US Territory #1 - Guam

The US Territory

It was basically the next morning by the time I landed in Guam at 5am. I have never been to a US territory before so I was very interested and excited to see Guam. Things were off to a good start when I had a nice surprise of being able to use my Global Entry in the middle of the Pacific. I breezed through immigration and headed outside to meet my driver from Dusit Thani Guam Resort. I knew right then that I was going to have a great time. He picked me up in a Range Rover and I was able to learn a lot about Guam from someone around my own age. It was a great ride even though it was dark outside. At one point we drove down a street that looked like a major high street. Was I on an island or not? It was weird for sure to see so many American things. I know Guam is a part of the US, but being so far from home and having it feel like home was just a new experience.

Guam is lined with many high rise hotels and I was lucky enough to be staying at an amazing one, Dusit Thani Guam Resort. Thank you so much to Dusit Thani Guam Resort for sponsoring this night of my trip! The lobby in itself was beautiful and I was blown away by my room. It was stunning and everything about it was so nice. It had a bit of a local feel while also being very modern and sleek - I loved it! I went to sleep pretty much right when I got as it was already so late.

I only slept for a few hours to be able to enjoy my time in Guam as much as possible. In retrospect I should have spent more time on Guam because I would have loved to have seen more than just the beaches. One of my grandfathers was actually on Guam at some point during World War II so it would have been really interesting to see WWII related sites. Next time, I guess! When I woke up I was blown away by those very beaches. It was a beautiful view to be greeted by and such a nice day outside. I headed outside to enjoy the beach for a while and was amazed with how warm the water was. It was, technically, my first time in the water in the Pacific, and it was beautiful!

I loved being able to walk along the beach and enjoy it for a few hours. The pool area was also so nice and I really wish I had had more time. After a great day I headed back upstairs to pack up before meeting with Steven downstairs. He had helped to arrange my stay and was so great to talk to! I learned more not only about Dusit Thani Guam Resort but about the island as well. We took a few pictures before I headed on my way to the airport. But I had to make one quick stop first: the USPS! 

I definitely had not planned on using the US Postal Service on my trip through Asia and also had never been so excited to visit the post office. I was a little overweight and knew I could mail back a box full of things for as cheaply as if I was on the mainland. I was very excited to shed a few pounds off my bags for only a few dollars instead of having to worry about being overweight for the rest of the trip.

After my way too exciting post office run I was then dropped off at the airport for my flight to Hong Kong. While I was waiting I grabbed some Dominos (because, hey, I was back in America) before boarding my flight. It was a great, yet way to short, stay in Guam and I am so excited to visit again in the future and see more of the island.

107 countries down, 89 to go.

To learn more about Dusit Thani Guam Resort click here.

Country #107 - Palau

Day 1 – The Island Relaxation

I landed in Palau a little after 4am and very ready to go to sleep. I had transportation waiting for me at the airport to head to my hotel, Palau Carolines Resort. Once at the reception area I was driven by golf cart to my bungalow style room. It was pitch black outside so I couldn’t see much, but I could tell that I was up in the center of the island and should have a good view of the water in the morning. And boy, did I!

The view from my room looked out over the luscious island from up in the trees. It was amazing! A huge thank you to Palau Carolines Resort for sponsoring my stay in Palau - it was truly amazing. When I woke up I called to make my breakfast order and just a short while later I had breakfast on my patio with an amazing view. It was definitely a breakfast to remember. After getting very little sleep yet again I had, unfortunately, started to catch a cold. I have two days in Palau so I decided to spend my first one resting up and trying to fight the sickness so it hopefully doesn’t get worse.

I had great internet so I was able to get work done with a view, watch Netflix on the TV, and also take a few naps as well. For dinner I ordered a tasty pizza and, all around, it was a perfect restful day. I was able to go to sleep early before exploring more of Palau tomorrow.

Day 2 – The Island Museum

My second day in Palau was definitely a little more adventurous. I was feeling better, though not completely, and after another beautiful and delicious breakfast I headed down to the lobby to get a ride into town. At first I had planned to visit a local beach but on the drive learned from the driver that there were not many good local public options. We drove up to a few restaurants that had beach access but those options were all either closed or having a private event.

After no luck finding a beach I decided on plan B - a visit to a museum, the Belau National Museum! The museum itself was quite small but very comprehensive at the same time. It covered all of Palau’s history (and all of its colonial past, including Spanish, German, Japanese, and US occupation), its local traditions and lifestyle, art and early literature from the island, and much more. One of my favorite things that I learned is that Palau is a matriarchal society as women have been in charge on the island throughout its history. I spent a few hours reading as much as I could before visiting the gift shop and then enjoying the outdoor aspect of the museum. Outside there were many artifacts and even a local traditional building. It was very cool!

