Tales from Guam, Part II
Island Dancing, 02/15/10:
Confession: I spent my first day shopping. Further confession: I spent 2+ hours (and almost exactly $200) of my first day shopping...at Kmart. >_<
I know how awful that sounds, but the lure of American sizes (where an L does not equal an S, and a S does not equal something only an anorexic infant should logically be able to squeeze into), added to the fact that, for once, I wouldn't have to worry about the weight of a piece of monstrous luggage, was just too much to keep me away. Also, I desperately needed a new bathing suit. Did you know that if a bathing suit gets too old, the 2 layers of it can separate, typically making the outer layer float around as if it's a size too big, while little bits of the coloring fleck off and cover the surface of the water around you when you're swimming? I didn't. Didn't. Past tense. So I needed a new suit. ^^;
I might've also enjoyed watching all the Japanese girls walk around with frowny faces, complaining about how all the cute clothes they wanted to buy were TOO BIG. HA, HA.
After walking around the Micronesia Mall, Kmart, and a few of the stores on the Tumon Bay hotel strip, I came back to the hotel completely exhausted, but just in time for a dinner reservation I'd made upon my arrival the day before.
The Fiesta Resort, where I was staying, has a "Beachside BBQ," where you cook your meal on a BBQ grill at your table while watching a traditional island dance show (kinda like different forms of hula dancing from the various islands out in the Pacific, from Fiji to Hawaii).
The experience was, from start to finish, pretty awesome. Maybe because I was the second name on the reservation list, or maybe because I'm just lucky, my table was literally front and center before the little cement stage. Though the tables were set up outside, the buffet of raw meat, rice, salad, and dessert was just inside an extension of the neighboring World Cafe--meaning the meat wasn't left to the mercy of the insects and heat outside. I got myself a little of everything (chicken, 2 kinds of beef, pork ribs, squid, and some kind of white fish), and was pleasantly surprised to find that the beef, ribs, fish, and squid were all really excellent (chicken was too spicy, dessert was passable).
The show itself was great. It started with a singing quartet of men strumming away to a light and relaxing island beat before exploding into a flurry of drumming and yipping dancers clad in palm fronds, feathers, and coconut bras. (A little something for everyone. ;) I've never really cared much for hula dancing, but after seeing one of the girls in this show, I think I get it. She really got how to move with the rhythm of the waves--as someone who can't move her feet beyond the standard walk/trot/run combination, I was pretty riveted. The show as a whole, though, was pleasant, fun, and relaxing. Exactly the sort of thing you want on an island vacation. I would have totally gone again...if it hadn't been $60 for the meal&show package. *ahem*
At one point toward the end of the show, they had the predictable segment where the dancers came out and pulled a few audience members on stage. I think I knew from the moment I saw the position of my table that I'd be one of them. Had I been with anyone else on this trip, I probably would've refused, but since there were no witnesses of consequence, I went up there and performed my bastardization of the Guam hula. (It could just be me, but I think they sent me back to my seat a little faster than the other volunteers. ^^; ). It was an experience, anyway.
Though I can't do it myself--AT ALL--I think island dancing has joined Irish dancing as one of the few dance forms I actually respect and love to watch. :)
The Sandcastle Dream, 02/16/10:
On Tuesday morning, I went down to the concierge to ask about tours to Tolofofo Falls (say that 3x fast). Next thing I knew, I was booked for a day tour for just about every site on the island BUT the falls and, separately, a ticket for the Sandcastle Dinner Theater's show "Dream."
After a very long day with a very chatty (and not in a good way) tour guide, I went back to the hotel for about an hour and a half, during which I booked myself a scuba tour for the next day, took a 10-minute FLOMP nap, got dressed, and set out for the Sandcastle (about 15 minutes down the road, on foot).
I got to the theater a little early and stood around at the unmanned cashier's desk for a few minutes before deciding to dash off to the restroom for a moment to get something out of my eye. Of course, according to the laws of He Who Waits, when I emerged approximately 30 seconds later, not only had the cashier returned, but a swarm of Japanese tourists were swamping her counter. Eventually, I got myself my $89 ticket (are you doing the math here? This trip was eXPenSiVe! @_@), got my table number (table #89, strangely enough), smiled politely at the receiving woman inside the theater who laughed too loudly at my "Yes, I'm alone. I haven't made any friends yet" reply to her obvious question, and was shown to my seat.
My waiter was one of my favorite parts of the trip so far. His attitude was the perfect balance of polite and friendly--he made me feel excited about being there, which I love. A few minutes after leaving me alone with my menu, he returned to tell me that he'd put me int he wrong seat. As I scooted out of my booth, he apologized and offered to buy me a drink to compensate for the mix-up. I ordered myself a virgin pina colada while doing a little "lol" inside my head.
