Chamorro Village Festival

The Chamorro Village has a night market on Wednesdays evenings. Last night we attended the event and it was amazing. Food everywhere. Grilled chicken, grilled pork, grilled corn, sausages, fresh fruits and vegetables, and other delights. 

I ate the chicken basted in a spicy bbq sauce skewered on bamboo sticks and grilled over coals. The vendors also had pork, squid, and octopus. I was not brave enough to eat the squid and octopus but I did take pictures. 

I tasted ice cold freshly opened coconut water. The Chamorro vendor opened the coconut as we watched.  Coconut palms are abundant on Guam. They line the streets and overhang the beaches. I don't know why but Bob and our friend David refused to climb up the 30 meter (100ft) trees and machete me down a fresh coconut. 

Opening my ice cold coconut

Waiting for a straw

Tasting the ice cold coconut water. Yum!

The tables had a variety of crafts and wares including shell necklaces, sundresses, tools, shells, food items, magnets and my favorite- coconut piggybanks. Needless to say, Abby will be getting one of these novelty items when I return. 

The Chamorro people and the Japanese are fond of soft foods. I tasted deep fried rice balls and a coconut and tapioca dish called 'Apigigi' wrapped in banana leaves and grilled. They both had a slightly sweet flavor yet very gummy in texture. 

Apigigi

Rice balls (center)
Fried banana (right)

The festival market also has a stage where local performers share Chamorro dances. We watched the men and the women each perform dances for the enthusiastic crowd. I am attempting to access the video I shot of the two groups performing but that will have to be edited in later. 

I held a coconut crab and Bob petted a water buffalo. David watched. 

The evening ended with a downpour of rain. The locals have said that it has been pretty rainy for the dry season and they wonder if it is indicative of a Typhoon later in the year. Guam hasn't had a significant Typhoon in years. We are told that the winds can get up to 200 miles an hour and a coconut hitting the house sounds like a cannon going off. This is why the houses here are all built from concrete. 

Guamanian Home

Today is Valentine's Day in Guam (we are 18 hours ahead of Seattle) so, we will be out looking for a romantic place to eat but I have to say my favorite place so far has been sitting at the outdoor bar at the hotel watching the ocean.