Unwinding at Taga Beach

JUST a stone’s throw away from the Tinian Dynasty Hotel & Casino is a famous beach which never fails to lure locals and tourists alike even under the sweltering heat of the sun.

Taga Beach is just a pocket beach bordered by small limestone cliffs on its sides. To take a dip, you have the option of going down a flight of cemented stairs or jumping or diving from the small cliffs into the amazingly clear, blue green waters. This has become a favorite challenge for kids and adults as they tried to outdo each other in how high they can jump, or how many flips they can do.

The waves from the small lagoon roll into a pristine shore protected by cliffs and cave-like rocks. From the beach, the ocean stretches out to forever. The beach has picnic facilities, an outdoor shower, ample parking spaces and even a place to rent scooters if you want to take an island tour.
If you don’t fancy swimming, you could still enjoy walking on the concrete path which leads into Tachogna Beach a few meters away. Sunsets at Taga Beach are just superb! Here is one place where you can watch the sun bidding goodbye to another day amidst a glorious sky splashed with different hues of reds, oranges and vermilions.
For photo enthusiasts, Taga Beach is one perfect place for you to snap away and capture views of the local color.
Breathing in the cool salty air from the ocean, I wished I could stay at the beach forever and take in the sights and smells that create a bond to nature. However, darkness had fallen. The happy shouts of kids ceased and the swimmers were heading home. It was time to go back to the hotel.

This article was originally published HERE.

Enjoying Micro Beach at your leisure

DO you want to spend precious moments each day in total relaxation yet find it hard to snatch time from your busy schedule? On Saipan, you don’t need to go far.

Just a few steps away from the Saipan’s commercial district in Garapan near American Memorial Park is Micro Beach, a popular spot which many of us may have taken for granted.
Micro Beach is an ideal place to spend your leisure time. Whether you have a full free day to spend, or just a few minutes to breath in the salty tang of the ocean breeze, this is the place for you.
In the late afternoons, you can catch one of Saipan’s glorious sunsets from Micro Beach with the fascinating Managaha Island at the backdrop.
On Sundays and holidays, Micro beach is the island’s most populated beach. It is a favorite picnic spot to hold local fiestas, barbeques, parties, and just gatherings with friends and family members.
The beach area provides kids a fantastic playground. The beach has tables and benches, swing sets and the tall trees provide shade for the picnickers.
Micro Beach is also an ideal venue for popular sporting events like XTerra Saipan Championship.
On some days, strong winds would gust to the delight of surfers. Micro Beach is a popular windsurfing spot. In 1972, Micro Beach became the competition site as windsurfers from six countries gathered for a three-day race.
The natural beauty of the island with its pristine beaches and natural landscape makes it a perfect destination for tourists.
If you want to break the monotony of your routine, take a few minutes out and head off to Micro Beach. You’ll come back refreshed and renewed.

(This article was originally published HERE)

On the shores of Wing Beach

DESERTED’ is the first word that would come to your mind as soon as you emerge from the thicket that shelters the entrance to Wing Beach, one of Saipan’s seashore treasures.

Darkness was about an hour away and yet I insisted on making a stop to this spot which I just heard about from others. The long fingers of dusk began to claim dominance over the skies, casting a somewhat eerie yet fascinating atmosphere.

The shore was practically isolated, the silence broken only by the slapping of the waves in the distant reef and by our presence. The long stretch of soft white sand seemed to defy our existence.
There is something about Wing Beach that lures you to come back again and again. Turning off from the main road in Marpi, the dirt road that curbs its way around and amidst thick foliage will lead you deeper that you would feel you were already in the jungle, but you are just a few minutes away from your destination.
Running on the shores and leaving deep footprints on the sand is an exhilarating experience you must not miss. It is as if you have the whole place to yourself, and nothing else matter except you, the sea, the skies and the sand on the shores.
Various shells scattered on the beach adds to its attraction. Swinging by Wing Beach during the day would be an entirely exciting and different experience, without the long shadows and the eerie stillness of the place. It is one of the spectacular places to hold picnics or get together with friends. You can visit the place just to pass time, take a dip in the ocean, commune with nature, draw figures or write you name on the sand, or go diving.
Wing Beach, located on the northwest part of Saipan is one place you must not miss. Swing by for a view of some fantastic geographical features like breathtaking drop-offs and large, spectacular crevasses. Chances are you will come back to the place.

