Official languages: English, Chamorro
Fun Facts about Guam:
- Guamanians get American citizenship by birth under Title 8 of the U.S. Code. However, the downside is that in the United States, the people of Guam are not given the full range of opportunities that many native-born Americans are given.
- There is a beach in Guam known as ‘The Gun Beach.’ The beach also houses Guam’s largest beach bar.
- Would you believe the fact that Guam does not have sand? Yes, this is true! What you see on the beaches is coral, not sand. Paved roads in Guam are also made by mixing coral and cement together.
- Did you know that a Japanese soldier hid in Guam’s jungle for nearly three decades? The soldier was waiting for the war to end; however, he spent the time unaware that the war had already ended. The soldier was discovered in 1972, and soon he went back to his home country, eventually getting married. Surprisingly, this soldier visited Guam several times, even after marriage.
- The economy of the country is supported by tourism and the United States Armed Forces.
- The U.S. House of Representatives has a member from Guam; however, that person is a non-voting delegate.
- Guamanians have to fly 4000 miles to Hawaii to receive PTSD treatment (posttraumatic stress disorder).
- Guam is located roughly 7,000 miles from the U.S. mainland.
- Guam was also bombed after the attack (just over four hours) on Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941). The lives of 7,000 Americans and 17,500 Japanese were lost during the battle.
- Did you know that there were thousands of brown tree snakes on the island per every person during World War II?
- Guam is also one of the five U.S. territories that have an established civilian government.
- About 99% of the foreign workers on the island come from the Philippines.
- In 1957, a UFO was spotted in the skies of Guam by 1st Lt. Ted Brunson from his aircraft. The Lt. tried to follow the UFO, but to no avail. The speed of his aircraft could simply not match that of the UFO, the colonel said.
- The country is the largest island in Micronesia.
- Guam observes only two national holidays
- The island nation is roughly the shape of a footprint. It is approximately 30 miles long, and its width varies between 4 and 12 miles at various points.
- Ray Robson, one of the youngest players in history to become a Chess Grandmaster, was a Guamanian. Born on October 25, 1994, he defeated a National Master in tournament play at the tender age of nine.
- Due to the vast distance between the two U.S. territories, Guam is actually 20 hours ahead of Hawaii!
The lumpia ( an appetizer from the Philippines that is extremely popular in Guam) were ok. A bit heavy for my tastes, and unfortunately these were the best part of the meal....
Long story short, we didn't like the food. Any of it. The short ribs were way too fatty. I couldn't even begin to eat them. The rice was not bland, but I have no other way to describe it. It has this rich red color and smells amazing, but then when you eat it....just nothing. The cake, pretty generic. Unfortunately, we wound up getting fried chicken from Popeye's for dinner on this night.
Long story short, we didn't like the food. Any of it. The short ribs were way too fatty. I couldn't even begin to eat them. The rice was not bland, but I have no other way to describe it. It has this rich red color and smells amazing, but then when you eat it....just nothing. The cake, pretty generic. Unfortunately, we wound up getting fried chicken from Popeye's for dinner on this night.
Here are a few pictures we managed to get of the night:
 |
| This was the cake. I can't remember what it's called, but its slices of pound cake with a custard poured over the top and sprinkled with cinnamon. Sorry for the weird picture... it was taken as an after thought. :) |
