Under the deep blue sea

FOR a non-diver or non-swimmer, the surface of the ocean may seem nothing but a long expanse of water with a terrifying mystery in its depths but here is a chance to prove that underneath those rolling and crashing waves, there’s a whole world down there.
Diving into the blue depths of the Saipan Lagoon does not necessarily require you to be a certified diver, or an expert swimmer. You can explore the depths and stay dry aboard the “Deepstar”, Saipan’s newest and only submarine tour.
A motor boat transported us to the submarine moored a few miles off Managaha Island on Saturday. From a distance, we could see the Deepstar bobbing on the water, looking seemingly small and I had doubts about going down in it.
I braced myself and descended 12 steep rungs through the main hatch into the interior of the submarine. I was in for a surprise.
The belly of the Deepstar was comfortably spacious and air-conditioned. Plush seats lined both sides of the submarine and we quickly filed in.
With hatches closed and cleared to dive, we descended to the bottom of the blue lagoon, the flashing numbers on the monitor telling us we were already from 16-20 meters deep.
Gone was my initial fear of the water as I peered through the large viewing portholes into an amazing aquamarine world filled with coral formations, schools of colorful, tropical reef fish and diversified marine life.
The view down is something I only saw in the movies. The tour gave us a chance to view the sunken wreck of a Japanese warship and the remnants of an airplane from the World War 11.
Diving into the deep sea aboard Deepstar submarine is the perfect way for those who don’t want to get wet yet curious of the underwater. Indeed, it’s a memorable experience especially for those who have no idea of the spectacular beauty that lies at the bottom of the ocean.
An audio narration translated in
different languages gave us an idea where of where we where and what we were seeing during the tour.
Deepstar is fully certified and inspected by the American Bureau of Shipping, and United States Coast Guard, says Pacific Subsea Saipan Inc. vice president/general manager, John (Jack) McClure.
Pacific Subsea Saipan is the largest marine tour operator on Saipan. Over 17 years providing marine tours, Subsea has served over one million passengers aboard their various vessels.
Any trip to Saipan won’t be complete without going on a submarine tour that is recognized through out Asia as a “must-not-miss” tour
Pacific Subsea has 30 reliable people behind its force, sharing the same goal of providing guests an experience of a lifetime.
Deepstar has a capacity of 48 passengers and makes several dives a day on an hourly schedule, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. McClure said they also offer services like providing Managaha transfer vessels.

This article was first published HERE

A Hike to Old Man by the Sea

The spectacular rock formation resembles the figure of an old man crouching on the seashore, and this is the first thing that catches your attention the moment you emerge from the thicket and step into the grassy clearing. We were at the Old Man by the Sea, drenched with sweat and our lazy bodies a little bit shocked by the unexpected hike.
The trail is a little bit challenging because we presumed that the Old Man by the Sea is that accessible anytime that when you stop your car, you’re there but we were wrong. A short hike is necessary (that is if you call 30-45 minutes jungle trek a short hike).

The trail involves going up steep slopes and going down cliffs which could get muddy and slippery if it rains. There are portions where you have to hold on to ropes or hang on to the roots of the trees for support, and you have to duck to avoid having your hair or your head get entangled with the low twigs. If you don’t pay much attention to where you’re going, you may get confused and lose your way in the thicket but you will find the trek well worth it when you get there.

The beachside is spectacular with unusual rock formations and huge waves washing over the rocks, a perfect place to commune with the sun, sea and sky, indeed. Here is one haven where you can sit for hours, forget time as you relax and listen to the sound of the waves breaking on over the reefs, or wade in the cold, knee-deep waters near the shore.

Legend has it that an old man was fishing at this beach one day, and he cursed the ocean for not giving him any fish. The ocean reached up and plucked the old man away, but his image was left on this rock as a reminder for everyone to respect the sea.
For those of you who have only seen pictures of the Old Man by the Sea, get up and visit the place because the lens could not exactly describe the breathtaking splendor of the beach. Take some drinking water, snacks, sunscreen or a hat. A set of and extra clothes could come in handy so you’ll be free to go for a dip.
The Old Man by the Sea is accessible by following the Talafofo Road toward Kingfisher Golf Course in Capital Hill. The trail begins just after the Egigi Road intersection and before the San Igancio Road intersection. There is a parking space on the side of the road.

