I know I haven't posted and I have a lot to catch up on... hopefully I'll be able to do so in the next few days. Lola was really sick the week before we left for vacation, so I was stressed about that (among other things) and ended up taking her to the doctor and the ER, so I didn't get much posting in, although I had a lot to say.
This was best family vacation to date. For one, we needed a vacation. We hadn't left Japan since last Spring Break and with everything going on, we just needed a break. We weren't sure how Lola was going to do on her first trip, especially because she'd been so sick, but she was perfect and Big Brother wasn't so bad either.
Guam is strangely comfortable for many reasons - ENGLISH! being one of them. Secondly, Guam is like a Japanese playground, since it's only about a 3 1/2-hour direct flight, so it was clean,safe and everyone gushed over our babes. And, it was warm - perfectly warm. John made the comment about how the warm air rejuvenated him - I agree! To most, the heat is oppressive, but we seemed to come alive while we were there. It wasn't super hot - high about 85, and there was a constant breeze which was nice. (We definitely need to move to a warm place again!)
The landscape was beautiful - clear blue ocean next to jungle-y hillsides. Unfortunately, due to what we think is a by-product of the military bases there - Guam is also dotted with MANY massage parlors (not the spa type), tattoo parlors and other classy establishments, like the pool hall down the street named "Ball Scratchers" or the bar "G-Spot". John was even propositioned one night going to the convenience store across the street - you'll have to ask him for the colorful dialogue. In some ways, Guam reminded me of Cuba. Guam definitely isn't as destitute as Cuba, but they both have a worn down look to them in gorgeous, tropical locations.
We ended up staying at Pacific Islands Club, which wasn't our first choice (The Outrigger was fully booked in January). It was PERFECT for us. There were so many things to do that we didn't even get to do everything in our 5 days - we missed mini-golf, the swim-through aquarium and wind surfing. BUT, we spent a lot of time at the pools and kiddie water park, and we fed the fish bread at the beach. Max loved the water slides which were quite fast and he got dunked each time, but went down with John over and over again until we had to go. We had friends staying there with older kids and their kids also had a great time. And once you are there, all the activities are free.
Guam is also known for "the largest KMart in the World". While it just seemed like every other discount superstore, it was fun shopping and being able to read labels and be able to buy brand-specific things like cold medicine, Tylenol, breast pads among other exciting things. We enjoyed eating out, although I wish I asked about some good places before we went because we went to some okay American chains like California Pizza Kitchen and Margaritas, but struck out with a few others. Things were reasonably cheap, or maybe we're just getting used to Japanese prices. The burgers by the pool were great, so we dined on them a few times.
It was a relatively easy flight and a really fun and easy trip for us, so we'll definitely consider going again. We did nothing to learn about the culture or really leave a 3 mile radius from our hotel, but it was just what we needed! Here are our pictures:
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