Missouri, USA: St. Louis Gateway Arch in Missouri

After two weeks in Illinois, we were finally crossing state borders to neighboring Missouri to visit an iconic landmark of St. Louis, the Gateway Arch at the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. At 630 feet (192 meters), it is the tallest monument in the U.S.

We had some obstacles getting there since the usual riverfront roads to the arch were flooded as a result of the heavy rains that hit the region during the week. Flooding was all over the news the past week with towns along the Mississippi working to save their homes by building temporary levies with sandbags. Anyway, we finally got there and went around the museum under the arch.

From the base of the monument, you can take a tram to the observation deck at the top of the arch where, on a clear day, you can see as far as 48 kilometers. The tram ride costs US$10 per person. From the top, we could see the old courthouse and the baseball stadium where the St. Louis Cardinals were currently playing. I was toying around with the zoom of my camera and was able to take a shot of the batter on base and the pitcher!

You can also opt to take a riverboat ride for US$12 or a dinner cruise for US$40. But since the Gateway Arch Riverfront was flooded, that was out of the question.

After dinner at Union Station, a heritage structure adaptively-reused as a tourist mall (with restaurants, bars, shops and even a hotel), we drove back to Springfield, Illinois where we were to stay for the night.

Illinois, USA: Cahokia Mounds and prehistoric native American culture

The first thing I did when I found out I was flying to the U.S. was to find the nearest UNESCO World Heritage Site to Chicago. It was a good thing there was one in Illinois, the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site. It excited me more when I found out that we were visiting it as part of our program itinerary since the only convenient way to get there was by renting a car.

According to UNESCO, Cahokia is the largest pre-Columbian settlement north of Mexico and was occupied primarily during the Mississippian period (800–1400), when it covered nearly 1,600 hectares and included some 120 mounds. The main mound in the complex is called Monks Mound, the largest prehistoric earthwork in the Americas, covering over 5 hectares and standing 30 meters high.

After watching a video at the Interpretative Center, we walked around the park and got to climb up Monks Mound where you can see nearby St. Louis, Illinois. If you don't want to rent a car, public transportation to the place is possible but a bit complicated. Directions are available in the Cahokia website. Take note that the Cahokia Mounds are in Collinsville, Illinois and not in the city of Cahokia.

Illinois, USA: Rev. Jesse Jackson and the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition

As part of our program, we visited several not-for-profit organizations or NPOs in the Chicago area. Among these is the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, an NPO formed as a merger of two non-profit organizations — Operation PUSH (People United to Save Humanity) and the National Rainbow Coalition — founded by Jesse Jackson. The organizations pursue social justice, civil rights and political activism.

We were lucky to meet the Rev. Jesse Jackson himself, an American civil rights activist and Baptist minister who was closely associated with Dr. Martin Luther King. Before Barack Obama, there were four black candidates for president namely Shirley Chisholm, Senator Carol Moseley Braun, Jesse Jackson, and Al Sharpton. Jackson was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988.

Illinois, USA: Philippine Independence Day celebrations in Chicago

We celebrated Philippine Independence Day by attending the reception hosted by Mayor Richard M. Daley and the City of Chicago on June 10. It is indeed an honor for the Philippines that a major American city has given significance to our celebration of freedom. In fact, Mayor Daley proclaimed June 12, 2008 as Philippine Independence Day in the City of Chicago. At the reception, Mayor Daley encouraged all Chicagoans to appreciate the contributions the Filipino-American community has made to Chicago

Earlier in the afternoon, we had made a courtesy call to Consul General Blesila C. Cabrera at the Philippine Consulate General along North Michigan Avenue.

During the reception, I was expecting Philippine cultural performances but there was none of that. Maybe next year, they can include that in the program since the current generation of Filipinos in the U.S. are no longer familiar with our culture having been born and raised there. It would be great if they can bring in cultural groups from the Philippines to perform or even better if young Filipinos in the U.S. can practice and perform our traditional songs and dances themselves.

What I noticed though was that there were so many ladies wearing crowns and sashes on the stage and even right below the stage. I know that traditional Philippine fiestas involve naming a queen and princess. But it's usually one for each. So we asked why there were so many ladies wearing crowns and sashes. The answer was each Filipino association had its own queen!

