore. But hey, at least we tried. We decided to see the temple on our long layover on the way back so we would have something to do. Well stupid me, looked at so many flights on the way to Guam I got the times mixed up. On our way back to Korea, our Japan layover was only two hours...my mistake and I'm still bummed about not being able to see the temple. We live and learn I guess.
, another food vendor smell caught my attention. But this time, it was a salty aroma. It looked like a giant round pretzel and sounded delicious. Again, a disappointment. They covered the snack in soy sauce and seaweed leaves. It was ok for the first few bites, but it was just so salty we couldn't eat anymore. But hey, at least we tried. We decided to see the temple on our long layover on the way back so we would have something to do. Well stupid me, looked at so many flights on the way to Guam I got the times mixed up. On our way back to Korea, our Japan layover was only two hours...my mistake and I'm still bummed about not being able to see the temple. We live and learn I guess.We made it back to the airport with about two hours to re-check in and hang out before our flight to Guam. Check in was a breeze and they told us our flight was overbooked but we didn't think much of it.
Much to our surprise, we we went to our gate to board the plane, the attendant handed us a new boarding pass and said since the flight was overbooked w
e had been upgraded. Andrew and I were like "OK," and went on our way down the hall to the plane. What the attendant failed to mention was that our upgrade was to Business Elite! And wow...all I can say is that we wished the flight was way longer than three hours. This is the part of the plane that we normally just walk through in awe on our way to the 'cramped-middle seats-between two screaming babies and-smelly men' that we are use to. But not this time. We were treated like royalty. As soon as I sat down we were offered champagne and we had nice fluffy pillows and HUGE seats that reclined to a bed position. We each had private screens to pick our own movies and it was like a dream.Then, a stewardess came around and draped white linens over our tables for dinner. Andrew and I were handed a menu full of salmon spring rolls and beef kabobs and custards and salads. We just looked at each other afraid to get our hopes up not knowing if it was free or if we were going to be charged outrageous prices, (clearly a rookie mistake). Andrew shyly asked when the waitress came around and said, "Mr. Lacy, what will you have for dinner?" He replied, "Does it cost anything?" She rolled her eyes and shook her head "No." He then quickly replied, "I'll have the beef." It was amazing. I need to make a lot of money in the future because that is the only way to fly!
We arrived in Guam about 12am Guam time which is an hour ahead of Korea. You could feel the tropical humidity in the airport as we waited for our bags. The hotel sent someone to pick us up and we went to sleep as soon as we got in, anxious for the day that awaited us.
Guam is a lot like Hawaii. It feels foreign, yet it's still the comfort of American soil. The water was crystal blue, the beaches a sandy white and the temperature was a perfect 85 degrees. It was going to be a fantastic week. Andrew and I were pretty lazy. We laid at the beach pretty much all day with the exception of lunch time when we usually made our way down to Subway for some much needed turkey sandwiches.
On our third day there, Andrew and I scheduled a 6 hour island tour. The tour guide took us all around the island and the famous sights. We saw beautiful beaches and Guam's own Statue of Liberty, ruins of buildings from before the Japanese invaded during WWII, naturally made tide pools with a view so beautiful, my camera couldn't even capture it, and several other WWII memorial sights. 
Guam is a lot like Hawaii. It feels foreign, yet it's still the comfort of American soil. The water was crystal blue, the beaches a sandy white and the temperature was a perfect 85 degrees. It was going to be a fantastic week. Andrew and I were pretty lazy. We laid at the beach pretty much all day with the exception of lunch time when we usually made our way down to Subway for some much needed turkey sandwiches.
On our third day there, Andrew and I scheduled a 6 hour island tour. The tour guide took us all around the island and the famous sights. We saw beautiful beaches and Guam's own Statue of Liberty, ruins of buildings from before the Japanese invaded during WWII, naturally made tide pools with a view so beautiful, my camera couldn't even capture it, and several other WWII memorial sights. 
Our first stop was a local attraction called, Two Lovers Point. It is Guam's version of Romeo and Juliet. After being banned to see each other, the two lovers tied their hair together (not sure why) and leaped to their death from a high cliff so they could be together forever. The story was tragic, but the scenery was beautiful, well worth the stop.
