Saipan

Saipan:
The capital and largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana islands (CNMI) a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago and with a population of 63,000. The seas are the most spectacular I have ever seen with dark blues changing to light turquoise back to dark purple then to emerald green and every shade of green and blue imaginable in lines close or far capped by the whitest of white cap waves. Truly a tropical paradise.
Saipan is a very popular tourist destination and has a shopping center that would rival Rodeo drive, Chevy Chase or 5th Avenue. While we were there not a lot of shopping was going on and the effects of the slowing world economy are apparent almost everywhere. There is much talking by the guides of all the changes in lifestyle and employment. We toured the beaches the Marines hit back in World War II and saw rusting tanks still in the water. There is a beautiful reef that encompasses much of the island and unfortunately not taken into account for the invasion. Troop landing ships could not get over the reefs so the Marines jumped into the water with heavy back packs plus weapons, some as far out as two miles, and many drowned and never hit the beach. They were under heavy fire all the way. The Japanese had made a stronghold that they thought impenetrable and the evidences is still all over the island with caves that were used a prisons, fortifications and shell markings on the limestone hills from the Navy ships. There are two spectacular cliffs one leading to the ocean and one to land called Suicide and Banzai. The Japanese settlers jumped from these cliffs to perish when the Americans landed for they were brainwashed that the US would do terrible things to them and their children. A Spanish Marine from LA who had been around some Japanese before the interment cried out in Japanese to stop the jumping and he is credited with the saving of some lives.
We toured the war memorial and my age was showing as the flags were of the US, the Marine Corps, Army, Navy and Coast Guard as the air force hadn’t been founded. So many years ago but it still seemed natural.
Today the island is beautiful and lush with still undeveloped areas of the island covered with sword grass, meadows and dense, dry forest jungle known as Tangan-Tangan. Coconuts, papayas and Thai hot peppers (known locally as “Donnie Sali” or “Boonie Peppers” - are among the fruits that grow wild. Mango, tara root and bananas are a few of the many foods cultivated by local families and farmers. Sportfishing is excellent offshore with numerous small boats catching tuna, wahoo, billfish and many other species.

Till next time