Twilight at the Fishing Base

My most favorite moment in a day is when the sun begins to set, signaling the end of another day and the moon begins its journey to the skies to rein when darkness falls.

Perched on the hood of a car, I waited with the shutter poised, savoring each second before capturing what I wanted through the lens—the sunset and a moon half-hidden in the clouds. The tide is still out but at the dock there is a flurry of activities. While some boats are quickly closing the gap between the sea and the dock where where pick up trucks are waiting to tow them home, some are preparing to go out fishing for the night.

Transitions are taking place and it’s a wonderful feeling to be an observer of it all.

I was not at some exotic dream location whiling away time and splurging my hard-earned money but at a place known to everybody which is just a few minute’s walk from the road — the Fishing Base in Garapan.

The place is a favorite hangout of many. A visit to the place at noontime will reveal cars parked under the shade of the trees while its passengers are having lunch break or a few minutes off from work. Others just want to sniff a breath of salty air from the sea while others just want to relax.

Saipan is blessed with so many beautiful spots where you can do many things for free, and the Fishing Base dock is one of those places.

You need not take weeks off and spend thousands of dollars for a lavish vacation in some paradise you see advertised in travel brochures. Paradise is right within your fingertips all for free, and a few minutes are all you need.

Take those few steps across from Kristo Rai Church in Garapan and get rewarded by the wonderful sounds, smells and sights of local color unfolding before you especially as dusk falls in the place.

This article was originally published HERE

Leisure time at the walkway

THIS long strip of walkway along the beach road beneath the shade of pine trees is one place residents pass by several times each day, and many have always taken this place for granted, but have you ever tried taking off a few minutes of your time to walk, jog bike or just spend some leisurely minutes on the walkway? If not, you are missing one of the best things in life on Saipan that’s free and is in no danger of closing out.The walkway along beach road is a favorite of many joggers and runners early in the early morning and late afternoon hours. Whether you want to walk your dog, keep in shape, or give your baby a whiff of fresh sea air, this is the ideal spot to do it. You can sit on one of the benches facing the sea and meditate, or let your imagination fly. The beach road walkway offers you a hundred and one ways to spend your leisure time, and feel refreshed and renewed afterwardAfter several months, I finally got the chance to spend some time to walk along the wooden walkway along the beach road, although the time I picked was far from ideal—12 noon.

Except for a woman with her baby on a stroller and a couple of fishermen who were hoping to catch some fish their luck to with their poles, I practically had the whole place to myself. It was exhilarating to stroll without thinking of work and deadlines, and stopping by every few minutes to snap photos of anything and everything.

The slack traffic on the road on that Friday noon added to the tranquility of the place. Ah, and one more bonus-sunsets at the beach road walkway are just spectacular. The walkway is just there offering you everything for you to see, hear and feel for free—the endless stretch of blue sea and skies, the gentle lapping of waves on the shore, the soft breeze blowing your hair away, the grunt of a fisherman when he discovers the fish devoured his bait but got away, or the grin on his face when he pulls in his line with a fish squirming at the end, the camaraderie between friends and acquaintances, smiles from strangers and a lot more. All you need is to take few minutes of your day to shed off the daily pressures and you’ll feel refreshed.

This article was originally published HERE

A trip to CNMI’s past

BEFORE we get our feet wet in the pristine waters of CNMI’s beaches, dive into the ocean’s spectacular depths, or explore the islands’ nooks and crannies that draw visitors from far and wide, let us make a first stopover at the commonwealth’s bank of artifacts and take a trip back to the past.
The door of the Northern Marianas Museum of History and Culture is just within your reach, a key to transport us back in time when the islands were under different governments.
From the outside, many of the residents in the islands may not even give a side glance to the old building that used to be a Japanese hospital before, but the old buildings hold valuable treasures and pieces of history that every resident, as well as visitors must not miss.
“Every piece and every artifact that is in the museum carries a piece of history of the CNMI and it tells its own story about the past,” museum executive director Robert H. Hunter said.
A tour of the museum will take you back to the pre-compact period or the Spanish period, German period, Japanese period, the Trust Territory and the present commonwealth.

