Appreciating Two Lovers Point from two different viewpoints

Already eight months have passed since my arrival in Guam in mid-February 2021. As is often the case, time has flown by so quickly. I made it a rule to visit as many Guam tourist attractions as I could over the past eight months. I did this because I wanted to showcase the attractions of Guam, at least through my Facebook page, to those who could not come to Guam due to COVID-19 pandemic conditions. I visited these sites also to personally better understand the people and the culture of Guam. I have been able to visit almost all of the places and sites introduced in the Guam U.S.A Guidebook produced by the Guam Visitors Bureau. I am sure that I have played a role as a would-be faithful PR man of Guam. However, as for ocean sports and other ocean activities, which are Guam’s most popular attractions, I had to take a rain check due to the limitations imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic conditions.

In consideration of my outreach experience thus far, I ask myself what could be the single best tourist attraction on Guam. My answer is Two Lovers Point, known locally as Puntan Dos Amantes. I was able to enjoy a pleasant thrill by positioning myself at the tip of the overlook. The panoramic scenery is remarkably picturesque. The legend of the heartrending tragic love story between two Chamoru lovers moves my imagination. As the story goes, these lovers bound themselves together by their own hair before they cast themselves into the waves below! It is one of the most compelling stories, overshadowing countless other love stories from all over the world. However, while visiting Two Lovers Point, there was a feeling of something lacking which left me wanting more. It was because I could not fully appreciate the natural beauty of the cliffs since the overlook was situated right on top of the imposing cliffs. From that viewpoint, it is possible to appreciate only the picturesque ocean bay, but not the face of the cliff itself.

However, this unfulfilled feeling did not last long. To my excitement, I could appreciate the breathtaking natural beauty of Two Lovers Point from the bottom-up direction later when I approached Fai Fai Beach by passing the winding adventure trail of well-known Gun Beach.

It is intriguing to know that the idea of appreciating scenery from different directions is illustrated at the very beginning of the masterpiece book The Prince, authored by Niccolo Machiavelli. He used the following example in the course of explaining his justification for how a person like him could address the issue of The Prince: “For as those who draw landscapes set themselves on the plain to examine the character of hills and of high places and set themselves on the summits to examine the lowlands.” In this vein, the appreciation of Two Lovers Point can be multiplied by following the example as Niccolo Machiavelli demonstrated. We can also learn an important lesson of life in that we should be wise enough to equally value the top and the bottom of our ladders of life to achieve an abundant life as satisfaction increases when we appreciate a scenery from two different viewpoints.

Normally tourists seek out ways of spending quality time. It is a well-known fact that Guam is loved by many repeat-tourists, particularly by Koreans who comprise half of the total number of foreign tourists to Guam before the COVID-19 pandemic. I am sure that the quality time of tourists will be improved if they are encouraged to safely appreciate Two Lovers Point from two different viewpoints: top-down and bottom-up. It is my earnest hope that the quality time that Two Lovers Point affords is loved by all of the tourists who come to Guam, for it comprises storytelling travel harmonized with natural beauty, a great legend, and real lessons of life.

* * *

In Kook Kim is the Head of Mission at the Consular Office of the Republic of Korea in Hagatna, Guam.