Rendezvous at the Suicide Cliff Lookout

“

The word SPECTACULAR or any other synonym in the dictionary is inadequate to describe the view from the top whereI was leaning against the steel railings on Saturday noon. It was exhilarating to stand on top of a 250-meter tall rock face and revel in the excellent views of the north end of Saipan.

From miles away, the ocean stretched far out with its different shades of blue glistening in the heat. If you look up at the cliffs from down below, they look menacing but when you’re up there, you’ll be telling a different story.

The Suicide Cliff lookout was a somber yet almost romantic place to be. I ignored the butterflies that seemed to flutter in my stomach as I looked down at the Banzai Cliff which resembled a miniature park way below from where I was, a spot which beckons one to come and explore what it has to offer .

The Suicide Cliff Lookout provokes a sense of being lost in time, surrounded by the natural beauty of the cliffs which some almighty power seemed to have carved centuries ago.

If you didn’t have an inkling of the tragic past of the place, if you have no idea that hundreds of Japanese have chosen to end their lives by jumping down the cliffs to their deaths than being captured by the American army after they lost the battle, the place is a perfect getaway.

Except that the place is marred by painful memories of the bloody WW11 events. Each nook and crevice in the cliffs is a mute witness of the unspeakable past.

Half the fun and adventure in going up to the Suicide Cliff Lookout and in going down lies on the picturesque road which snakes its way up the cliff, offering you a fantastic view of Garapan, the sea and nature. It’s one place where you get the feeling of being far from civilization and from everybody.

If you have fear of heights, you may opt to stay far from the railings but then, you will miss much!

You won’t get lost in going to the Lookout. Just follow the road signs toward the north and you’ll be there in no time.

(This article originally appeared HERE.)

Reunion with nature at the Tank Beach

CHARTERING unfamiliar grounds by following signs has always been a challenge I find hard to resist and last Sunday’s wanderings rewarded me with one more attractive spot in these islands.

Driving all the way past Kagman High School toward a dirt road last Sunday brought me and a buddy to a sign standing amidst thick bushes which says “Tank Beach”. As I haven’t heard of the name before, I knew I had to find the place. As there was no other sign on the road, our first turn ended in a private residence and we had to go back to the main road. Our second try brought us to the right place.
The place was deserted, and we found that it was one of the protected areas on Saipan where you can only feast your eyes in the beauty of nature but not disturb anything.

The white sandy beach stretched far on both sides, making us feel small and insignificant in the noonday heat. The rolling waves and the clear waters issued a silent invitation for a refreshing dip.
Tank Beach is a perfect place to bond with nature. This is a spot where it feels like sin to step on the sand and leave footprints in the deserted beach, where you will feel guilty by merely taking pictures of multitudes of butterflies in the flowering patches near the shore.
Tank Beach is one spot where you can delight on the wonders of nature, yet you get a feeling that you shouldn’t be there. You feel like an intruder that unlike other beaches which entices you to shout and run and play on the sand, you would feel guilty just by treading on the pristine shores.
For the beach fanatics, Tank Beach is a haven, great for snorkeling and hanging with friends.
Just be careful not to remove any corals from the waters off the entire reef at Tank beach as it is prohibited. Fishing regulations exist, and disruption of habitat is prohibited.
At this spot, the lines “leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but pictures, and kill nothing but time” applies.
See you on our next adventure!

(This article was originally published here)

Chulu Beach: Tinian’s hidden cove

DRIVING over rock-paved roads about a mile or two away from the famous bomb pits on Tinian will lead you to one of the tropical spectacles the island can boast of — Chulu Beach.