Then I realized, the Filipino-American community in the U.S. is an agglomeration of ethnic associations reflecting the regionalism that exists here in the Philippines. In general, we were told that Filipinos in the U.S. form associations based primarily on their place of origin in the Philippines rather than forming a single heterogeneous community based on their geographical location in America. We were told it partly explains why we don't have any "Filipinotowns" in the U.S. aside from the fact that we are good at adjusting to any culture to begin with.

Filipino-Americans are in the best position to set an example for our country by going beyond the regions, provinces and towns, transcending cultural barriers and moving as one. Filipinos here and around the globe must unite, strengthen Philippine national (and not just regional) identity and move our nation forward.

Illinois, USA: Millennium Park and Chicago City Hall

We visited Chicago City Hall yesterday as part of our immersion with American institutions. We got to meet Filipino-Americans holding important positions in the City Government of Chicago and got to tour City Hall as well. Mayor Richard Daley wasn't there but it was not a problem since we were meeting him in the evening anyway.

Lunch was at the James Thompson Center next door where we experienced more of America's food culture at the fast food center! For lunch, I had Bourbon chicken from New Orleans Chicken and a roast beef sandwich from Arby's. With the size of the servings, it's no wonder why we all put on weight when visiting the U.S.

After our afternoon and evening activities, and since the sun was still out at 8 p.m., we visited Millennium Park. Completed in 2004, the park was Chicago's answer to open space since it was built on top of an area previously occupied by the Illinois Central rail yards and parking lots. This makes it the world's largest roof top garden at 9.9 hectares!

It has several major artistic elements. One of these is the Crown Fountain, an interactive public fountain composed of a black granite reflecting pool in between two glass brick towers with high-tech LED video screens behind each block. It's a very creative concept really. The towers project the faces of Chicagoans reflecting the cultural diversity of the city. But what is catchy about the fountain is that water spouts from the towers from the lips of the projected faces making it look like the faces are spitting out water, playing on the historical theme of gargoyles with water coming out of their mouths in fountains.

Then there's the large "bean" called the Cloud Gate. Made of stainless steel, it was inspired by liquid mercury and is one of the most popular sculptures in the United States. Finally, there's the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, a band shell designed by controversial but award-winning architect Frank Gehry. It's a popular venue for outdoor concerts.

And Chicago knows how to raise funds since most of the features of the park are from corporate donations! That's something Metro Manila should try emulating. I'm sick and tired of the ugly, tasteless and kitsch infrastructure the MMDA has been churning out lately. Aren't you?

Illinois, USA: Chicago is a candidate city for the 2016 Olympics

There was so much buzz in Chicago when we arrived there since they had recently been named a candidate city for the 2016 Summer Olympics. They're up against Tokyo, Japan (which hopes to host the Olympics for the second time, it's the front-runner having scored the highest in the preliminary rankings), Madrid, Spain (one of the few major European capitals which has yet to host the Olympics, it was also a candidate city for the 2012 Olympics), and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (which hopes to bring the Olympic Games to South America for the first time). Michael Jordan is currently the unofficial spokesman for the Chicago 2016 bid.

Chicago was supposed to host the 1904 Summer Olympics but it was moved to St. Louis to coincide with the 1904 World's Fair. They also bid for the games in 1952 and 1956 but with no success. Will they be lucky this time around?

Illinois, USA: Chicago skyline from the Adler Planetarium

The area around the Adler Planetarium by Lake Michigan is where one can enjoy one of the best, if not the best views of the Chicago skyline. You could see most of the major skyscrapers from there including the Sears Tower, Aon Center, John Hancock Center, AT&T Corporate Center and Two Prudential Plaza among many others. It's a great place to chill, and I sure did enjoy the view.

Illinois, USA: Chicago's culturally-diverse neighborhoods

If there's one thing I enjoyed about Chicago, it was the cultural-diversity which manifested itself in the wide array of food choices. And yesterday was the day I sampled food from Chicago's ethnically-diverse neighborhoods.

First stop for the day was Devon Avenue, a former Jewish community which now plays host to Chicago's Indian & Pakistani communities. Available there are various cuisines from all over India and Pakistan, and even Afghanistan! I still saw some Jewish establishments but not as much as Indian and Pakistani restaurants.

Try entering a supermarket and the distinct smell of spices fill the air. Mangoes are a popular fruit in the area, mostly Indian. But they sell "Manila" mangoes which are ironically grown in Mexico and elsewhere. I wonder when we could export our luscious Guimaras mangoes to the U.S. because the "Manila" mangoes are a far-cry from what we have here in the Philippines.

