Remains of San Jose Church
TINIAN, Northern Mariana Islands–If there is one structure that would
never fail to catch one’s attention on the historic island of Tinian, it
is this old bell tower or what has remained of it at the back of the
San Jose Catholic church in the village of San Jose.
The ruins of the old bell tower looks out of place in a modern surrounding, but the contrast added to the attraction.
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Digging into anything and everything that makes the CNMI tick beyond politics...
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Sunday, May 25, 2014
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
(My Marianas) Cruise stopovers on Saipan
STAKEHOLDERS in the tourism industry are looking forward to
the time when the often asked question “Where is Saipan” will be a thing of the
past as the Marianas Visitors Authority and other involved agencies go all out
to promote not only the CNMI but the whole of Micronesia to the world through
Cruises.
Cruise ships that make brief stopovers on Saipan are usually
given the traditional island welcome with cultural dancers and given leis when
the ship docks at the seaport.
Judy Torres of the MVA said that as of June 2013, two cruise
ships stopped over on Saipan, two cruise ships stopped over in 2012 and five
cruise ships made stopovers for the fiscal year 2011.
For 2014, Crystal Cruises is scheduled to make a stopover on
Saipan on February 4. Crystal Serenity will leave Los Angeles on an 89-day
world tour from January 18 to April 18, 2014. The ship will visit Hawaii, Bali,
Africa, Guam before coming here. The ship is expected to dock at the Saipan
seaport at 8 am on February 4 and depart at 5 p.m. on the same day to head for
Okinawa and Tokyo, China, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, and other
countries.
Some of the cruise ships are regular visitors that make one
or two stopovers on Saipan every year like the MS Asuka 11 but there are rare
visits like the Queen Mary 2 which unfortunately was unable to dock at the
Saipan Seaport due to stormy weather. Businesses prepared to welcome over 2,000
visitors for a day but were disappointed but the weather was beyond everyone’s
control.
The CNMI has already carved its niche after being included
in forum discussions in various cruise guides like the Cruise Critic where you
can read posts from visitors describing the beauty of Saipan and the top sites
to visit, as well as basic information on where to go and what to do. Check out
http://www.cruisecritic.com to read some of the posts. An overview of
Saipan/NMI and Micronesia is also available in the Cruise Away and Clean
Cruising websites where readers/cruisers get a wealth of information about the
island, and links to how they can book cruises to come here. Visit http://www.cleancruising.com.au/port.asp?port=GUSPN
and http://www.cruiseaway.com.au/cruise-port/saipan_marianas_islands_micronesia.
Postings at these websites describe Saipan and the CNMI as a
paradise to escape with magnificent beaches and crystal clear aqua waters, a
place with unhurried friendly lifestyle and warm island hospitality.
Pacific Development Inc. is usually the ground handler for
the cruise ships that come in. PDI director Gordon Marciano earlier said that
the visitors usually go to visit the World War 11 sites all over the island, go
shopping and eat at the restaurants for the day’s stopover.
Tourism industry including the hotels, restaurants, stores
and other businesses in the island earlier expressed that they want these
cruise ships to stay more than one day on Saipan. Even taxi drivers said that
the longer the cruise ships come here, the more money they spend to spur the
island’s economy.
The CNMI hopes to attract more cruise ships in the coming
years as the MVA has partnered with the Port Authority of Guam, Guam Visitors
Bureau and the Micronesia chapter of the Pacific Asia Travel Association to
make up the Micronesian Cruise Association. For more information please call
the MVA at 664-3200.
First published at the Marianas Variety
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Venus Cruise
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
(My Marianas )Promoting the NMI through TV home shopping
TOUR agencies and travel companies are now reaching out to a
wide audience that covers all age groups through TV home shopping promotion.
Last
year, in conjunction with the Marianas Visitors Authority, the TV Home Shopping
Support Program in South Korea launched 12 TV promotions for Saipan, Tinian and
Rota, resulting in 8,000 booked packages to the CNMI.
