TINIAN — Long Beach located south of Blow Hole is one of the prime destinations here, but there is more to it than meets the eye.
Easily
accessible, Long Beach, or Unai Dankulo, is true to its name and is
long stretch of white, sandy beach and crystal clear waters gently
lapping on the shore.
But there is a “secret” behind the huge
rocks and cliffs that border one end of the beach. My buddies Barnard,
Susan and Edwin guided me to this secret spot on a leisurely tour one
Sunday some weeks back. Picking our way gingerly among the rocks and
avoiding getting wet from the splashing of the waves was no easy feat.
Soon, we arrived at a huge cliff and I raised my eyebrows as we were
obviously facing a dead end. Barnard then squatted and pointed to a very
small opening at the bottom of the cliff.
We followed him as he started crawling
through the very tight crevice. It was not big enough so we really had
to crawl on our stomachs for a distance of about eight feet or so.
Fighting my fear of enclosed places, I crawled on, hugging my camera
with one arm and groping my way with the other.
Soon, we emerged into the open. I caught my breath and gaped at the scenic hideaway that met my eyes.
Nestled amid pockets of sand between
rocky cliffs and coral shelves was a private cove with fine white sand.
Just perfect if you want to get away from it all.
Crawling to the specific spot is the only
way to get there, unless you want to brave the rough and treacherous
waves and the sharp and slippery stones at the coral edge.
A huge hollow space with soft, fine sand
beneath a large rock formation provides shelter for anyone who wants to
just sit there and while the time away.
Tinian is not only rich in history. For
the adventurous, the island has a hundred and one more special spots
just waiting to be discovered.