From there we proceeded to New Saigon, a small Vietnamese area to sample the bahn mi sandwiches at the Ba Le Bakery. We also walked to the local Asian supermarket to get some dried jackfruit chips but we also saw some Philippine products as well. Another tasty surprise was the crunchy dried durian which was really good!

Shortly before lunch, we proceeded to Lincoln Square, the former German community, to sample the tiramisu cakes which is a specialty of Cafe Selmarie.

We made a quick drive around Andersonville (Swedish) and Greek Town (if we had more time, I would have wanted to sample the Greek food), before proceeding to Little Village, the Mexican community for a late lunch at Taqueria El Milagro. The grilled beef and tortillas was a filling treat! We proceeded to the New Maxwell Street Sunday Market to get more Mexican tortillas were they are freshly-made right in front of you.

We made a quick drive around Chinatown proceeding to the Adler Planetarium area by Lake Michigan where one can find the best views of the Chicago skyline. More from Chinatown and Chicago's other neighborhoods in the next posts. Thanks to Ron Salazar and Padma Siap for taking me around and back to DeKalb!

Illinois, USA: More from Chicago

Before taking that elevator ride up to the Skydeck, the bus stopped over for a few minutes at the United Center so that we could take some photos. The United Center is the home of the Chicago Bulls.

Outside is a statue of "His Airness" Michael Jordan, the team's legendary guard who lead the Bulls to six NBA championships. By acclamation, he is said to be the greatest basketball player of all time! It was a surprise though seeing the statue there when Michael Jordan is very much alive and kicking.

After Sears Tower, we also dropped by Navy Pier for lunch. This is another heritage structure that was adaptively reused and converted into a shopping and entertainment complex. If you plan to hop on the Architecture Cruise or cruises to Lake Michigan, Navy Pier is where you can find them.

We also dropped by the Bahá'í House of Worship in nearby Wilmette, one of the lakefront suburbs of Chicago. It's the temple of the Bahá'í Faith, a religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in nineteenth-century Persia. Plans to construct this temple began in 1903. Construction commenced in 1921 and was finally completed in 1953.

For the evening, we had a picnic in Grant Park while enjoying the 25th Annual Chicago Blues Festival. But I didn't stay long since I had to meet up with my family who were on vacation in Chicago as well. So I took a Metra (the transportation system from Chicago to its suburbs) to Lisle where my family was staying.

It was a coincidence that my mom had a mini-reunion with her US-based high school classmates in Chicago, and an even bigger coincidence that the dates matched with my Chicago trip. So at least I got to meet up with them even just for a few hours since they were leaving the next day.

Illinois, USA: Sears Tower and the view from the Skydeck

Sears Tower in Chicago was the tallest skyscraper in the world from 1973 to 1998. It's still the tallest building in Chicago and a visit to the Skydeck on the 103rd floor which is 1,353 feet (412 m) above ground, is definitely worth the visit.

It was our first real day in Chicago since we went straight to DeKalb as soon as we arrived at O'Hare. And we had a list of places to visit today, one of them being the famous Sears Tower.

They say that up there, you can see up to fifty miles on all sides. It was a great experience looking down at Chicago's magnificent skyscrapers. The city is known far and wide for its architecture which covers more than a century of history.

Contemporary structures are properly blended with old historic buildings, standing side-by-side in a harmonious mix of past, present and future. We'll see that in detail when we take the Architecture Cruise later in the month.

What looks like the beach and a sea is actually a large freshwater lake called Lake Michigan. Although I've swam in lakes, I've never experienced a freshwater urban beach before (meaning the usual beaches we all know about, the same fun without the saltwater).

In fact, the water was so blue, if I did not know it was a lake, I would have mistaken Lake Michigan for a sea. Even the river that runs through the city is very much clean and that was evident from where I stood.

It costs $12.95 to get up to the Skydeck and you can stay there for as long as you want during visiting hours.

Illinois, USA: Northern Illinois Univeristy in Dekalb, Illinois

Northern Illinois University (NIU) in DeKalb, Illinois is going to be our home away from home for the next four weeks. A public university founded in 1895, it has 25,000 students in seven degree-granting colleges that together offer 54 undergraduate and 74 graduate programs, and 12 doctoral programs.

DeKalb is about an hour and 30 minutes (104 kilometers) west of Chicago. Sad to say, there is no train service to DeKalb so we couldn't sneak out to Chicago that easily. Oh well!

