In the Island called Saipan

A Wedding in the island...

2008-04-16T13:06:00.016+10:00

One of my dear and close friends in Saipan has gotten married last January 18, 2008. I flew from Philippines for this special occasion mainly to attend the wedding, but also to see friends and relatives, and also to see the island itself.

I guess I should start from the beginning: My trip to Saipan last December 29, 2007. Unlike most of the flights I've had in my 6-year stay in Saipan, and going to Philippines once in a while for a short vacation - my flight this time is in the middle of the day, so I finally got a real treat in seeing many wonderful cloud formations. :) I took a lot of photos in the duration of the flight (about 3 hours) up to the actual touchdown. I like window seat, and close to the wing of the plane so that I can observe what's going on during takeoff, and touchdown.

Fast-forward to the actual wedding:

The wedding was a beach wedding, held at Saipan Grand Hotel. The ceremony started at 5pm with the march of the entourage, and finally of the bride. It was a simple, solemn occasion and the scenery all added to the beauty of the whole event. The sun started to set as the ceremony ended - so it was just right for photo-taking!

Photos taken during the ceremony:

Photos taking after the ceremony:

A wedding is not complete without the food...

Cafe at the Park

2007-04-23T02:14:00.000+10:00

Cafe at the Park is a place where you can have good food and quality service. It is located near American Memorial Park in Garapan - hence the name. Here I share with you some photos taken when we had dinner here last September 8, 2006.

First, we had a "Crispy Seafood Roll" - it's Tempura-like, with mixed seafood (fish meat, shrimp) with Tomato, Cabbage (glazed with vinegar) as side dish. I somehow forgot to take note about the other side dish this seafood roll came with. Sorry about that. :) But - you definitely won't feel sorry after having this as a sort of appetizer. It's really good. :)

In this photo you see "Loco Moco" - its a rice topped with burger patty, egg, and creamy butter sauce. My friend told me that this is really popular in Hawaii. He let me have a taste, and it's really good! :)

I ordered Baby Back Ribs (with Rice) and Minestrone Soup, another friend had Teriyaki Short Ribs (with Mashed Potatoes). Like what I said earlier, their food here is really great - I can't find anything to complain about (not that I complain a lot. ;) :D). I particularly liked the vegetable side dish I had. It perfectly balances the sweet-tangy taste of the back rib's sauce.

Lastly, here are some photos I took of the place:

Inactivity

2007-04-06T15:46:00.000+10:00

Wow... it's really been a long time since I've updated this blog! :blush:

I was actually afraid that my account got discontinued after not logging/going here for a long time. It's good to know that its not - and that my Blog still exists. :D

For now, I've changed the template of this blog from "No. 565" to "Rounded Corners 4". I think this new template style suits this blog very well.

Will post new update here soon. Ciao! :)

some tourist spots in Saipan

2006-09-02T22:20:00.000+10:00

A family friend visited us here in the island of Saipan, and I was tagged along today as the photographer. :D I really don't mind for I love taking pictures ever since I had bought my first camera out of the cash gift my dear Lola (Grandmother) gave me for my Elementary graduation. I was able to take some beautiful shots, and I want to share them with you here in my blog.

First Stop: Banadero Cave (The Last Command Post)
This is a natural limestone cave fortress. This very cave is the "Last Command Post" for the Japanese army in WWII. There are still tanks, cannons, guns and other war relics in the area. Peace memorials have been set up here for the soldiers who gave their lives during WWII.

Notice the cave just above the artillery? Up there, you'll see this passage way that leads to the inner cave.

Second Stop: Suicide Cliff
Just above the Okinawa Peace Memorial is Suicide cliff where hundreds of Soldiers jumped to their deaths rather than surrender. Here I share with you two shots I took:

Third Stop: Bird Island
This is probably one of my favorite tourist spots here in Saipan. :) Maybe it's the rock amidst the waters with the waves gently breaking around it. Either way, this is a sanctuary for the migrating birds, hence the name.

Final Stop: Hotel Nikko
Okay, this is not a tourist spot. :D Hotel Nikko is one of the hotels here in Saipan. In my personal opinion though, this is the nicest and biggest/tallest hotel in the island. What's more, they have their own botanical garden and a mini zoo (mostly birds) and a fish pond with a wide selection of tropical fishes, and baby sharks too! This is the very reason we had to stop by here. :)

Those colorful Scarlet Macaws were loud. And as we were leaving the area, they got louder as if asking us to stay. :D :D The man-made water falls there complements the paradise-like surrounding. And finally, this Moluccan Cockatoo is lovely. She's the only one that looked at the camera. And her pose is just so nice, isn't it? Now, don't ask me how I know it's a "she" ;)

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take photos of those tropical fishes. My cousin and I are planning to go back just to do that, hopefully armed with extra digicam battery, and if sky is the limit: a brand new digicam. :D

Information Sources:
Marianas Visitors Authority
Pacificwrecks.com

to Street Market

2006-06-02T15:53:00.000+10:00

Every Thursday from 5-9 PM, Saipan holds a weekly "Street Market" in downtown Garapan (business center of Saipan). Let me share with you here of the trip I made (by foot) to street market. It's only a five-to-ten minute walk (northward) from where I am in this first photo.