Also in 2012, MVA Korea hosted major network TV programs
resulting in a $20,000 exposure value.
Other promotion methods include road shows and seminars,
trade shows, familiarization tours, incentive programs during the low season,
golf group support programs, sales promotions with travel agents, special
interest travel package solutions, co-op promotions with third partners, media
visits, E-guidebook and social media marketing.
For the China market, MVA is working with iQiyi.com, a
leading independent online video company, to introduce attractive visuals of
the CNMI — Saipan, Tinian and Rota — especially for the “romance” market.
First published at Marianas Variety
Monday, July 8, 2013
Cabang- Pilanca Big Bang comedy show a big hit
TWO popular comedians from Hawaii sent a well-packed house
rolling in laughter in a two-hour show at the Hibiscus Hall of Fiesta Resort
& Spa on Friday evening.
Kaleo Pilanca, one of Hawaii’s funniest comedians and emcees
started the ball rolling with his jokes during the first half of the show.
Pilanca, voted into the 2005 Top 10 Funniest people Hawaii on Rory Wild’s Count
Down Hawaii did not fail to meet the audience’s expectations as he made clean
fun jokes about the different races while claiming he is not a racist.
Mel Cabang or Uncle Mel took the stage for the second half
of the show and sent the audience into more laughter as he hit on the visiting
navy soldiers from USS Momsen who were at the audience.
A comedian for the past four decades, Cabang made the
Filipinos, Chamorro, Japanese, Americans and ‘the black guys’ the brunt of his
jokes in the show and called on some navy sailors to participate in his stint.
His technique of using a flashlight to seek out particular targets in the
audience just sent everyone roaring in laughter.
The Big Bang Comedy Show Blowout Saipan, a Shimbros
Production was hosted by the Marianas Pacific Distributors or MarPac as part of
a string of activities events leading to the celebration of their 40th
anniversary on September 14.
Beer flowed as the audience indulged and became livelier to
the delight of the comedians.
Sponsors for the event were Bud Light, Docomo Pacific,
Fiesta Resort & Saipan, IP&E and Tan Siu Lin Foundation.
LJ Castro was the event emcee. Marpac just finished the
two-day concert with famous Baba-B two weeks ago. More activities are coming up
as the main anniversary event draws near. Coming up next is Marpac’s golf
tournament. For more information about upcoming events please call Marpac at 234-7113.
Friday, July 5, 2013
Two days of Reggae with Baba B
7-5-13
FANS of Baba B, easily identified as the big man with the
small ukulele had a feast of reggae music when their idol rocked the island in
a two-day concert last Sunday and Monday at the Pacific Islands Club beachfront
in San Antonio.
“I am the biggest man on the beach, but I can get up and
dance. There’s no reason for you all not to get up and dance,” Baba B
challenged the guests to the second night of the concert. In response to his
challenge, males and females from the audience got up and rocked their hips and
swayed to the music on the sandy dance floor to the accompaniment of Higher
Ground band from Guam.
The first pair to dance got free copies of Baba B’s latest
CD. For the seventh time since 1999, reggae fans in the island were thrilled to
welcome back Baba B who promoted his newest album whose contents he himself
composed.
Among the songs in the album are All My Life, Rock With You,
Should We Cry, Candy, and High. Lucky guests who guessed trivia questions
thrown by master of ceremony LJ Castro about Baba B’s newest album got free
copies of the CD.
Baba B’s claim to fame with island reggae was in 1997 after
he released his debut album “Big Boy in Love.” This was followed by his second
album “Local Boy” which was released in 1999. Baba B has a big fan base for
reggae not only in Hawaii but in the Pacific islands.
The “Baba B Live on Saipan” was hosted by the Marianas
Pacific Distributor as part of a series of activities leading to their 40th
anniversary on September 14. Sponsors for the event are Docomo Pacific, Hertz
Rent-A-Car, IP&E, and Pacific Islands Club Saipan.
He has also performed in Las Vegas, California, and other
states in the mainland in addition to his island home Hawaii.
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