From the main road, you couldn’t see the water as the place is cloaked with thick foliage and green shrubbery but the minute you step out into the clearing, a stretch of pristine beach that is ideal for a movie set in the Pacific awaits you.
Chulu Beach is a beach bum’s dream: white sandy shores, crystal clear waters, and ideally placed palms swaying to the breeze. The sound of the rolling waves breaking a few meters away from the shore and the sense of privacy creates an instant lure to anybody who steps on its shores.
Overlooking the Philippine Sea to the west side of the island, you will know you have come to the right place when you see a Japanese pillbox at the end of the road.

Japanese Pillbox

My guide told me Chulu beach is also known as Star Beach to the locals. Here is a beach whose history stretches past beyond the footsteps on the sands created by visitors. It carries ghosts of the past and has been a mute witness to the bloody events of the World War 11 more than 60 years ago.
Ah, how tempting to sprawl on the beach and allow yourself to be lulled to sleep by the sound of waves and the gentle slap of the ocean breeze on your skin.
I hated to leave but time was a harsh enemy. I had 12 minutes to grab a quick lunch and catch the 1 p.m. ferry for Saipan.

Come with me next time on yet another trip and let’s scour famous as well as hidden beaches and explore nooks and crannies of this paradise called the CNMI.

I flunked culinary class!

So what’s new with that? I have never been at home in the kitchen, whether to eat or to cook. I mean I’m not a hearty eater (ever hear of the phrase I eat for survival?) I cook for survival too. Living alone for as long as I can remember has its effects and one of those is developing the habit to buy ready to eat or order from a fastfood whenever hunger strikes. Which is not very often in my case. The best and must-not-meal for me is dinner. Breakfast and lunch I can go without, but not dinner.

Anyways, I signed up for a culinary class for overseas Filipino workers at the OWWA office in Susupe a couple of months ago with 'ranch-mates' Junhan, Raymond, Tita Lits and Terri. What never occurred to me was that the classes would require five Saturday afternoons because if I did, I would have relegated my slot to somebody else. I know I just don’t have 5 consecutive Saturday afternoons free.

We missed the first session which was soup making. The second first session was into Japanese cuisine. Haha when I came into the class I felt I flunked right away. Everybody had an apron and a head gear or hair net. It never even occured to me to get one huhu.

Not a big fan of Japanese food myself (or any other cuisine in that matter) I just observed as Hermie the instructor whipped up sushi and all those rolled Japanesy-foods which I always thought comes in ready made packages.

I kept notes but now I can’t even read what I wrote. If I give it to a pharmacist Im sure I will be given prescription medicines. Tasting time proves rewarding for everybody else except for me.

On our second (and my last alas) session we were into pasta making. Alas, I never cared that much for pasta. I eat them but I can't or wouldn't die for pasta. We were taught how to whip up red and white sauce, spaghetti, soba, and the whole noodle family. I just sat on a corner feeling so drowsy for five hours of staying in one room (*ewww you don’t know how hard that was) The fourth Saturday I had to be on Tinian to cover the Poker tournament at the Tinian Dynasty Casino, so another absent.

Funny but I took more photos of my classmates and of the food and ingredients than what my mind absorbed. I still find it still easier to just point what you want and leave the messy job of food preparation to the expert chefs in the kitchen. I was a misfit in the kitchen. Maybe I was thinking of photography class afterall when I submitted my application form.

The graduation was last Saturday. Only Junhan and Teri were able to make it. We three flunked the classes because we had more than two absences.

Somehow there are some people who could never be at home in the kitchen and I am one of them. My sis and my brod took that talent when I was away and only two were given to each family I guess…

What I would have wanted to join though was the bread baking and cake decorating classes. That im sure I wouldn’t feel drowsy but the list is long and the next classes may be held next year yet.

Maybe I will just have to content myself with taking photos of food, not preparing them.