TravelStream™ news feed for member joelle on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/joelle en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Mon, 02 Oct 2006 15:49:41 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joelle/guam2006/1151345580/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joelle/guam2006/1151345580/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joelle/guam2006/1151345580/tpod.html Mon, 02 Oct 2006 15:49:41 -0400 Where is Guam anyway???

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Agana, Guam

We headed around to the "back" side of Guam. The terrain is more mountainous, but just as beautiful. We stopped at the Cetti Bay Overlook. This overlook provides a truly breathtaking view of Cetti Bay and the southern coastline, extending south to Cocos Island and Cocos Lagoon. From the overlook the eye follows the valley directly below as it falls gracefully to the shores of Cetti Bay. Once the site of an ancient Chamorro settlement dating to A.D. 1000, Cetti Bay is most easily accessible by boat. In fact, the bay is such a popular retreat for Guam's southern boaters that it is not uncommon to spy a boat or two anchored in its aquamarine waters from the lookout.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joelle/guam2006/1152070740/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joelle/guam2006/1152070740/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joelle/guam2006/1152070740/tpod.html Mon, 02 Oct 2006 14:09:35 -0400 Where is Guam anyway???

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Narita, Japan

Our journey home started at 2 a.m. on Thursday morning/Wednesday night. We had dinner with our friends after work, and got back to the room to start packing around 10 p.m. We figured there was no point in trying to sleep since we had to check out a 2, so we watched a little tv and then headed out. Our plane left Guam at 4 a.m. and I have to say THANK YOU JAPAN AIRLINES-we got upgraded to first class. We were able to stretch out and catch a nap before landing in Narita at 7 a.m. Since we had an 11 hour layover, I decided to take a quick trip to Narita town to check out the sights. I just love the system of day room rentals and lounge chairs at the Narita/Tokyo airport. For about $20 bucks, we had a private room with twin beds, alarm clock, shower and toilet. We napped a little, freshened up and headed out for our adventure.

I did not expect it to be as hot as it was in Japan, it felt like Atlanta in late August-humid and nasty, AND this was at 10 in the morning! We hopped onto the rapid rail line and Narita was the first stop. I knew there was an old temple there and had read that if you follow the colored brick path starting at McDonald's that it would lead you there. Sure enough, found the Golden Arches and set off down the cobblestone street. We stopped at stores and vendors along the way, finishing up our souvenir shopping. It was a bit furthur than I expected, but we made it to the temple.

We made it back to the airport around 4 p.m. and our flight headed out at 6 p.m. (still Thursday) At this point we'd had about 5 hours sleep since getting up on Wednesday. I did a lot of sleeping on the 11 hour flight to Chicago and when we landed it was 3:00 p.m. We finally made it to Atlanta at 10 p.m.(still Thursday), but this was 12 noon on Friday Guam time. Confusing??? Right!!! Needless to say I had jet lag for days and my schedule was really screwed up. But I would go back to Guam in a heartbeat!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joelle/guam2006/1150480800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joelle/guam2006/1150480800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joelle/guam2006/1150480800/tpod.html Tue, 04 Jul 2006 23:57:51 -0400 Where is Guam anyway???

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Denver, Colorado, United States

The flight path took us up through Denver then through the Pacific Northwest to Alaska. We could see the tops of mountains and glacier formations from the plane. I asked the flight attendant why we took a circular route instead of a straight one, and learned that there are two (very smart) principles: 1) Prudence and 2) Aerodynamics. Prudence because the route we took stayed over land instead of 8 hours over open water, and Aerodynamics because we maximized speed by following global jet-stream patterns. I can appreciate both of these! I have made reference-only entries for cities along our travel route to show the path. We only stopped in Dallas-Narita on the way to Guam, and Narita-Chicago on the way home to Atlanta.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joelle/guam2006/1151566200/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joelle/guam2006/1151566200/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joelle/guam2006/1151566200/tpod.html Tue, 04 Jul 2006 23:38:51 -0400 Where is Guam anyway???

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Agana, Guam

After a final day of work on Wednesday the 28th, we had our final dinner with our new friends. Margaret, Naomi, and Theresa joined us for dinner at Serano's, an excellent Italian restaurant at the Ohana Bayview Hotel. (I highly recommend dinner there, the food and service were first class, and it was not expensive at all!)

We finished about 9, and since we had to leave for the airport by 2 a.m. for a 4:30 flight, we decided to stay up and pack. We arrived at the airport with time to spare. We were kind of uncomfortable waiting at the gate, because there were a LOT of people sneezing and sniffing, a few even had face masks on. We had seen several episodes about "Killer Flu: Avian Influenza" on Discovery Channel. (There were only 5 english-language channels on TV at our hotel, so we saw a LOT of Discovery Channel specials!) CJ and I both popped an Airborne tablet and drank some green tea and crossed our fingers.