Marianas Variety
(www.mvariety.com) June 11, 2008

A living memorial on Saipan

ONE of the must-visit sites on Saipan is American Memorial Park in Garapan, a huge park which serves as a bank of World War 11 memorabilia and a recreation park rolled into one.

National Park Service Ranger Nancy Kelchner said AMP gets a fair share of about 10,000 tourists and about 50 field trips a year.
“Majority of the tourists who drop in are from Japan, Korea, China, Mainlanders (U.S.), Russia and other countries, while the field trips are from the different schools in the CNMI and Guam,” Kelchner said. She said the AMP is designed to be a living memorial for all those soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the island.
The AMP Visitors Center and WW11 Exhibit Hall just turned three years old on May 28 but already, it is gaining a steady stream of visits from locals and tourists.

A brief tour of the Exhibit Hall brings poignant memories of what transpired during the bloodiest battles fought in the island during the World War 11. You can’t help but feel goose bumps as you go through the pictures, recordings and artifacts on display, remnants of the bloody war that claimed thousands of lives years ago.

The Exhibit area has three sections–the Pre-war life, At War on Saipan and After the Battle section. Here is one hall where the chronology of the battle was recorded with artifacts that were mute witnesses of the actual events. Exiting the exhibit hall brings you to an atrium where you can reflect on the war and its impact on the islands. Opposite the reflection wall where you can see the Court of Honor and the Marianas Memorial is the Recovery Wall where colorful pictures are depicted indicating the “recovery from the ashes of the war”. This is indicative that there is life after the war.
A small library is available to help researchers and scholars, a bookshop containing English and Japanese books, videos and other merchandise related to the WW11 and the National Park Service, a 120-seater auditorium which is available for meetings, conferences, film showings, lectures and presentations.
Within American Memorial Park are amenities that the community finds useful like the Amphitheater, Micro beach pavilion, a jogging bike path under the shades of the ironwood trees, Marina and Microbeach restrooms, tennis courts, the Carillon Bell Tower where you can sit for meditation or relaxation, and the whole park which is also home to mangrove forests, native birds and other species.
The Visitors Center is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. everyday. Admission is free for everybody. For more information, please call (670) 234-7207, fax 234-6698, or email amme_administration@nps.gov.

Museum Island Revisited

From the looks of it, Orange Beach in Peleliu is just one of those ordinary beaches with white sand stretching along the shore and attracting beach lovers but for Peleliu residents and those who are familiar with their history, the beach is a silent witness of one of the fiercest battles fought between the Americans and Japanese forces during the World War 11.
Peleliu World War 11 Museum director Tangie Hesus sat on a fallen log as he animatedly transported us to that fateful morning 62 years ago when the blood of thousands of American soldiers were shed on the beach, tinting the white shores till it was believed the water turned orange, hence the name Orange Beach came to be.
A few meters from the beach is the 81st Wild Cat Memorial site but every grave was exhumed in 1947 and the bodies of the soldiers were claimed by their families.
A tour of the island would provide one a view of scattered relics and remnants of the Battle and the Japanese Occupation, depicted in buildings, tanks, planes, battle sites, shrines, monuments and man-made caves used by the Japanese troops during the battle.
The World War 11 Museum is housed in an ancient block house built during the Japanese times. A musty smell greets a guest when he enters it, making the experience complete as he goes through alley after alley of war mementos. Japanese and American remnants like machine guns and cannons, broken shards of kitchen ware, water canteens, medicine bottles, helmets and all other reminders line up the walls, each telling their own sad stories about their long-lost owners.
Because of the rich history of the island, the United States Department of Interior designated the place as a National Historic Landmark in 1985.
It was dusk when we (Tangie, Jun R. of the other paper and I) returned and we were only able to visit the Peleliu WW11 museum, Japanese Shrine, US Marine Memorial at the Bloody Nose Ridge, 81st Wild Cat Memorial and the Orange Beach.
Peleliu island boasts of natural tropical forests and offers so much activities for guests, but it is the history and the deep secret of the island that lures thousands of not only Japanese and Americans but other nationalities as well to visit and see
“Every year, I get to guide a group of war veterans both Americans and Japanese in the island and its touching to see them cry as they reminisce the war they were part of 62 years ago,” Tangie said. He also added that families of slain soldiers visit the place to remember their loved ones who died in the battle.