After the museum I headed to eat dinner at a restaurant near the hotel. Elilai Grill and Bar has another great view out over the island and I had some more tasty ribs. I was a bit annoyed that they wouldn’t let me sit by the edge since they had reservations even though they weren’t going to start until way after I left, but whatever. My food was still good and so was the view. After dinner I walked back the rest of the way to Palau Carolines Resort where I explored the property for a bit. The views are all over and they are building so many new villas. I cant wait to visit again someday!

That goes for Palau as a whole, actually. The main draw for tourists to Palau is diving and taking a boat out to see the Rock Islands. Unfortunately, I don’t have the funds to do either of those things right now, but I would love to come back and spend more time here someday! I had a great time and after my enjoyable second day I went to sleep around 6pm to get a few hours before having to head to the airport for my 2am flight to Guam.

107 countries down, 89 to go.

To learn more about Palau Carolines Resort click here.

Country #106 - Philippines

The Manila Madness

From the very start my time in Manila was hectic, but I had a very enjoyable stay as well. When I landed at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport it was one of the absolute worst immigration lines that I have seen. Actually, I take that back. It was much less a line than a giant bunch of people making their way towards the immigration booths in no discernible order. So, chaos, basically. After about an hour I finally made it through where my driver to my hotel, Amelie Hotel Manila, was waiting out front. The traffic was crazy because I think it is always crazy but eventually we made it to my hotel.

It was so late by the time that I finally arrived but I had a quick and welcoming check in and loved my large and comfortable room high up in the hotel. I loved the design of the room and felt very at home even after a crazy start to my time in Manila. I cannot thank Amelie Hotel Manila for sponsoring my stay in the Philippines! 

I ended up sleeping in much later than I had anticipated but still had time to get out and see Manila today. I took an Uber from Amelie Hotel Manila to the Intramuros area of the city, which is the historic Spanish area that was built during Spanish colonization starting all the way back in the 16th century. The ride over was quite interesting in itself. Manila is a crazy place and just driving through the streets was eye opening. Once I was in Intramuros I spent a bit just walking around and appreciating the architecture. My favorite site was the beautiful San Agustin Church, which actually had a wedding going on inside that you could see from the street since they left the doors wide open. It was so cool!

I had very spotty cell service in the city for some reason so it took a while to finally call an Uber to take me back to Amelie Hotel Manila. When I arrived back at the hotel I met with Pia, the resident manager of the hotel, along with other members of the hotel staff. We sat down for an absolutely lovely local meal at the hotel restaurant, Braska. I got to try so many new things and they were all quite tasty! I also really enjoyed spending time with Pia and asking her all about Manila and the Philippines. I learned so much and she was the absolute sweetest. She has promised to send me a video of her dancing with pom-poms when I finish breaking the record - I can’t wait!

While I had a very short stay in Manila I really enjoyed it. I would absolutely love to come back to the Philippines in the future and spend more time visiting the beautiful islands. I really enjoyed being able to at least see Intramuros and learning all about the Philippines with Pia. After our late lunch I took the long, traffic-filled ride back to the airport to catch my next plane. Immigration was not nearly as bad leaving the country, thank goodness. I was a bit early but finally boarded my plane around 9pm. I’m really looking forward to my next stop as it is my first Pacific Island and the only one that I will make it to for quite some time. I can’t wait to get to Palau soon!

106 countries down, 90 to go.

To learn more about Amelie Hotel Manila click here.

Country #105 - Taiwan

Day 1 – The 777

It was a quick flight from Mongolia to Beijing where I had a two hour layover before heading on to Taiwan. It was a pretty routine flight other than the fact that it was my first time ever flying on a Boeing 777 - aka a double decker airplane. While they are no longer flown by any the US airlines many other carriers around the world continue to use them. It was cool to be able to finally fly on one! The experience was pretty similar to a normal flight but I could definitely tell that the aircraft was much bigger and my seat was also right near the staircase.

The flight was not too long and when I landed in Taipei I took the public transit system into the main train station. Once again it was quite easy to use! It was unique, though, in that the transit card was actually shaped like a coin. You tap the coin on a sensor to go through - pretty cool! I ran into a bit of difficulty finding the uber pickup area in the main station. It was poorly marked but I eventually found it and took the quick ride to my hotel, Inhouse Hotel Heritage. Inhouse Hotel Heritage is a uniquely modern little spot in the very heart of the city. Thank you so much to Inhouse Hotel Heritage for sponsoring my stay in Taiwan!

After a crazy few days of travel I was really looking forward to a great night of rest and Inhouse Hotel Heritage definitely delivered. I went to sleep around 7pm and was definitely well rested for day two!

