Tinian blow hole

I finally had the chance to visit the famous Blow Hole located at the Northeast part of Tinian, on the Pacific Ocean side last Sunday. This is one place I had always wanted to visit but never got the chance to do so, and i have Kiri Jackson, Tinian Dynasty's casino marketing and promotions to thank for arranging a quick tour for me.

The noonday heat did not deter me from going down to the limestone cliff that ran the full length of the side of the island (I won't mention that I was wearing 2-inch heels) just to snap photos and catch an amateur video using my ever-handy Sony point and shoot. From the Blow Hole, you can see Saipan at the back drop. I felt so alone in the vast stretch of sea, limestone and grasslands, a solitary being snapping fotos under the sweltering heat of the sun.

The vertical hole, a little bigger than a basketball is something that mother nature has carved in the rocks, spews out a geyser when waves roll in. I stood at a distance of about 8 meters away and got wet when a particularly huge wave rolled in. If I was only wearing slippers and prepared to get wet, I wouldn't have missed the chance to really go as near as I can to the hole but alas, I had to think of the ferry trip back to Saipan ( ughhh thinking of it is starting to make me dizzy) and I had to go straight to the office to file my stories. The one hour tour was not enough and I had to really hurry to grab some lunch from One Broadway before boarding the ferry. I had to put something in my stomach just in case the waves decided to get any bigger and I wouldn't want to vomit my intestines out.

ANyways, luck was with me and the ferry trip back was bearable. More about my solo trip to Tinian later. Enjoy the amateur video!

Giovanni's turns 13!

FOR some, the number 13 may be unlucky but for Giovanni’s Restaurant at the Hyatt Regency Saipan, celebrating its 13th birthday is a significant event.

Hyatt Regency Saipan family were all smiles as they celebrated Giovanni's 13th birthday.

For the thousands of customers whose diverse palates have been satisfied by the mouth-watering concoctions whipped up by the restaurant’s competent and dedicated staff, 13 is a threshold as the restaurant embarks into its teenage journey.

Clients and distinguished guests flocked to Giovanni’s on Friday night for party time as Giovanni’s celebrated a memorable milestone of the restaurant’s success.
It was a night where nothing else matters but food, wine and fun. Guests had a grand time rubbing elbows with one another, exchanging pleasantries, conversation and laughter.
Mouth-watering delicacies that could make one forget about diets and calories loaded the table. Wine flowed freely, and the air became more festive as the night wore on and more wine glasses emptied and refilled.

Then it was time to wheel in the huge, square birthday cake and to blow the candles.
Hyatt regency Saipan general Manager Nick Nishikawa sliced the cake amid cheering from the crowd. Then it was time for food and drinks...and more food and drinks.

Hyatt Regency Saipan general manager Nick Nikishawa slices the birthday cake. Looking on is executive chef Gabriele Colombo.

Giovanni’s is one of the four restaurants at the Hyatt Regency Saipan that offers gourmets a taste of real Italian cuisine.

Take the trip with Giovanni’s as they embark on a new journey toward serving its growing list of clientele.
Whatever event or no-occasion occasion you may be celebrating, Giovanni’s provides a cozy atmosphere that can equal any upbeat restaurant on premier dining.
Expect more treats and high quality menu at Giovanni’s with Hyatt Regency Saipan executive chef Gabriele Colombo at the helm.

Giovanni’s is one place where you can dine to the sound of live piano performances at the backdrop, and where you get the best that spells out the Hyatt touch.

Article originally published at http://www.mvarietynews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9915:island-signature&catid=4:special-features&Itemid=31

Relaxing by the beach

IF you are one of the beach bums who thinks that a day out is never complete without taking a dip in the warm waters of the sea, this beach is just the perfect place for you.

PauPau beach, located right next to Palms Resort Saipan and across the now-closed La Fiesta Mall in the northern part of Saipan is a haven for beach lovers.
The long, sandy beach provides an ideal setting where families with kids or anybody else can have fun. You can stretch and sunbathe on the sand, snorkel in the crystal clear waters, swim, fish, or just hang around.
As a bonus, trees growing on the beach offer lots of shaded areas where you can bring a beach chair and catch up with your reading. Better yet, you can experience total bliss by hanging a hammock and drifting off to dreamland to the gentle crooning of the waves.
Picnic pavilions and a playground add to the convenience of the beach.
Saipan has so many beaches you can choose from to spend your next day off. You can go to isolated beaches that you can have all to yourself or make you feel shut out from the whole world. You can also go to beaches that provide total adventure.
PauPau beach is one which gives the impression of being some place “away from it all” but it is just a few steps away from the main road.
When you get some time off, drop by PauPau beach and pamper yourself to break the monotony of work.

(Got any interesting place in the CNMI you would like to be featured for Island Explorer? Please email me.

Let there be light

Welcome to Saipan…bring your flashlights.