I have to say a very grateful THANK YOU to Japan Airlnes! Yes, they lost my luggage, but it was delivered on the next flight to Guam the day after we arrived. They brought it to our hotel, and I also received $50 toward the replacement clothes I had to purchase to wear to work the first day. On our flight to Tokyo/Narita, we were upgraded to FIRST CLASS, much to our suprise! It was nice to be able to recline and sleep on the way. I will definitely fly JAL again, it is nice to know that customer service is still practiced by some airlines. The flight attendants even found a cheese and cracker snack for me, instead of the sushi box everyone else ate--THANK YOU JAPAN AIRLINES!!!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joelle/guam2006/1151182800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joelle/guam2006/1151182800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joelle/guam2006/1151182800/tpod.html Tue, 04 Jul 2006 23:25:05 -0400 Where is Guam anyway???

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Agana, Guam

The National Park Service operates the War in the Pacific National Historic Park. I highly recommend visiting the online site for this park, because it gives more details than I can recollect from our tour. I did not realize that Guam had been invaded and occupied by the Japanese in WWII. Our host, Margaret, told us stories from her family and friends about the time of occupation. The horrors experienced by the residents and subsequent rescue by American forces explains their fierce loyalty and pride in being a US territory. This site also details the Memorial.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joelle/guam2006/1152067020/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joelle/guam2006/1152067020/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joelle/guam2006/1152067020/tpod.html Tue, 04 Jul 2006 22:46:28 -0400 Where is Guam anyway???

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Agana, Guam

The next stop on our tour was the old Spanish Fort Santa Agueda. More popularly known as Fort Apugan, the historic Fort Santa Agueda is the sole fortification of the Spanish era that survives in Agana. Constructed in 1800 in Agana Heights, Fort Santa Agueda occupied a commanding position overlooking Agana Bay and the city of Agana. The cannon of Fort Agueda served to protect Agana harbor and the lucrative Galleon trade until the Spanish American War when in 1898 when an American frigate entered Agana harbor with guns blazing. Agana was surrendered the next day. Cannon still point out over Agana Bay and Agana from the remnants of Fort Santo Agueda in Agana Heights adjacent to the Governors residence. Spanish, American, and Japanses forces all made use of this fortification dating back to the early 1800's. Spanish documents mention a gun salute being fired from the fort. Other records show that the citadel later functioned as a signal station for the American Administration in the 1930's.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joelle/guam2006/1151175600/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joelle/guam2006/1151175600/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joelle/guam2006/1151175600/tpod.html Tue, 04 Jul 2006 22:33:25 -0400 Where is Guam anyway???

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Tumon Bay, Guam

Our new friend Margaret took us out sight-seeing on Saturday. We started at the beautiful Two Lovers Point . This overlook is a popular spot for weddings, especially with Japanese tourists. There is a wedding chapel there, but we weren't able to go inside because there was a ceremony that afternoon.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joelle/guam2006/1150893240/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joelle/guam2006/1150893240/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joelle/guam2006/1150893240/tpod.html Wed, 28 Jun 2006 05:18:02 -0400 Where is Guam anyway???

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Agana, Guam

Every Wednesday, there is a festival at the Chamorro Village in the downtown area of Agana. There vendors, music, traditional foods, and lots of people. The tour buses drop loads of us off, and locals come to socialize and get BBQ. A band plays in one area and there are dance demonstrations and shows. My new friends met CJ & I to show us around. We got a sample plate from a vendor that one of the ladies knew and we both tried at least one taste of everything. We tried several versions of kelegeun -chicken, fish, and ground beef. Grilled meat skewers are $1 and they are yummy! After a couple hours enjoying the sights, sounds and smells, we headed to the bar at the Outrigger Hotel to have a drink and celebrate--HAPPY 34th BIRTHDAY CJ!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joelle/guam2006/1150839000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joelle/guam2006/1150839000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joelle/guam2006/1150839000/tpod.html Wed, 28 Jun 2006 04:58:15 -0400 Where is Guam anyway???

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Agana, Guam

Latte -The Symbol of Chamorro Culture

Today, the enduring latte are found in coastal areas and valleys. The latte are the prominent remnants of the earlier Chamorro culture of the Mariana Islands. Each latte is comprised of two stones. The shaft stone place on the ground is the haligi, and the cap stone is the tasa. The latte were placed in parallel rows, consisting of 3-7 latte per row. Latte vary in height from less than 1 meter to 6 meters.

The latte were constructed by the Chamorros, from 1100 to 1700 A.D. Principally found on the islands of Guam, Rota, Tinian, and Saipan. Latte were used as the foundations of important structures in Chamorro villages. Their use in the Chamarro culture vanished when the Spanish devastated the islands in the 1600s.

These latte, relocated in 1956, are from the former village of Mepo in the Fena Valley of the current Ordninance Annex, US Naval Activities, Guam. The village site was destroyed by military construction after World War II.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joelle/guam2006/1151020260/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joelle/guam2006/1151020260/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joelle/guam2006/1151020260/tpod.html Wed, 28 Jun 2006 01:32:29 -0400 Where is Guam anyway???

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Tumon, Guam

Guam has the most beautiful sunsets! Many of my friends know how much I love to take pictures of sunsets and clouds when I travel to various places. If you are sick of sunsets already, then you should pass on this particular album. If you love the skies beauty like I do, enjoy!
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