Day 2 – The 101

After a great night of sleep I had a full day today in Taiwan! My first stop was Lungshan Temple. While I had seen many different temples so far in Asia this was definitely the most colorful one so far. It was filled with people and quite amazing to walk through. It was also all decorated for the Chinese New Year (year of the dog) which was cool too! 

My next stop was the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall area. It is hard to describe but there is basically a giant square with massive buildings on two sides, a memorial on one side, and a monument on the other. All of which, I cannot emphasize enough, are massive. The monument was very impressive and I then walked across the entire giant square to the memorial hall. You can go inside of the memorial hall which is open to the public at the top. It was very interesting and overall very unique and impressive. I then walked back through the square and through some of the gardens along the side of it. 

I had taken Uber for my first two stops for times sake, but the next few stops would be via public transit. It is a super efficient and easy system and went straight to my next destination, Taipei 101 Tower. It is one of the tallest buildings in the world and is amazing to see in person! There are no other tall buildings around so it really stands out. The bottom of Taipei 101 is home to a shopping mall while the rest of the building holds offices (and a super secret Starbucks that you have to make a reservation for - crazy!!).

I was very excited for lunch today and it more than met my expectations. Din Tai Fung is a restaurant that was founded in Taipei but now has many more locations, including in the western US. I’ve never been before and was definitely looking forward to trying it in its home city. Din Tai Fung is famous for their xiaolongbao pork dumplings. And let me tell you, I can see why! I loved them so much that if I had had time I would have ordered a second helping. They are so juicy and the soy sauce and vinegar combination that they tell you how to make at the table is so good. Definitely give them a try if you ever get the chance!

After my meal and a quick walk around the mall I headed back to the metro to head toward my next stop, the Taipei Confucius Temple. It was a beautiful Temple complex that offered a lot to learn about Confucius. It was very interesting and well worth the stop. From there I headed right nearby to the Dalongdong Baoan Temple. It was yet another impressive temple and featured a very unique park across the street that is definitely worth a visit. It has lots of unique figures and animals and was definitely fun to stroll through!

After visiting both temples I then made my way back to Inhouse Heritage Hotel to grab my bags and take the train back to the airport. At the airport there was a Hello Kitty check in area which was pretty funny, and I enjoyed checking out a few different lounges during my wait for my flight to Manila, Philippines. It was a short visit to Taiwan but I absolutely loved it! Also, just to verify, Taiwan is technically not one of the 193 UN countries but is recognized by most countries (and myself) as an independent nation. It might be small but it definitely deserves a visit!

105 countries down, 91 to go.

To learn more about Inhouse Hotel Heritage click here.

Country #104 - Mongolia

The Coldest Asian Country

After telling Edward goodbye this morning it was a little strange to be back on my own at the airport. By the time I finally boarded my incredibly delayed flight to Ulaanbatar, Mongolia he was all the way back home! The flight was a few hours and when I arrived it was, as I had been expecting, really, really cold. I had a few layers on but that didn’t help too much when there was snow on the ground! After going through immigration I met Khangarid from Best Western Gobi’s Kelso where I will be staying for the night. He drove me into the city which took about thirty minutes. 

He was so great to talk to! I was able to learn a ton about Mongolia and complain about how my delayed flight meant that I wouldn’t be able to see anything. But he definitely has me convinced to come back! The weather does supposedly get much nicer in the summer and I would love to visit then. There was not a lot to see on the drive in until we all the sudden were in the heart of Ulaanbatar. I was amazed with how many people were out and about at 2am! 

When we arrived at Best Western Gobi’s Kelso I met Tsolmon, Khangarid’s wife. She was very kind and helpful with getting me all set for the night. She also gave me some scissors to un zip tie my suitcase. Long story short, I accidentally left an external battery charger in my checked luggage, and China does not play around when it comes to confiscating them. I was just confused as to why they had to zip tie my suitcase back! It was quite the relief to find that nothing else was missing and that my suitcase still works as normal. I guess I’ll never know but I’m just glad to have everything!

My room was so nice and very warm which was much appreciated. I cannot thank Best Western Gobi’s Kelso enough for sponsoring this night of my trip! Even though I was only able to get about five hours of sleep before Khangarid had to take me back to the airport, it was a very restful night. The timing was quite unfortunate, as I really wanted to see Mongolia but flight delays struck again. While it was quite cold I was very impressed with how nice everyone was and can’t wait to come back someday. I got some pictures of the Ghengis Khan airport (very appropriate name) before heading out and then got on my flight back to Beijing to connect to my next country - Taiwan!

104 countries down, 92 to go.

To learn more about Best Western Gobi’s Kelso click here.