A peek into Palau’s past

The sun was blazing hot and burning into our skins and we were all panting. We were approaching the fifth and final historical site in the State of Ngaraard in Babeldaob. Perspiration drenched our bodies when we finally reached the the remains of a traditional village that might have existed about 800 or 900 years ago.
Still reeling from a hangover, I had to drag heavy feet and was always at the rear of the group. There were eight of us, including two archaeologists, staff from the Historical Preservation Office (HPO) and a couple of Palauans who were well versed with the oral history of the countryside. The silence of the jungle was broken only by our heavy breathing and an occasional grunt when somebody’s foot got tangled in the roots of the trees. I was getting tired, my body unprepared for the long walk we had as I was thinking we will be covering only one historical site. But Rita, our Palauan archaeologist decided to cover the five registered sites in the State.
I had been battling the urge to drink water for almost three hours, not wanting to drink for fear I might be needing to empty my kidneys and I know it would be hard to do it just about anywhere in the jungle.
We were following a stone pathway about one meter wide that our American archaeologist companion said, are coral stones. It means that the former residents of the place must have been very strong and skillful to be able to drag the huge slabs of stones and cut them to form pavements and stairs. And to think that there were no backhoes or bulldozers or electric saws then!
The stone pathway snaked its way into several directions, and here and there we could see stone platforms where the village Bai (a meeting house) must have stood. We traced another stone pathway heading towards a dsried up pool which could have served as a bathing area and saw several broken urns and bowls- remnants of what could have been used as a container for drinking water.
I could just imagine that the hundreds of years ago, the place we were treading was populated with early inhabitants and bustling with day to day activities. I saw several burial places and felt a shiver of chill ran up my spine thinking that underneath us were the remains of long-ago Palauans.
An interview with an archaeologist from the HPO previous week led me into this expedition into the jungles of Babeldaob, where only a few feet have trod in the recent past. I am not much of a history fanatic. I passed all my history subjects with barely passing grades. I mean I found reading novels and short stories much more interesting than digging into what transpired thousands of years ago and memorizing dates and numbers but I have committed myself to write something about the remains and I had to do it.
I was silent on the trip back to Koror, my hangover completely gone. I was thinking way ahead into the future- probably thousands of years later, when archaeologists and reporters and HPO staff would trod on the very place we were living in and say to themselves- “this used to be a bustling city, and thousands of people lived here, based on the relics and pieces of things they left…….” while we might be lying beneath the remnants and never hear what they are saying…..uh-uh. Next week I’ll be visiting old graveyards and stone monoliths in Ngarchelong State.

Dry-diving in Palau

Palau has already carved its own niche in the tourism industry for its spectacular attractions and world-class diving spots. Every day hundreds of tourists arrive to sample the island’s natural wonders- both in land and underwater. Not everyone though has the chance, the financial resources or the guts to go diving and get a feel of the underwater wonders. At present, most of the visitors in the country are limited to scuba diving, sea kayaking and land-based tours but with the recent launching of the Flying Fish Tours, I finally got the chance to get a real feel of the underwater world and yet staying dry about it. Everybody on board the Kok 1 (there were less than 10 of us) waited with bated breath as the computer screen was set up and the camera was lowered into the water at the Neco Bay last Saturday. In a few minutes, we were looking into a wonderful array of corrals, colorful fish, and the whole underwater kingdom, a live video of what lies beneath the sea surface-while staying dry in our seats. The tour took two hours, with owner retired Divisional Chief of Police Columbus Sakuma at the helm. Sakuma said the trip includes a guided tour of the Palau International Coral Reef Center (PICRC), Palau Aquarium, and Rock Islands eco-adventure. We also got the chance to see several wrecks of Japanese vessels which sank and had been there since World War 2. To sum it up, it’s one of those never-to-be forgotten experiences that everyone in Palau should grab (if you still haven’t done so)-the chance to get to know Palau’s history and culture through the trip. For information, call 779-0293.