Downtown Garapan
The first photo is taken where Beach Road and Garapan Street meet (I am standing along Garapan Street). The building in the background is Hafa Adai Beach Hotel, just one of the many hotels on island. [A little trivia: "Hafa Adai" means "Hello" in Chammoro. It's used the same way as "Aloha" in the Hawaiian Islands.]

Across Hafa Adai Hotel is Hard Rock cafe (as you can see in the next photo), a restaurant where the walls are covered with rock 'n' roll ephemera. The building it is housed in is actually DFS (Duty Free Shopping) Galleria. It is the biggest shopping mall in Saipan.

Here's a photo of the entrance at DFS, along Beach Road. My cousin Aiza kindly posed for me... for I fear that you dear reader will start to think that there are no people here in Saipan. :D

Walking further, you'll see this bus parked on the sidewalk. Anyone interested in sky diving can come here and sign up. I think it's a great marketing strategy. Four TV screens ("windows") can be seen from the outside showing the video they took on the numerous sky dives they had.

So far, you've seen the malls section/area of Garapan. Walking farther, you'll reach the area where there are lots of restaurants. One example is this building. I guess the photo says it all about the restaurants, but I will reserve details on the food/dining for future Blog entry.

Anyways, a few more minutes I reach...

Paseo de Marianas
Originally, this is the place where the weekly Street Market was held. In an effort by MVA (Marianas Visitors Authority) to beautify this section of Garapan, this particular street was renovated in 2004 and was named "Paseo de Marianas" (loosely translated to mean "Strolling the Marianas"). The street was made into a park (the original retail shops and restaurants remained intact) where anyone can take a walk or stroll.

The other end of Paseo de Marianas leads you to Fiesta Resort & Spa, another hotel which you can see a part of it's building in this photo of Paseo. I've also included a photo of Furusato: one of my favorite Japanese restaurants located right along Paseo.

Street Market
Once you've reached the other end of Paseo de Marianas, just crossing a street leads you right at the entrance of Fiesta Resort hotel. It's in this same street where Street Market is now located. Here are some photos I took:

Like what I have mentioned earlier, Street Market is a weekly event here in Saipan. Canopies are set up for shops and restaurants to sell their product(s). Ofcourse, the main reason people come here is for the food. This is the one place where most of the restaurants in Saipan come and offer their food at lower (than their regular) prices.

My aunt owns a small restaurant called K's Wow Pao. Included in their menu are: Dimsums, Noodle Soups (they have their own noodle maker), and a number of Filipino favorites like: Kare-kare, Caldereta (Beef Stew), Crispy Pata, etc. I guess the photo I've included here speaks for the food they have. :D In the photo you will see my (other) Aunt Susie (no, she's not the owner of the restaurant) and her daughter Aiza, together with Ruel (cook, specializing in Filipino food) and Ludem (in white, noodle-maker) to help around. I come here to help too, but I just deal with the money. ;)

Here is another favorite eating place of mine (along Street Market this time): Coconut Tei. I really like their lunch bento (set meal) of breaded pork/chicken. It comes complete with vegetables, fruits, rice, misu soup, and iced tea.

Finally, Street Market is over and we head back to my aunt's restaurant (which is actually just behind DFS). Here's a photo of me in the restaurant, looking at the photos I just took (which you have viewed by now).

Trying it out...

2006-05-27T13:17:00.000+10:00

Yesterday, I had a shooting spree using the digital camera my good aunt handed down to me. It's a Canon Digital Ixus. Despite its age (the very first release in the series, I believe), I am very happy to find out that it takes good photos. :D

Having always been fascinated with sunsets, I thought it appropriate to have this as my first subject. I immediately started my short trek to the beach from my place to catch the beautiful sunset Saipan has to offer.

And I'm not disappointed. The first photo you see here is the first shot I took. It would have been nice if the man getting ready to fish is not there. But on second thought, I think it perfectly depicted how island-life is.

Looking farther left, I took this shot where the outlines of Tinian (second-largest island) can be seen on the horizon. I rather think this photo is lovely: tranquil waters with pink, white, and blue colors in the sky.

I then decided to go to a different spot, and on my way there I saw this Flame Tree in full bloom. It's really unfortunate that I don't have a digicam when Saipan held the annual Flame Tree Festival last April. There were lots of food, and local girls danced their version of hula dancing.

When I reached the spot I liked, the sun has already set. And then, the battery gave up on me and the shots I took were not that nice. (I think. :D) If any of you are interested to see the shots I managed to take, I had it all uploaded in my Yahoo Photo Album.

I guess that's it for now. It's really nice to finally have the time and create a Blog that I've been thinking of doing for a long time. Ciao! ^_^