We got to s
top and try some local flavor...baby coconut! It has a very mild taste and I was a big fan, it would have been great in a smoothie! Andrew wasn't too fond of the flavor but he was a good sport anyhow.
top and try some local flavor...baby coconut! It has a very mild taste and I was a big fan, it would have been great in a smoothie! Andrew wasn't too fond of the flavor but he was a good sport anyhow.One very interesting story was about a Marine named John Gerber. He walked this sign 26 miles down their main road called, Marine. He was so determined to get the street renamed to 'Marine Corps Drive
,' to show respect to the the fact the it was the Marines that were the first to arrive on Guam when the Japanese began to invade. He was successful and has since opened up a museum, "The Pacific War Museum," and restores old m
ilitary vehicles for display. We got to go to the museum and it was so interesting. One side was all about the USA troops, and the other was about the Japanese. Each was filled with personal stories and memorabilia and pictures and it was just really educational and gave Andrew and I a much better understanding of what happened.
,' to show respect to the the fact the it was the Marines that were the first to arrive on Guam when the Japanese began to invade. He was successful and has since opened up a museum, "The Pacific War Museum," and restores old m
ilitary vehicles for display. We got to go to the museum and it was so interesting. One side was all about the USA troops, and the other was about the Japanese. Each was filled with personal stories and memorabilia and pictures and it was just really educational and gave Andrew and I a much better understanding of what happened.We also got to meet one of Guam's mascots, a caribou named Bessy. She was bathing at the time we saw here but we were able to feed her bananas with our hands (while big Joe fed h
er with his mouth) and I even got the chance to take her for a little walk. We were at the site of Magellan's landing point and as you can see, the scene was beautiful!
er with his mouth) and I even got the chance to take her for a little walk. We were at the site of Magellan's landing point and as you can see, the scene was beautiful!The last stop on the tour was one of the most beautiful s
cenes I have ever seen! We climbed to a lookout point and words/the camera can't do the view justice! The mountain behind Andrew and I in the picture is the worlds tallest mountain if you include both above and below sea water. It is decorated with crosses because every Easter, Jesus' walk with the cross in re-enacted to the top.
cenes I have ever seen! We climbed to a lookout point and words/the camera can't do the view justice! The mountain behind Andrew and I in the picture is the worlds tallest mountain if you include both above and below sea water. It is decorated with crosses because every Easter, Jesus' walk with the cross in re-enacted to the top. The next day, we just relaxed by the beach again. We did a little reading, some sunbathing and some snorkeling...just another wonderfully relaxing day. Then that evening, we went to Chamorro Village. It's where the natives and tourists of the island gather on Wednesday nights. It's full of booths selling souvenirs and local food, there is also live music and dancing and just a really cool relaxed atmosphere with an island vibe.
Our last full day was Friday the 26th. Andrew and I decided to rent a car and just driv
e a long the coast at our own speed, stopping when and where we wanted. Our first stop was to Wendy's...it had been way too long and it was a very delicious lunch! Next we went to a fish observatory that was underwater so we could view whatever exciting creatures decided to swim past the windows on that day. We didn't get to see any sharks or turtles or even an octopus, but we did get to see a few schools of fish and a couple other really colorful straggler fish. All in all it was interesting.
e a long the coast at our own speed, stopping when and where we wanted. Our first stop was to Wendy's...it had been way too long and it was a very delicious lunch! Next we went to a fish observatory that was underwater so we could view whatever exciting creatures decided to swim past the windows on that day. We didn't get to see any sharks or turtles or even an octopus, but we did get to see a few schools of fish and a couple other really colorful straggler fish. All in all it was interesting.Our next stop w
as to go back to the scene of the tide pools. They were just so beautiful that Andrew and I wanted to take a few more pictures and really take in the scenery. After all this, our six hour rental was up and it was time to return to the hotel.Our flight left at 6am Saturday morning, so we were up at 3:30am. Sadly, we were not upgraded and Andrew and I were separated from each other and in middle seats. I guess the airline knew we had it to good on the way to Guam that they really wanted to stick it to us on the way home.
The Taco Bell picture was stuck in there because when I look a it, Etta James' song, 'At Last' comes to mind:)
Great Trip. Great Company. Great Food. Now we are planning our next vacation! Bali anyone? We are looking into it!
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