9:20 p.m. I have an hour and 40 minutes before the lights will go out (again? Yes, again and again and again!) and I will have to grope my way around to my bed and summon all my forces to fall asleep. 2 a.m. is a long way off and If you are a nocturnal being like me, you could understand the torture I go through every night. Or until the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. change the schedule next week.

I mean power outages is nothing new in this island. We have tasted power outages at all shifts but this 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. has been my biggest problem so far. It leaves me with no choice but to grope my way toward the bed guided only by the blurry light from my cellphone.

I prefer the darkness of my room because I can not bear to light a candle. It’s been over three months since I suffered the biggest blow in my life but I can’t even look at a lighted candle without breaking down. It just digs up the pain that I had been bottling and forcing to bury inside me. Enough about the subject of candles, tears are threatening to fall.

The continued power outages on Saipan is nothing new and everybody’s suffering from it. Since my two housemates left, I have learned to monitor the load shedding schedule CUC publishes in the paper every Friday. I mean it’s actually useless because CUC never follows its load shedding schedule anyway. The power just goes off anytime.

I was rushing toward the Attorney General’s Office after a press conference at the public safety on Thursday, skirting the puddles of water on the way, but with three minutes left to be on time for an interview with Atty. Ed Buckingham, I was not successful in totally preventing the heels of my sandals from sinking in the muddy portions. I was directed to go straight to a room where Atty. Ed was waiting, and had to hesitate in the doorway.

The room was engulfed in darkness and I was sure I had come to a closet or a darkroom. I was about to back out when a figure turned around. Atty. Ed was working on his laptop using miner’s flashlight attached to his forehead. What a way to work. At the Justice building on Monday, court proceedings were suspended and the hallways were filled with a mix of lawyers, clients and court staff fanning themselves to survive the heat. The court needs at least 50 gallons of gas an hour for the generators to run and the court’s dwindling budget can’t afford to pay for gasoline.

Oppsss, gotta grab some dinner before the lights go out. I don’t fancy groping my way in the kitchen. I've got a flashlight bought for $1 at a garage but I have to buy batteries yet.

No Parking

Each driver has his own unique way of parking...this is my favorite.
(I passed this car at the Compact Road on my way to Melekeok in Palau
early last year.)

Saipan’s sunken pool

Any trip or stay on Saipan would never be complete without visiting the Grotto, a sunken pool of amazingly azure waters that is connected to the ocean by passages underwater. For divers, the Grotto is one of Saipan’s best spots but non-divers too can enjoy the spectacular views the place has to offer.

Come with me as we visit yet another one of the unique spots this island has to offer.
The first time I visited the Grotto, I was not able to resist the urge to go down the 100 steep steps. A slight rain had made the stairs slippery and I was wearing sandals with heels but I was not about to let the opportunity pass.
Going down takes real effort as you have to hold on to the cement handrails and watch your footing if you have no wish to crash in a heap at the sharp rocks below.

Once you reach the bottom of the staircase, you will be facing yawning caverns that promise worlds of wonder under the water’s surface. Non-divers can enjoy listening to the thunderous crashing of the waves on the rocks, or watch snorkelers having a grand time in the pool.

If it requires effort on your way down, going up requires double effort. I had to rest every five or so steps and listen to my deafening heartbeat while trying to catch my breath.

Above the pool, a view deck provides a perfect setting where you can gaze for hours at the endless blue of the ocean stretched out before you. The view deck has tables and benches where guests can sit, relax and breathe in the salty tang of the ocean breeze.

The Grotto, located north of Saipan is easily accessible. Just drive past the “last command post” and “Banzai Cliff” memorial parks, and watch out for the sign on the road.

The Grotto is one place you must not miss. All you need is a healthy pair of legs (for non-divers), guts and a pair of itchy feet, and some exercise if you don't mind.
I will leave the divers to describe the underwater wonders of the Grotto, or wait until I will have the chance to dive someday. Maybe that would be when I learn how to swim. Ahhhh, maybe in the next 50 years...

CLICK HERE for more photos

(Article originally published at

http://www.mvarietynews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9610:island-explorer&catid=4:special-features&Itemid=31)

Chasing butterflies

Thursday was one of those days which buddy Ferdie calls "bokya" at the CNMI Superior court. Nothing much went on, save for trials for small claims and traffic violations. I went out with a clean notebook, meaning I got no stories from there to meet my daily quota.
Waiting for the car to pick me up is one of the worst times I always experience in a day. You stay inside the court you freeze to death with the cold blast from the aircon. You wait outside you suffer from the blistering heat of the sun.

I decided to do a little of both , staying inside for a while, then going out to wait. Junhan and Raymond caught me running after butterflies and trying to capture them with my ever-reliable point and shoot Sony digicam outside the court.
I actually found chasing butterflies much more fun than running after lawyers in the lobby (although some of those serious-looking, attache case-carrying species are worth running after...lolololll) after each trial, snapping fotos of orange-clad defendants in handcuffs, poring over court records and digging up cases, not to mention pestering the clerks to have access to the files.

I envied the butterflies...no daily quota, pressures or deadlines to think of.