People always say that a trip to Guam without seeing Puntan Dos Amantes, Two Lovers Point (also called Two Lover's Leap) at the northern end of Tumon Bay, is pointless because you'll miss the most famous tourist attraction of the country, where hundreds of thousands of visitors gather every year at this legendary place of the island. Before I go back home to the Philippines tonight, I made sure that the last leg of my trip to Guam is to set foot on this towering cliff where I can hear the legend, feel the passion and experience the view of this country's icon of rich culture and scenic beauty.
My friends Aldous and Adam picked me up at the hotel just past the cockcrow where I had to make an early check-out at the front desk so I can spend my last day outdoors all day long. We headed straight to the highway at Marine Corps Dr towards Upper Tumon and drove for 7 kilometers to stop by Jack in the Box for breakfast. My endless fascination in this country is the light traffic that it only took us 12 minutes to get here and its sparse population that you don't get in line with usual overly-populated fast-food restaurants. You can even choose the best corner you fancy.
After a not-so-hearty breakfast, we excitedly hopped in the car and headed straight back to Marine Corps Dr and turned left on a narrow street with a street sign that led us to Puntan Dos Amantes. It was a little scary because we don't see anything but trees on both sides of the streets and an endless mirage on our pathway, reminiscent of the movie Wrong Turn where six friends got stranded in the middle of nowhere and were hunted by a horde of backwoods cannibals.
We held our breath for the next 60 seconds and after driving 550 miles, we finally reached Hwy 34 interchange and we turned left. We were halfhearted in feeling relieved because aside from the wider road, nothing else can still be seen but more trees on both sides and more mirage on the streets. We went on aimlessly for another kilometer until we were greeted by the famous Puntan Dos Amantes, Two Lovers Point signage at the entrance of Harmon Village.
We finally were able to breathe...
With just less than a kilometer drive from the entrance, we found ourselves in a roundabout where you can park almost anywhere. We were expecting a lot of people but we almost don't see any human being in sight. It was easy to find a parking space but we chose to stay close to the entrance where can see the car from afar.
From the parking lot, the first thing that will catch your eye is the entrance of The Park with its name "Two Lovers Point" on a heart-shaped stone below it. Overlooking it is the famous Lookout Point which rises at almost 400 feet from the reef below. It's a must to have a picture in here where it offers a view towards the western side of the island. The best time to do it, however, is in the dusk to capture the captivating sunset by the bay.
Moving on to the left, we see a pathway that leads to a wider view of the park towards a colorful fence infested with heart locks in different colors brought by visitors (or bought at the souvenir shop nearby for $4 a single lock or $6 for a set) that makes up the famed Heart Lock Wall. It's pretty amazing to see how tourists who pledge their love leave behind these colorful love locks like a wedding ceremony to show the world how they seal their hearts with their loved ones, just like what the famous tale says.
Legend has it that this iconic landmark became Chamorro's symbol of true love, where two people, madly in love, escaped this life to celebrate their love in death. It's a story of a-rich-girl-meets-a-poor-boy, much like how Rose DeWitt Bukater, who was arranged and forced to marry Cal Hockley, meets the penniless artist Jack Dawson, onboard the unsinkable Titanic. They both fell in love with each other, against all odds, and tried to run away from Rose's fiance and his men, and jumped along with the sinking ship. The big difference is that only Jack died and Rose lived to tell her great love story. The culminating point of the legend of Two Lover's Leap is that the lovers tied their long black hair in one single knot, kissed each other for the last time and both jumped onto the roaring waters. Thus sealing the symbol of locking each other in establishing their true love.
Who says that there's no forever?
A few steps on the right side is a monument that showcases this incredible love story carved in marble and granite written in English and translated to Samoan, Chinese, Japanese and Korean languages. The rear side shows the storybook viewed from right to left, titled Forbidden, Devotion, Despair, Tragedy, and Forever, as to how the two lovers' ordeal has gone through in every stage of their against-all-odds love story.
The monument also serves as a wall signaling the end of the free area of the park. Beside it is the souvenir shop where you can buy your pass to get to the Lookout Point, or where you can purchase heart locks that you can hook on the Heart Lock Wall. Admission is just $3 per head for visitors 7 years old and above, the same rate for a coffee in a cafeteria nearby.
Back in high school, I remember our History teacher telling us how Ferdinand Magellan, the Portuguese explorer sailing for the Holy Roman Emperor King Charles I of Spain, the first recorded visitor from Western Europe, is said to have discovered the Philippines on March 16, 1521. However, ten days prior to the country's discovery in Homonhon Island, there was a record in history that the 3-ship fleet originated in the east, from the uncharted island of Guam. According to the navigator's diary, Magellan first landed in Tumon, and before sailing westward, he looked upon the vast Philippine Sea. And since then, I have always wondered what Magellan saw in the western end of the seas that he pursued to sail 1600 miles to reach the islands of the Philippines to die in the hands of my ancestors.
494 years after, here I am, standing at Tumon in the northern end of Guam, looking at the same view as Magellan did half a millennium ago. I carefully aimed my iPhone's compass to the west, contemplated at this view for minutes, pointed my camera lens in this direction and this is the spectacle that I saw. What a sight! It's so serene and inviting, yet it meant the end of a life that gave my country a name.
At the far right, there are view decks that are installed within the ravines overlooking the roaring waters below. The rock bottom and downslope channels are difficult to see at varying angles from this viewpoint because of the thick branches and bushes that cover them. This is the point where you can see the northern part of the North Pacific Ocean where there's nothing more to see but a vast ocean ahead. The northeastern part, on the other hand, is where the Northern Mariana Islands are, the first island that was discovered by Ferdinand Magellan in his quest to circumnavigate the earth.
My concentration in recalling my history lesson was interrupted when I noticed that more and more people have started arriving and they mostly come in big groups. I can see more cars that are parked now compared to when we first arrived. It started to become a little difficult to take pictures of the panoramic views with just you and nature alone.
In just a few more steps are concrete benches where you can relax, after a tiring walk in the park. Additionally, there are concrete patio table sets for tourists and visitors who may have packed lunches and decide to dine out on a picnic-style while enjoying the breathtaking view of the sunset. There is, of course, a restaurant in here perfectly situated where you can take hundreds of pictures of the slow disappearance of the sun below the horizon. We were not able to try eating there, however, because we just had a full breakfast before we got in here.
My total experience at Two Lover's Point is totally beyond belief. It's more than magical because of its historic impact on me, filling in a puzzle piece of what I have wondered for years, and now it's an experience that I will remember forever.