If you picked up a seaside town in Florida and replaced the retirees with Filipinos you’d have something pretty close to Guam. Sure, the vast majority of today’s tourists are Japanese, but with Mustangs on the wide roads and candy bars with ridiculous names like “Oh Henry!” Guam is as American as it gets west of the International Date Line.

Guam is an island of 175,000 people that lies just 338km from the Mariana Trench – the ocean’s deepest abyss. If the seas are home to some sort of prehistoric Godzilla monster, Guam might well be its first port of call. Unlucky for Godzilla, 26 per cent of Guam’s 550 square kilometeres are occupied by the US military.

The military constitutes a hefty part of Guam’s economy, but not as much as tourism. The 50km long island is home to ideal temperatures – ranging from 27 to 32°C annually – and beautiful beaches. The sand isn’t the white powder of, say, Boracay, but natural reefs and marine reserves make it an excellent place to swim surrounded by fish right out front of your hotel.

There are beautiful beaches closer to China than Guam, but the island’s fiesta plate of cultural influences – like Korean kim chi, sticky American ribs and local barbecue chicken kelaguen – makes it unique.

Indigenous Culture

Ethnically, Guam’s largest group is its native Chamorro people, who make up about 37 per cent of the population. The Chamorro are near relations to Filipinos, who are the second most populous group on the island, about 26 per cent.

In Guam you’re sure to hear the local greeting, “Hafa Adai,” which is pronounced a lot like “have a day” (and a nice one, presumably).

One of the most visible facets of indigenous culture is the latte. No, it’s not a cup of coffee, although the shape of these foundation stones may suggest so. The latte is made from two pieces, a limestone pillar and a coral capstone, which are joined together like a ball and socket joint. Nobles stayed in homes elevated on these stones to keep them cool and dry.