Unlike the private beaches at various hotels, Matapang Beach is a public beach. Even so, it’s actually quite uncrowded, and there are lifeguards on duty in this little hut. Almost every morning after breakfast, I’d take a stroll here and zone out for a while until the bus showed up, only then could I head elsewhere…

There are many small boats here.

Lizards spotted

As early as 500 AD, the Chamorro people knew how to stack natural stones to create latte stones, which served as pillars to support their houses. The main pillar of a latte stone is called a halagi, made from coral limestone; the capstone on top is called a tasa, crafted from naturally semi-spherical coral stones gathered from reef areas. Since ancient Guamanians were also buried beside these stone pillars after death, latte stones are also known as “grave stones.”

Here at Matapang Beach, there are also a few small latte stones:

There’s also a private zoo. Although it’s said not to have many animals, it’s still a must-visit spot for local elementary school students~~

Below is the beach.

I had hoped to watch the sunset, but unfortunately, the sun was blocked from this direction.

Finally, let’s talk about food and how to find restaurants. First of all, in a place like Guam where few Chinese tourists visit, you can basically ignore Dianping; it only lists a handful of places with just a few reviews, offering almost no useful reference. Then there’s TripAdvisor, an app commonly used by tourists, but the number of listings here is also on the low side, mostly featuring large chains. Another option is Yelp, the most widely used app in the U.S., where you can find nearly all the restaurants, and the reviews generally come from locals and Americans, making it fairly reliable.

Additionally, there are two apps specific to Guam. One is Shop Guam, the official app for the annual Guam Shopping Festival, which offers plenty of coupons for restaurants and shops—mostly 10% off or a free dish—which is quite handy. The other is called Menu.GU, which features full menus for many Guam restaurants, allowing you to check them out before dining to get familiar with signature dishes and prices.

nThe first place I visited in Guam was called Beachin’ Shrimp. As the name suggests, it’s a spot for shrimp lovers. The shrimp are very fresh and of excellent quality, and the staff are extremely friendly. They offer grilled shrimp as well as shrimp served in noodles, both with a bit of a Southeast Asian flair. The dish I ordered came with pesto sauce underneath—it was savory and delicious.

IHOP is also a chain restaurant in the U.S., known for serving big lobsters. However, since the lobster was way too expensive, I opted for the Miso Salmon Fillet instead. To my surprise, it tasted amazing—the balance of sweet, sour, salty, and umami was just perfect~~~ Plus, the coupon I received when visiting Two Lovers Point also got me a serving of fried calamari rings~~~ which were really tasty too.

To wrap up my summary of Guam: Pros—few crowds, beautiful ocean, great environment, no language barrier, and everything you need is available. Cons—expensive, and public transportation covers very few destinations~~~

Photos in this post taken with a SONY A5100 + 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 lens, edited in Lightroom.