Anyway, We got to tour campus today and visited some of its older buildings, including Altgeld Hall which houses the administration, and the East Lagoon where some wild Canadian geese can be found. NIU was in the news early this year being the site of another campus shooting incident in February. But all is well here and life has moved on. As the motto of NIU goes: "Forward, Together Forward."

Guam: ATR42/72 plane to the Northern Marianas

Today, we left Guam for Saipan. Our flight was in the afternoon so we had some last minute meetings before we flew out. After breakfast, we made a courtesy visit to Walter B. Dias, the Staff VP for Sales and Marketing of Continental Airlines. After the visit, we were invited to visit the Hyatt Regency Guam to check out the facilities and savor their sumptuous buffet lunch.

The view from the rooms was picturesque! All their rooms are actually on the side of the beach and thus get a wonderful view of Tumon Bay. Lunch was at La Mirenda Retaurant. Everyday, the theme of the buffet changes so expect to try out something new. For today, it was Mexican so I had nachos and made my own burrito with guacamole in it. But the pièce de resistance was actually their dessert table. Yummy!

We were running late and had to rush to the airport. The counters were actually closed when we got there but they let us in anyway. We were already late, but when we placed our bags on the weighing scales, everyone was overweight no thanks to the shopping! So all of us were frantically opening our luggage and taking out stuff. Good thing Lou gave us a travel bag from Continental so we were able to balance out the stuff between the two bags. Whew!

The plane is actually a 42-seater ATR42/72, the ones with the propellers. I already had some misconceptions about these planes and was pleasantly surprised that it was a smooth flight since I had motion sickness. In fact, I was asleep for the most part.

We landed at the Saipan International Airport at about 3:30 p.m. To get into the Northern Marianas, you either need a U.S. visa or a visitor's entry permit. You could get an application form at the Marianas Visitors Authority office in Manila and fax it to CNMI Immigration. Forms can also be downloaded at the website of the CNMI Attorney General's Office.

We got a warm welcome when we got out the airport courtesy of our hosts, the Saipan Grand Hotel. They gave each of us plumeria leis which really smelled good.

From the airport, we went to the hotel. But they took us for a brief drive around the island center in Garapan first. Our rooms had a really great view of Susupe Beach which was right beside the hotel. The group had a lot of time to rest since our only activity today was dinner. So after getting settled, I went down to the beach to swim a bit.

We had a BBQ dinner at the beach. The atmosphere was so relaxed and we had our feet on the sand. They served us salads, roasted oysters and mussels and steak. They also let us try Tinian chili. I dipped the tip of my fork in it to try it out. Wow! The effect of that very small amount was overwhelming since the chili was just soooooo hot!

The great thing about this hotel was that they had free Wi-Fi internet access at the lobby! Hehe! Anyway, time to sleep now. Lot's of stuff to do tomorrow.

Guam: Snuba diving in Tumon Bay

Today, we visited Tumon Bay, one of four protected marine reserves of Guam. Tumon Bay is actually the area of the hotel row which is why visitors residing in the hotels could easily access it. Our plan was to snorkel from the Ypao Beach Park.

Instead, we found ourselves going snuba diving, which is a mix of scuba diving and snorkeling since although you have the oxygen tank, the tank is floating on an inflated raft above the surface. It was a good thing Snuba, a company which offered this great activity, had clients on Ypao Beach that day. So we were able to join in. A thirty minute snuba tour around the reefs of Tumon Bay would cost you about US$65 per person.

We got ourselves some underwater cameras yesterday night. It was a great deal since we got the reusable ones with flash for just US$15 at K-Mart. So you just have to change the film when it's done. So I'll post the photos of our snuba trip once I get the photos developed.

There was a lot of marine life in the reef. Not as much as the deeper reefs but going snuba in Tumon Bay was a good introduction to scuba for a beginner like myself. The fish aren't scared of people since no one is allowed to go fishing in this protected area and they are used to people too. I think I'll try the real scuba diving one of these days since checking out the marine life was really fun! I didn't expect it to be that tiring though because when I got out of the water, I was so exhausted. My throat was dry too!

We had to rush and get dressed since we had to catch the rest of the group for lunch at Tony Roma's at the SM Store. Yes people... Henry Sy has landed in Guam! It was hosted by SM Store GM Tes Reyes and the marketing heads of Continental Airlines and the Guam Visitors Bureau namely Lou Sanchez and Pilar Laguana.

