Digging into anything and everything that makes the CNMI tick beyond politics...

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Lazing away at Laulau Beach

I first visited this gem of a beach in San Vicente late in the afternoon a few months back. Dark clouds hung in the skies, threatening to let loose a dam of water anytime.

Photo by Raquel C. Bagnol

When I downloaded the contents of my memory stick, all I got were bleak-looking photos. I vowed to return and my next chance came last Friday.

Deadbeat on the way back from an unplanned hike to Mt. Tapochao, my buddies and I decided to drop by Laulau Beach to catch our breath, and it was a good decision.
Laulau Beach is not your ordinary, everyday beach where people can easily gain access to and picnic anytime of the day. The distance and accessibility makes it remote and you have to really allot time to be there, hence the absence of the usual crowds.
You should also prepare to rough it out there, because there are no bathrooms, no telephone, and no man-made facilities to save for a couple of cottages with benches and barbeque pits.
But Laulau Beach is a popular attraction and one of the best dive spots on Saipan. Nothing beats the pleasure of wading in the warm and shallow waters of the beach.
Interesting lava rock outcroppings provide an added attraction to Laulau Beach. Standing on the shore facing the ocean, you can see Naftan point at the far end to your right. On the left, the ongoing construction of the Laulau Bay Resort can be seen from a distance.
Prepare for a slow, rough ride if you plan to go to Laulau Beach. You have to navigate several bumpy twists and turns amid bushes and trees, but a treasure await you at the end of the road.
The rough road to Laulau Beach from San Vicente snakes its way all the way to Kagman, traveled much easier if you board a four-wheel drive, or an all- terrain vehicle. The drive to Laulau beach is an attraction by itself where you have to pass by huge rock formations, hanging vines and thick foliage. Got a day to spare? This is an ideal place to laze away.

This article was first published HERE.
More fotos HERE