The food, honestly, didn't start out great. The lobster bisque that had me pretty excited on the menu came out thick and plastic-y (tasted more like tomato than lobster, and had only one tiny shred of anything that could've possibly been lobster in it). But then my hamburger came out and surprised me first by being a cheeseburger, and then by not being half bad. It's been 10...maybe 20 years since I had my last cheeseburger, and I appreciated (since that age-old burger in my memory was a McDonald's one) that the Sandcastle went the extra mile and put real cheddar on their meat, rather than some Kraft slices semblance of cheesy orange squareness.
Dessert arrived just as the performance was starting. Though I couldn't see much of what it was in the dark, the taste and texture suggested that it was something of a strawberry mousse with a [surfboard-shaped?] piece of chocolate stuck in, a little swirl of whipped cream, and a cherry on top. Great way to start the show. :)
The performance was centered around the very loose (and...poorly executed) "plot" of 2 Chinese girls going to sleep and having a dream. It was, overall, a lot like a cheaper, lower-budget wannabe version of Cirque du Soleil.
The best number was executed by a team of buff Asian boys who frolicked onto the stage and showcased different impossible ways to climb a pole. One of them actually climbed up using only his arms, while maintaining a perpendicular angle of his body to the pole itself. Like this: >-o=|| Most of the show was a series of random demonstrations of people who do amazing things, and I was far more impressed with the group of pole-climbing boys than the Chinese girls who doubled as contortionists and balance acts.
The magician (an illusionist who seems to be one of the creators of the show itself...and also an expendable member of the plot) also did some very cool things, from making a tiger appear on stage, to making a blank piece of paper into a snowflake and then making it turn into "snow" by shredding it inside his closed fist. (Hard to explain, but it was cool.) For the finale, he also made a motorcycle and a CAR appear on stage, so I gotta give him props for that.
I was a little disappointed by the use of the two tigers in the show (one white, the other a golden tabby). Aside from the impressive trick (done twice) of turning one of the showgirls into a tiger, the only other time we saw them was when they put the white one into a plastic box at the back for one number...and just had it sit there. Seems like both a waste and a shameless ploy to draw in crowds via a Sigfried&Roy-esque poster.
The REAL low point of the show was the dance numbers by the showgirls. Most were done to loud and pounding music (with MTV music videos up on double screens on either side of the stage); not particularly inspired, choreographically speaking; and used to show off the magician's obvious ego while the girls got progressively naked-er. Could've been better.
Overall, though, it was another experience. It was worth going for the inspiring service of the pina colada waiter, if nothing else, and...well, hell, they made a car appear on stage. A CAR.
Confession: I spent my first day shopping. Further confession: I spent 2+ hours (and almost exactly $200) of my first day shopping...at Kmart. >_<
I know how awful that sounds, but the lure of American sizes (where an L does not equal an S, and a S does not equal something only an anorexic infant should logically be able to squeeze into), added to the fact that, for once, I wouldn't have to worry about the weight of a piece of monstrous luggage, was just too much to keep me away. Also, I desperately needed a new bathing suit. Did you know that if a bathing suit gets too old, the 2 layers of it can separate, typically making the outer layer float around as if it's a size too big, while little bits of the coloring fleck off and cover the surface of the water around you when you're swimming? I didn't. Didn't. Past tense. So I needed a new suit. ^^;
I might've also enjoyed watching all the Japanese girls walk around with frowny faces, complaining about how all the cute clothes they wanted to buy were TOO BIG. HA, HA.
After walking around the Micronesia Mall, Kmart, and a few of the stores on the Tumon Bay hotel strip, I came back to the hotel completely exhausted, but just in time for a dinner reservation I'd made upon my arrival the day before.
The Fiesta Resort, where I was staying, has a "Beachside BBQ," where you cook your meal on a BBQ grill at your table while watching a traditional island dance show (kinda like different forms of hula dancing from the various islands out in the Pacific, from Fiji to Hawaii).
The experience was, from start to finish, pretty awesome. Maybe because I was the second name on the reservation list, or maybe because I'm just lucky, my table was literally front and center before the little cement stage. Though the tables were set up outside, the buffet of raw meat, rice, salad, and dessert was just inside an extension of the neighboring World Cafe--meaning the meat wasn't left to the mercy of the insects and heat outside. I got myself a little of everything (chicken, 2 kinds of beef, pork ribs, squid, and some kind of white fish), and was pleasantly surprised to find that the beef, ribs, fish, and squid were all really excellent (chicken was too spicy, dessert was passable).