My lunch really accelerated my food binge. Talk about American servings! I had a large serving of ribs and chicken, coleslaw and a mound fries all in one plate! And to think I had tortilla chips and salsa before the main course.

I decided to take a nap after lunch since I didn't want to go shopping anymore plus I slept quite late the night before since I was maximizing my Internet access which was US$15 for 24 hours! So they brought me back to the hotel while the rest went shopping or were doing more interviews.

From the balcony of my room, I took some photos of Tumon Bay. Really great view! It's a really good thing Guam was able to take care of its environment which is why you have these really blue waters right beside high-rise hotels.

For dinner, we met up with successful Filipino businessman Emilio Uy at Proa Restaurant. Again, another large plate for dinner. I could feel my stomach and my face expanding! Mr. Uy was the owner of a very large office supply store in Guam and was very famous for his generosity to visiting Filipinos. He even sent us some pasalubongs at the hotel.

We had to rush back to the hotel since Probe had to interview Cueshe, a popular Filipino band, who was in Guam for a week for some gigs. Cheche Lazaro did the interview and we got to listen in. We found how they started in Cebu and the gamble they took by coming over to Manila without any assurance of gigs and all; how they lived in a single apartment, living on canned foods and noodles. Well, obviously their gamble paid off.

After the interview, I went up again to my room since I wanted to maximize the remaining minutes of the Internet connection. Haha! We leave for Saipan tomorrow.

OT: The M/S Nippon Maru is now docked in Manila. And I missed the SSEAYP reunion on board the ship! Oh well! I will have to wait for 2008 since it's not docking in Manila next year. Thanks to SSEAYP International Philippines for the SIP National Award for Arts & Culture. I apologize for not being there to receive the award personally since I'm still working here. Thanks again!

Photo credits: Karlo de Leon who took most of my photos, Jodi Madridejos and Cheche Lazaro.

Guam: Road trip to the south of Guam

Today we visited the southern end of Guam. It was raining since the tip of a storm was passing through Guam. After breakfast at the hotel, we made our way eastward towards the Pacific side of the island. We stopped by the Mangilao Golf Club to check out the view of the Pacific coast and take some photos. Notice the hand gesture? That's the sign for Hafa Adai which is Chamorro for hello.

From Mangilao, it was a southward drive towards Talofofo. But on the way, we checked out the jungle cruise port but the boat had just left. There are two schedules, one at 9 a.m. and another at 1 p.m.

Our next stop was the Talofofo Falls Park. Talofofo Falls is one of Guam's popular tourist attractions. A privately owned area, the entrance fee for tourists is US$20 which includes a two-minute cable car ride down to the falls and back, the amusement park, and a visit to Yokai Cave.

The cave was the hiding place of Sergeant Soichi Yokoi, a Japanese soldier who hid in the Talofofo jungles for 28 years following the defeat of the Japanese in World War II. He was finally captured in 1972 and returned to Japan where he was given his back-pay. From the depiction on the wall, you could see that the cave was actually a small bunker 2.5 meters below the ground, 1 meter high and 1.5 meters wide.

We took the cable car down to the waterfalls area and hiked around. There are actually two waterfalls. Several rope bridges allow visitors to walk across the river to get around the falls area.

From Talofofo, we passed by Inarajan which we visited yesterday. We stopped at the Saluglula Pool which was a popular swimming area with a two-meter deep natural pool popular for diving. This pool was protected from the strong waves by several rocks.

We made our way to Merizo which was celebrating its village fiesta that day, known as Fiestan Tasi. Among the interesting sites in the village is an old convent which is now a school as well as a bell tower. There is also a replica of the image of the Our Lady of Camarin, the patroness of Guam, right in front of the church plaza. Merizo Port is also the jump off point for Cocos Island, a very popular beach among Japanese tourists.

From Merizo, we went to Fort Nuestra Senora de la Soledad in the village of Umatac. Umatac Bay is said to be the landing site of Ferdinand Magellan in 1521 which is why a monument to him could also be found in the village. In 1565, Miguel Lopez de Legazpi arrived in Umatac, claiming the islands for Spain. This would start the long intertwined history of the Philippines and Guam since the Marianas were governed by the governor-general in Manila.

Umatac Bay was very important to the Manila Galleon Trade since it was the last replenishment stop before the long voyage to Acapulco in Mexico. Which is why from 1680 to 1810, several fortifications were built to protect the galleons from pirates and privateers. The last of the four forts constructed was Fort Soledad.

