#7 Good eats!

I hit up most of the local favorites, once! Rotary, Jamaican Grill, Capriciossa, Proa, and Aji Ichi.

With nightly rosaries for my last 12 days on Guam, eating out was so unnecessary. While I don't have too many shots of the rosary spreads, trust that you all know what was being served!

Typical lisayu menu: corn soup, vegetable noodle soup, chicken ala king, sandwiches, empanada, potu, chamorro doughnuts, cakes and more cakes, Winchell's doughnuts, and the list goes on. Oh and we wash it all down with fruit punch or ice tea! Every kid running around the party has a fruit punch moustache by the end of the night. HAHA!

#8 Chasing the Mango Festival and enjoying Agat instead...

So I never did make it to the 2nd Annual Mango Festival in Agat (or its 5K--bummer, for real ;)!) but I tried and well...in Guam, that's as good as being there! ha!

If you don't live down South--like me--or your parents or grandparents don't live there, traveling to the South becomes an adventure of sorts. And it was for the Dededo and Tamuning natives!

Emi asked me, "Do you know where the festival is?"

"I'm sure if we keep driving, we'll see it along the road. I mean...right?"

I pulled up to Agat Mart (I'm not exactly sure if that's what the store was called but it will forever be Agat Mart to me) and was quite discouraged when I walked in and the only person I could ask for information was the Korean owner. I thought..."dayum..."

Two local teens walked in and renewed my faith for a brief moment before their "uhm, I have no idea" coupled with a sideways stare that I interpreted as "oh gawd, Corny visitors" shot my dreams of pika pickled mango, warmed to semi-dangerously temperatures (for food) by the blazing sun, to hell!

And then a true-blue Agat resident appeared from the fridge area towards the back of the store and said..."ma'am--GOD I LOVE THIS RESPECTFUL CULTURE!!--I think it's next weekend. The run was this morning but the festival is the 7th and 8th. Next weekend."

When life hands you lemons....go STROLL with one of your best friends!

#9...the Night Life!

To be fair, this is obviously lower on my list because well...I was lame when it came to going out. I went out three times in 4 weeks, and 2 out of 3 I went to Venue. Blame it on old age, blame it on no money, blame it on me being a homebody, all I know is all three times were a party! What's the old saying, "The party don't start 'til I walk in..." :) Oh..and that's the caribao in front of Bully's. Didn't have any inside shots of the bar?!?! I think this was early in my trip and I was still only wasting memory card space on really touristy shots! ai aday, Joanna.

Best of Guam: #10 Guam WILD LIFE...(a.k.a. dinner, terrorizing legend, road-kill, and lovable pets)

Truly, I'm not sure what description goes with which Guam beast.

p.s. Lanchon Ga

oh yeah...also on the ranch are wild boars that quickly turn into bbq if Uncle Ga gets his hands on them.

We'zzz country, yo! For real.

Last day at the beach. ahhh...Urunao. :)

I am proud to say that I finally left Tumon and ventured north to Urunao. We were invited to Lanchon Ga's (Ga's Ranch) for the afternoon. My uncle Ga and auntie Lou Artero were the perfect hosts.

I haven't been to Urunao in sooo long, and oh my god it was just breathtaking. I feel so blessed to be from this stunning piece of land way out in the Pacific. Truly blessed.

We had the whole beach to ourselves. We walked on the reef and went snorkeling just beyond it--beautiful!

Paradise...that's it. That's all you can say. I am from Paradise.

Out with the siblings...

So it dawned on the four of us (Mateo, Karla, Rob and I) that we'd never been out-out together!! Rob wasn't 18 the last time I was in Guam, and well Mateo just turned 21 last August. So yeah....my siblings and I are officially growing up together. I love, love, love them so very much!!We picked a couple first cousins too.



(p.s. And I ran into Mister Art Delisle!! that man be traveling back and forth, yo!)