The show itself was great. It started with a singing quartet of men strumming away to a light and relaxing island beat before exploding into a flurry of drumming and yipping dancers clad in palm fronds, feathers, and coconut bras. (A little something for everyone. ;) I've never really cared much for hula dancing, but after seeing one of the girls in this show, I think I get it. She really got how to move with the rhythm of the waves--as someone who can't move her feet beyond the standard walk/trot/run combination, I was pretty riveted. The show as a whole, though, was pleasant, fun, and relaxing. Exactly the sort of thing you want on an island vacation. I would have totally gone again...if it hadn't been $60 for the meal&show package. *ahem*
At one point toward the end of the show, they had the predictable segment where the dancers came out and pulled a few audience members on stage. I think I knew from the moment I saw the position of my table that I'd be one of them. Had I been with anyone else on this trip, I probably would've refused, but since there were no witnesses of consequence, I went up there and performed my bastardization of the Guam hula. (It could just be me, but I think they sent me back to my seat a little faster than the other volunteers. ^^; ). It was an experience, anyway.
Though I can't do it myself--AT ALL--I think island dancing has joined Irish dancing as one of the few dance forms I actually respect and love to watch. :)
The Sandcastle Dream, 02/16/10:
On Tuesday morning, I went down to the concierge to ask about tours to Tolofofo Falls (say that 3x fast). Next thing I knew, I was booked for a day tour for just about every site on the island BUT the falls and, separately, a ticket for the Sandcastle Dinner Theater's show "Dream."
After a very long day with a very chatty (and not in a good way) tour guide, I went back to the hotel for about an hour and a half, during which I booked myself a scuba tour for the next day, took a 10-minute FLOMP nap, got dressed, and set out for the Sandcastle (about 15 minutes down the road, on foot).
I got to the theater a little early and stood around at the unmanned cashier's desk for a few minutes before deciding to dash off to the restroom for a moment to get something out of my eye. Of course, according to the laws of He Who Waits, when I emerged approximately 30 seconds later, not only had the cashier returned, but a swarm of Japanese tourists were swamping her counter. Eventually, I got myself my $89 ticket (are you doing the math here? This trip was eXPenSiVe! @_@), got my table number (table #89, strangely enough), smiled politely at the receiving woman inside the theater who laughed too loudly at my "Yes, I'm alone. I haven't made any friends yet" reply to her obvious question, and was shown to my seat.
My waiter was one of my favorite parts of the trip so far. His attitude was the perfect balance of polite and friendly--he made me feel excited about being there, which I love. A few minutes after leaving me alone with my menu, he returned to tell me that he'd put me int he wrong seat. As I scooted out of my booth, he apologized and offered to buy me a drink to compensate for the mix-up. I ordered myself a virgin pina colada while doing a little "lol" inside my head.
The food, honestly, didn't start out great. The lobster bisque that had me pretty excited on the menu came out thick and plastic-y (tasted more like tomato than lobster, and had only one tiny shred of anything that could've possibly been lobster in it). But then my hamburger came out and surprised me first by being a cheeseburger, and then by not being half bad. It's been 10...maybe 20 years since I had my last cheeseburger, and I appreciated (since that age-old burger in my memory was a McDonald's one) that the Sandcastle went the extra mile and put real cheddar on their meat, rather than some Kraft slices semblance of cheesy orange squareness.
Dessert arrived just as the performance was starting. Though I couldn't see much of what it was in the dark, the taste and texture suggested that it was something of a strawberry mousse with a [surfboard-shaped?] piece of chocolate stuck in, a little swirl of whipped cream, and a cherry on top. Great way to start the show. :)
The performance was centered around the very loose (and...poorly executed) "plot" of 2 Chinese girls going to sleep and having a dream. It was, overall, a lot like a cheaper, lower-budget wannabe version of Cirque du Soleil.
The best number was executed by a team of buff Asian boys who frolicked onto the stage and showcased different impossible ways to climb a pole. One of them actually climbed up using only his arms, while maintaining a perpendicular angle of his body to the pole itself. Like this: >-o=|| Most of the show was a series of random demonstrations of people who do amazing things, and I was far more impressed with the group of pole-climbing boys than the Chinese girls who doubled as contortionists and balance acts.
The magician (an illusionist who seems to be one of the creators of the show itself...and also an expendable member of the plot) also did some very cool things, from making a tiger appear on stage, to making a blank piece of paper into a snowflake and then making it turn into "snow" by shredding it inside his closed fist. (Hard to explain, but it was cool.) For the finale, he also made a motorcycle and a CAR appear on stage, so I gotta give him props for that.
I was a little disappointed by the use of the two tigers in the show (one white, the other a golden tabby). Aside from the impressive trick (done twice) of turning one of the showgirls into a tiger, the only other time we saw them was when they put the white one into a plastic box at the back for one number...and just had it sit there. Seems like both a waste and a shameless ploy to draw in crowds via a Sigfried&Roy-esque poster.
The REAL low point of the show was the dance numbers by the showgirls. Most were done to loud and pounding music (with MTV music videos up on double screens on either side of the stage); not particularly inspired, choreographically speaking; and used to show off the magician's obvious ego while the girls got progressively naked-er. Could've been better.
Overall, though, it was another experience. It was worth going for the inspiring service of the pina colada waiter, if nothing else, and...well, hell, they made a car appear on stage. A CAR.