Lee Abbamonte
Try to become the youngest person to travel to every country in the world
Aloha From Oahu
By Lee | 
10 Comments » 
I first went to Hawaii in March 2004 for ten days or so and I really didn’t have that great a time. I spent my time on Oahu, Maui and Kauai and wasn’t too upset to leave the islands and head back home. Six years later was a much different story. I had a blast and spent my entire 5 days on Oahu, less the day I flew to Midway. More importantly I think I accepted Hawaii for what it was, Honolulu in particular. It is a bit of Vegas meets Disneyworld with all the cheesiness and tourists but at the same time, it’s beautiful and has a lot of interesting history and once you escape Waikiki, Oahu is a pretty awesome place to be. The North Shore and the east of the island are pretty cool and have lots of hidden little places and amazing restaurants, shrimp trucks and shave ice places. In fact, the shave ice places are so good that when Obama returns to Hawaii he makes sure to visit his favorite ice place-I saw the pictures and had my ice served by the same guy who served the President with his fat lip ring and all-that was pretty cool!
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Return To Midway
By Lee | 12 Comments » 
On June 4, 1942 one of the most famous battles in the history of war and the most famous Naval battle of all time was fought on and around a small atoll in the South Pacific called Midway Island. This battle was supposed to be a sneak attack by the Japanese on the unsuspecting Americans. The Japanese would easily have the Americans outnumbered and have more firepower. However, before the attacks the Americans broke the code of the Japanese and were prepared for this planned sneak attack. The Americans were ready and the Battle of Midway has been called the turning point of the War in the Pacific. The outmanned Americans defeated the Japanese and gave confidence to their efforts in the Pacific and damaged the momentum the Japanese had established. Yesterday I was privileged enough to visit Midway Island for the 68th Anniversary commemoration of that bloody day and it was a day that I will never forget.
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Paradise Under Palau
By Lee | 8 Comments » 
Palau is pretty much everything you’ve ever dreamed of in a little paradise that’s far from everywhere but unlike anywhere. It has the best underwater marine life and coral I have ever seen. The varieties of fish are varied and abundant while the coral sparkles and exudes incredible color combinations in the hot afternoon sun. The Rock Islands are what you dream about in bed or at work as they are simply spectacular and unlike anywhere else I have seen. It’s an otherworldly feeling and Jellyfish Lake is indescribable as it feels like you’ve been invaded by millions of little aliens with pulsating brains. The only downside about Palau is it’s very expensive and of course the fact it is so far away. However, if you can swing the time and the cash, it is truly unique and has this jaded traveler humbled by the experience and wishing for more.
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Yap Yap Yap
By Lee | 5 Comments » 
Yap is an unusual place. Almost all there is to do lies beneath the surface of the ocean yet you don’t ever find yourself bored. There’s really no beaches like most Pacific islands. The island has a population of about 11,000 although you would never believe that because you’ll only see a handful of people. It is famous for its rai or stone money and the filthy betel nut that seemingly everyone, men and women, chews and spits out. It is home to some of the nicest and most easy going people around and oh yeah, they have these amazing corals reefs with the best snorkeling and diving I have seen anywhere on Earth.
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Saipan, CNMI
By Lee | 10 Comments » 
The first impression of Saipan is not very intriguing or impressive. The airport is pretty bland and the surrounding area is pretty lame. As you drive into Garapan, the capital of Saipan, you pass tons of fast food places, poker houses (not real poker but video poker-apparently a national obsession) and massage parlors (yes those kind) that pretty much look empty. Arriving into Garapan isn’t much better, a bunch of the same plus a fancy DFS mall (the same one they had in Guam with all the fancy stores) and some swanky hotels like the Hyatt. I am staying at the Century Hotel which is a third the price of all the majors and just as nice a few blocks from the beach. Luckily, I left the hotel and investigated myself to find an island with fun and interesting people and some awesome natural beauty.
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Guam: Where America Starts it’s Day
By Lee | 7 Comments » 
The first stop on my epic six week South Pacific adventure was in Guam USA. As most of you probably know, Guam is administered by the United States after we essentially took it from the Spanish in 1898. We then lost it briefly to the Japanese during World War II before launching a bloody counter-offensive that ended in over 24,000 US and Japanese soldiers dying on Guam before the US retook the island. Today the island remains extremely Americanized but strangely the site of such a large amount of Japanese casualties draws over one million Japanese tourists a year. Or maybe it’s because of all the duty free and fancy shopping.
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New 7 Wonders Profile-Easter Island, Chile
By Lee | 1 Comment » 
Easter Island is quite simply my favorite place on Earth that I have been so far. It has everything to offer a visitor including perhaps the most interesting and exciting of what I think should be the new seven wonders of the world. The world famous Moai of Easter Island are both mysterious and amazing to see in person. You cannot help but feel bedazzled by the site of the Moai. You can’t help also feeling like you are caught in a time warp. Easter Island is in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean, 3000 miles from anywhere resembling solid land and you will never want to go back once you have experienced this wonderous island.
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Fiji
By Lee | 1 Comment » 
The best thing about flying on Air Pacific down to Australia is that Jake and I got a free stopover in Fiji for 8 great days. We arrived in Nadi one super hot night feeling a little sick and immediately we felt better when we got off the plane, smelled the warm South Pacific air and learned the meaning of the word “Bula”. We headed straight over to the Sheraton resort for four days of relaxation, golf and sailing. I have to say the Sheraton was great and the people were very cool and everyone was a lot of fun. As you can see the vivid sunsets were pretty amazing. After chilling in the lap of luxury for a few days and several months of hostel life we shot off to the backpacker capital of the South Pacific, Beachcomber Island. (more…)
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