Postscripts from Lake Sebu

For anyone who seeks peace of mind, body and spirit, the tranquility of the countryside and the fresh mountain air in Lake Sebu, some 45 minutes away from Koronadal, South Cotabato is the answer. It’s fantastically reviving that would make one wish to stay there forever and forget deadlines and pressures of work breathing down one’s neck everday.After being jam-packed in a van which transported us all the way from Davao City, we finally came to the lake which offers the opportunity of experiencing genuine serenity which is too good to pass.Situated at an altitude of 1000 meters, Lake Sebu irrigates the fertile Allah Valley.

It is home to two peoples, the T’boli, a highland tribe famous for their colourful costumes, woven work, intricate beadwork, and brass ornaments, and the Tasadays, a cave-dwelling people.Visiting Lake Sebu would be incomplete if one will not go on a boat ride around the lake, so with my companions Cha, Kuya Ben, Roland, Rhonson, Arjoy, Mai, Maam Marilyn, Edit, Germie, Romeo and Juliet from different media outfits, we spent the next 45-minutes taking in the breathtaking wonder of nature at its best.

On the way back to Punta Isla resort, we came to a portion where the water was very frighteningly and darkly green. It’s surface was so smooth, broken only by the ripples created by the boat.Nervously looking around for a lifeboat, the guide seemed to sensed my uneasiness and casually said, “Mga 100 meters na ang lalim ng tubig dito.” I didn’t listen to the rest of his recitation. I gripped my seat so hard and tried to recite the Last Prayer silently.

The trip around the lake brought us very close to the three islands in the lake and the fish cages that ring the tranquil 364-hectare lake.The three guys Roland, Rhonson and Arjoy stole a chance to go fishing at the lake but either they were too humble or they didn’t catch anything because I never heard mention of a single fish they caught.We had broiled tilapia and native chicken soup for lunch. Lake Sebu tilapia is simply delicious, giving off a distinct sweetish aroma that leaves us wanting for more even though we were already filled to bursting point.

Only 18 of the 32 servings of rice we ordered were served so the guys had to make do with the meager rice servings.

When only Tatay Rene and Michael of the Davao Camera Club were eating, in comes the waiter with the remaining 11 servings of rice. We wagered whether the two could consume it all but even the hungriest man on earth would go dizzy with the rice. They only consumed 5 servings.SouvenirsWhile Tatay Rene was busily selecting trinkets for pasalubong to friends back home, Edit and I were also busily selecting from Tatay’s collection for ourselves. Albeit grumbling, he still paid for our choices.

I contemplated on buying a pair of earrings which caught my fancy but was hesitant because I only have one pierced ear. Rhonson of Tourism (DoT) offered to split the price with me and said we would take one earring each but changed his mind at the last minute.Enterprising T’boli women in their clorful costumes spread a wide array of malong, shawls, embroidered and beaded blouses, coin purses, necklaces, key holders, penholders, and several other crafts produced by creative hands and minds, all screaming to be brought home. Only the limited contents of my billfold stopped me from doing so.World-class tourist destination.

Just recently, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has chosen Lake Sebu town as among the focal areas for the country’s ecotourism development program and as a world-class tourist destination over the next decade.Environment Secretary Elisea Gozun said the Lake Sebu watershed forest reserve, which covers the entire municipality, would be developed as among the country’s major ecotourism destinations in Southeast Asia by the year 2012.The 92,450 hetare town of Lake Sebu was recognized as one of the most important watershed areas in the country and was proclaimed as a Protected Landscape on 24 September 1985.*

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