Guam

We had a 10-hour layover in Guam on the way over to Palau. Since Sam used to live there before moving to Tokyo, we thought it would be a great opportunity to see his old stomping grounds. We arrived late at night (or early in the morning), got our car, stopped at K-mart for some essentials (at 3:00AM), checked into our hotel (the Holiday Resort and Spa) and passed out.

THE DRIVE

The next morning (read: a few hours later) we got up, had breakfast and headed out. Our plan was to spend the morning driving around the island. So we headed out at 7:00AM and started heading South along the coast. The road is right by the edge giving a beautiful view of the ocean on the right and the mountains of the left. The fact of driving west-south-east meant that we would be on the oceanside lane, without cars obstructing our view. However, I have to say that the combination of the swervy, patchily-paved roads and Sam's crazed driving, didn't do much for my enjoyment of the view as I got somewhat car sick... So we stopped every now and then when the view was particularly beautiful and got out of the car for a stretch and a breather. The traffic becomes almost non-existant when you get out of the Tumon Bay area.

My favorite lookout was just across from Cocos Island, and by then, the sun had come out and the waters which were a little dull and grey in the morning became brilliant shades of blue and turquoise. All of these lookouts are free and unmarked so you really need to keep an eye out for them. They are almost all seemingly abandoned (an overall feeling on Guam) and overgrown but that does add the charm of it all.

Total Drive - 3-4hours although we ended up skipping the northern part.
Gas - $20

 THE BEACH

After the drive, we decided to head over to the beach. We were planning to go to Gun Beach but ended up the Gun Beach end of Tumon Bay. That end of the beach was pretty much empty, so we basically had the whole thing to ourselves. We lay in the sun for a bit, waded into the water a bit (I got attacked by some mysterious creature that kept pecking at my legs, and only mine, no one elses!)and walked up and down the beach a bit before passing out entirely for about an hour (ouch, sunburn!). When we woke up we decided to finally have lunch and headed over to Jamaican Grill for some delicious locally fished Mahi Mahi.

TIP - The sun beats down mercilessly. Make sure you have good sunscreen and apply it regularly. Sunnies and a hat are also definite musts!

Good Eats:
Jamaican Grill
BanThai

TWO LOVER'S POINT 

After lunch, we opted to drive around again as opposed to going back to the beach and headed over to Two Lover's Point. Legend has it that the daughter of the Chamorro chief was in love with one of the warriors, but her parents had agreed to marry her off to a Spanish general and forbade her from seeing the warrior again. As the Spanish soldiers were coming to fetch her, she ran away with the warrior and the ran up to the top of a cliff, and as the Spanish soldiers closed in on them, they tied their hair together and jumped to their death.
The point is therefore located at the top of a cliff with a sheer drop down to the ocean with a beautiful view of Tumon Bay. The legend is an opportunity to put an entrance fee of US$3 and sell souvenirs and love locks to visitors. However, the views are truly spectacular.

Fee - US$3
Hours - 8AM to 8PM on weekdays only
TIP-  Gun Beach is near the Nikko Hotel, and apparently, if you take the elevator up there you can get a great view of Tumon Bay.