Wander into the different sections and get a chance to see what life was during the different periods. Artifacts like old canoes, jars of all shapes and sizes, exhibits, gold pieces, World War II relics and memorabilia, and other pieces of history. You will come to discover that these artifacts are worth preserving for the future generations.
“We have hundreds of boxes of artifacts in our storerooms that were donated by people from everywhere, and these are very valuable pieces that should be preserved as they are a part of the history of the islands,” Hunter said.
Going back, Hunter said the idea of putting up a museum took place in the early 1970s when some dedicated individuals worked together to get the museum organized.
He said the first museum was located at the old Japanese building by the old mayor’s office in Chalan Kanoa. It was later moved to a smaller building down in Garapan which is the present location of American Memorial Park where it went into operation for about a couple of years before closing down.

He said most of the displays then were a hodge-podge of artifacts donated by people from all over the world.
“It was relocated somewhere else afterwards, until the government invested about $10 million for the rehabilitation of the museum,” he said.
Hunter said the present location of the museum is the first permanent place which has been designed as a formal museum.
Hunter said credit goes to persons like Herman Guerrero and Mike Fleming who persevered in trying to come up with a proper museum.
“This is the only state museum in the Marianas, and we get a fair share of archaeologists from Guam and other places who come here,” he said.
He said that the displays are just about 20 percent of the total collections. The rest are in the storeroom as a bigger display area is needed.
He said that on the average, the museum gets about 20-40 visitors daily, and an approximation of 500 visitors monthly, mostly from student field trips.
Hunter is inviting everybody, and not just the visitors to step into the museum and get a glimpse of how their ancestors lived years ago.
You have to step into the museum to get the feel of the place. Each artifact that had been a mute witness to the lives of people of the past portrays its own message.
The NMI Museum is open from 9am to 4:30 pm Mondays to Fridays, and from 9am to noon on Saturdays. For more information, call 664-2160.

For PHOTOS click HERE

This article was originally published HERE

Smiling Cove... Where the best things in life are free

One of my favorite places on Saipan is this short stretch of dock located at the far end of American Memorial Park, the Smiling Cove Marina.

Tucked at the farthest end of the Smiling Cove is a small park that gives you a perfect 360-degree view of Tanapag, Micro Beach, Managaha Island and the Capitol hills in the distant.
The place, a step just beyond the “Off limits to vehicles” sign issues a silent but irresistible welcome especially for wander-lusty individuals. The place has a mini-lighthouse and well-manicured grasses beneath the shades of pine trees—a perfect spot to sit, watch the activities around you or simply let the time pass by.
I happened to be at the place on one windy day and I have to literally hold on to the tree trunks so as not to be blown away by the winds but it was a refreshing experience, one I would gladly have in exchange for the routine of work any day.
If you want to check the place out, forget getting a coiffure or gel-plastered hair but be prepared to rough it out and breathe in the salty tang of air straight from the ocean.
Not many people frequent the place (it feels like a private dock actually) save for a few who venture out with their fishing poles.
Smiling Cove dock comes alive as sunset draws near, with hordes of tourists transported by buses arrive for sunset cruise trips via Jade Lady 111, Stars and Stripes and other luxury boats.
As a sunset buff, I have stored several gigabytes of photos in my computer of the setting sun with Micro Beach as the backdrop from my favorite location—perched atop a huge cement pole lying on the ground.
I can never get a fill of the place—seeing multi-colored fishes swimming in crystal-clear blue waters, hearing the happy chatter of tourists from the cruise boats, the splash of water as a fisherman throws in his line, fresh air blowing on your face—all these and more which you get to enjoy for free.

This article was originally published HERE

On top of Tinian’s suicide cliff

My periodic visits to the island of Tinian are always done is a hurry, with no spare time to go around. But not last month because I had a full day to spare and the pleasant company of Rep. Edwin Aldan who volunteered to drive me and my two buddies to visit the historical sites of the island.