It was already close to 2 p.m. and we realized we hadn't had lunch yet. So our driver took us to a popular Filipino restaurant in Tamuning which is actually an institution in the Filipino community of Guam. Opening its doors in 1987, Rambie’s is said to be the longest-running Filipino restaurants in Guam. Serving Pinoy favorites such as kare-kare, sinigang, caldereta and dinuguan, the restaurant uses the turo-turo concept, enticing customers with its colorful display of different dishes.

From Rambie's, we made our way to the Hyatt in Tumon to pick up the Probe crew who had done interviews the whole day. From there, we went back to the hotel to freshen up for a dinner cruise. But the sad part was the boat cruise cancelled due to the storm. So we decided to go shopping.

Our first stop was Micronesia Mall which is owned by none other than Lucio Tan. I guess the Philippines is completing its invasion of Guam with the arrival of shopping malls. Yes, Henry Sy has his own stake on the island as well. Jollibee is there too and so is San Miguel! After Micronesia Mall which closes at 6 p.m. on Sundays would you believe, we went to K-Mart which was open 24 hours. Anyway, more tomorrow.

Heritage updates
626-year-old mosque named National Shrine

Guam: Where America's day begins

Hafa Adai from Guam! Today was a full day for me since I’m on a familiarization tour of Guam courtesy of the Guam Visitors Bureau (GVB) and Continental Airlines. Have tons of work to do here for Pilmap Travel & Leisure. So watch out for the December 15 issue.

I left Manila yesterday night at 11 p.m. I was at the airport early since I had to get my ticket at the Continental office at the 4th floor of NAIA. Good thing we were given invitations to the MIASCOR Lounge so I was able to relax a bit, check my mail while waiting, eat some dinner and drink a few glasses of red wine. The rest of the group had left the night before. And last night, only myself and Probe Team host Cheche Lazaro were on our way to Guam. I got to chat with her since we were seatmates as well on the plane.

We arrived in Guam at 4:20 a.m. which is two hours ahead of Manila time. That meant we had less than three hours of sleep! Good thing our call time for the day was still at 9:30 a.m. so we had time to sleep some more before we buckled down to work.

The group was billeted at the Royal Orchid Hotel, a four-star hotel in Tumon which is quite near the airport. The rooms are great. It was funny too because the bathroom area is as big as the sleeping area since it had a dressing room, etc. And you could slide the bathroom windows so that you could watch TV while you’re in the tub.

I was up at 8:45 a.m., took a quick shower and went straight down for buffet breakfast at the Brooklyn Café. Then we were off.

Our first stop was the Gef Pa’go Chamorro Cultural Village in Inarajan were we were given an introduction to the Chamorro way of life. There were several huts which featured various aspects of Chamorro culture such as salt making, rope twining, katupat weaving, etc. They charged US$10 per person.

The village, just a few huts and nothing fancy, was quite ordinary. But you learned a lot since the experience was hands-on. Imagine, we could do something like this in the Philippines such as in the Cordilleras or in Mindanao. And it could help preserve the culture since the income from tourism would encourage the indigenous communities to preserve and showcase their culture.

From the village, we walked towards one of the old houses of the village. You could see how much they value their heritage since, for Philippine standards, this was just an ordinary old house. Yet it was listed in the registry of heritage houses both in Guam and the United States because it represents the common folk, the Chamorro people.

In the Philippines, commoners’ houses would most probably not be considered as heritage houses by the NHI since they may not fit in their criteria as “exemplary” examples of Philippine architecture.

The house had a little marker inside made of wood designating it as a heritage house both locally and nationally; unlike at home wherein the NHI, at times, has to consider its budget first before declaring a structure since the cast iron markers are expensive. I hope the NHI just keeps on declaring heritage houses since unlike the other categories such as national shrines, monuments, landmarks or historical sites, I feel that the criteria for heritage houses should not be stringent since we are declaring based on cultural significance rather than historical accuracy. And the more we declare, the more we preserve, the better!

One thing I was also surprised to see was that the matriarch of the house was in a terno! Check out this photo. It just shows the deep-rooted connections between us Filipinos with the Chamorros.

Anyway, from the house, we walked to the nearby St. Joseph’s Church. For a village church, I was surprised that it was air-conditioned inside. There were stained-glass windows portraying the different patron saints of the villages of Guam.

We went back to the Gef Pa’go Village to have lunch. The community served us traditional Chamorro food, a fiesta plate consisting of spiced ground chicken, fried chicken, pancit and java rice. There was so much to eat since everything on Guam was American-sized servings so that was two pieces of fried chicken and close to two cups of rice!

Our next stop was the Two Lovers Point in Tumon. But we made a brief stopover at Yoña at the viewpoint for Pa’go Bay.

Two Lovers Point is one of the more popular tourist attractions of Guam. Aside from being a scenic spot, it has a legend attached to it, a tragedy with a Romeo and Juliet-like plot. It was about two lovers who chose to end their lives together by jumping over the cliff rather than living separate lives.

The girl was a daughter of a Spanish aristocrat and a Chamorro woman of noble lineage. Her father had arranged a marriage with a Spanish captain. Learning about this, the girl ran away from Hagåtña (Agana) until she found a secluded shore. There she met a Chamorro warrior from a modest background. They immediately fell in love with each other.

Upon learning of the relationship, the father demanded that the girl marry the captain immediately. That same day, she ran to the same spot to meet her lover. They were pursued until the tow were cornered and trapped between the edge of cliff and the soldiers.

Seeing that they could not escape, the tied their long hair into a single knot, looked at each other’s eyes and kissed for the final time before jumping to their deaths from the cliff. The father could only but rush and stare in aguish at the waters below where only their knotted hair was seen floating. The two became a symbol of true love, the knot a symbol of two souls intertwined in life and in death; which is why the cliff is called Two Lover Point.

From the cliff, visitors are afforded spectacular views of Tumon Bay and the downtown Tumon area. At the top of the cliff, you would notice several padlocks attached to the grill. These were placed by lovers as a symbol of their love for each other. After the padlocks are locked to the grill, the keys are thrown over the cliff and down to the water. Some couples have even chosen this location for their wedding.

From there, we proceeded to Underwater World. This 800,000 gallon aquarium has a long viewing tunnel made from a special acrylic 2.5 inches thick. It is home to various species of sharks, stingrays, turtles, groupers which weigh as much as 500 pounds, and thousands of other ocean animals.

On the second floor is a sea life gallery which features unique and rare species such as garden eels, giant spider crabs, stingrays, and even a bamboo shark at the touch pool. Yup, I got to touch the shark.

But hear this! In the evening, the tunnel is transformed into a popular nightspot called Kaitei Lounge. Tables and chairs are set up in the tunnel where exotic cocktails are served to guests.

For the evening, we visited two festivals. The first was the Christmas Festival in Hagåtña and the lighting of the big Christmas tree as Skinner Park. I was touched by the sense of community of the people since even if it was raining, everyone stayed to watch the program under their umbrellas. Good thing it stopped raining while the program begun. We also got to chat with Madame Joann Camacho, the first lady of Guam. Although born in Guam, her father is from Bataan.

Our next stop was the Annual Autumn Festival at Ypao Park in Tamuning organized by the Japan Club of Guam. It was packed full with people despite the rains earlier. It was a chance for the Japanese of Guam to showcase their culture. Aside from the performances, many of the performers came straight from Japan, there were food booths offering various Japanese favorites while the game booths kept everyone busy with traditional Japanese games.

Although our plan was to eat dinner there, we decided not to since there were just so many people. So we went back to the hotel to put down our stuff and we walked to the next building to eat at Jamaican Grill. The food was great! We had roast chicken and pork ribs with their special sauce. That’s it for tonight. We have a lot of activities tomorrow.

It's easier to update my photos so just check my Multiply page for the latest photos.

OT: Atienza is getting greedier as ever. Now he plans to erect a statue of Manny Pacquiao in the Baywalk when he's very much alive! Shame on you Lito Atienza, using Manny Pacquiao's popularity to get votes for your son! Check out this Manila Standard editorial. I even hear there is a plan to rename the San Andres Sports Complex after him! Let me remind these politicians of Republic Act No. 1059, An Act Prohibiting the Naming of Sitios, Barrios, Municipalities, Cities, Provinces, Streets, Highways, Avenues, Bridges, and Other Public Thoroughfares, Parks, Plazas, Public Schools, Public Buildings, Piers, Government Aircrafts and Vessels, and Other Public Institutions After Living Persons. Gone are the Quezon days when politicians could name cities after themselves.

Photo credits: Karlo de Leon who took most of my photos, Jodi Madridejos and Cheche Lazaro.