We headed to the southern part and the first place we visited simply took my breath away—the Suicide Cliffs of Tinian. I’ve seen these cliffs from a distance one time when I broke one of the regulations and went out to the deck of the ferry but standing 180 feet above sea level right on top of the cliffs is a different story.
Here a glorious panorama stretches before your eyes—waves rolling on the clearest and the bluest of waters you can imagine, with the cliffs on the side forming a barrier like a protection cove.
Even if I don’t have acrophobia, I can’t stop the tingling feeling in my stomach when I leaned over the cement structure designed as a small lookout. The churning waters below looked hypnotizing yet dangerous. The lookout is just fantastic, the reality of a photographer’s dream.
This is one place you wouldn’t dream of associating with anything unpleasant like death and I wished I didn’t have an idea that from the very place we were standing on, thousands of Japanese committed suicide and jumped to their deaths during the World War 11 in 1944. They considered death a better option than to surrender to the Americans.
The thought alone gave me the shivers although it was broad daylight. I wonder how it would feel to visit the place at night. The place was deserted, but our host told us lots of tourists come to visit the place where they lost their ancestors.

This article was originally published HERE

Exploring Lake Susupe

THE swift strokes of the paddle competed with the fast ticking of the clock as we tried to catch the sunset in the middle of the water. We were onboard a floating open cottage and were heading toward the other end of the lake, busily clicking away at our cameras.

Susupe Lake has piqued my curiosity ever since I arrived on this island 11 months ago. We dropped by the place earlier that day, but decided to come back to catch the sunset. We were not disappointed.
Our host, Jesus Guerrero gave us a real treat when he decided to paddle us over to the other side with his two young nephews and regaled us with stories about this treasure of a place which he described as “everybody knows it’s there but not all know where it’s exactly located.”
Susupe Lake is a perfect place to while away the time, fresh air and best of all catch the sunset. You can’t help but hold your breath as the setting sun casts long rays of reds, oranges, yellows and vermillion reflections on the water.

Not as clear as you would expect it, Guerrero said the bottom of the lake is deep and muddy, and their place is the only access to the lake.
Bordered by thick trees all around, the lake is home to hundreds of tilapia (mudfish), birds and ducks.
If you are one of those individuals who stick to the main roads without getting curious as to what lies beyond the forks in the roads, you are missing a lot for these twists and turns on the road sometimes lead you to treasures waiting to be discovered. To get to the lake, just follow Hagoi Street from the main road in Susupe. It’s at the end of the street.

(This article originally appeared HERE)

Exploring Lake Susupe

THE swift strokes of the paddle competed with the fast ticking of the clock as we tried to catch the sunset in the middle of the water. We were onboard a floating open cottage and were heading toward the other end of the lake, busily clicking away at our cameras.

Susupe Lake has piqued my curiosity ever since I arrived on this island 11 months ago. We dropped by the place earlier that day, but decided to come back to catch the sunset. We were not disappointed.
Our host, Jesus Guerrero gave us a real treat when he decided to paddle us over to the other side with his two young nephews and regaled us with stories about this treasure of a place which he described as “everybody knows it’s there but not all know where it’s exactly located.”
Susupe Lake is a perfect place to while away the time, fresh air and best of all catch the sunset. You can’t help but hold your breath as the setting sun casts long rays of reds, oranges, yellows and vermillion reflections on the water. Not as clear as you would expect it, Guerrero said the bottom of the lake is deep and muddy, and their place is the only access to the lake.
Bordered by thick trees all around, the lake is home to hundreds of tilapia (mudfish), birds and ducks.
If you are one of those individuals who stick to the main roads without getting curious as to what lies beyond the forks in the roads, you are missing a lot for these twists and turns on the road sometimes lead you to treasures waiting to be discovered. To get to the lake, just follow Hagoi Street from the main road in Susupe. It’s at the end of the street.

(This article originally appeared HERE)