Saipan

I am a bit late in posting this piece about our recent travel to the island of  Saipan, but not as late as some of the other posts that are hanging around the blog board waiting to be edited and finished, so I will just go on as though there was no delay (and then there is this ridiculous centering that I cannot get rid of- I put the photo in post before I left the island and while I had great access to blogger- now I am hampered by the slow system and some inflexibility).

We went to Saipan, via a night in Seoul, to do a little paperwork somewher warmer and closer than San Francisco, and we were not disappointed. Go check your atlas- you can find it in Micronesia, in the Mariana Islands, near Guam. The weather was a balmy 20 something degrees every day. The sprinkling of rain was ignored since it was so pleasant. the turquoise of the water in the above photo can be spotted in the plane on arrival; there is a coral reef that protects the entire island.  It's not a great place for surfing, but is terrific for snorkeling. We rented a vehicle and went around the relatively small island checking out all of the beaches that were listed on the map.  We ate loads of pizza and had one feed of sushi.

The island is a bit reminiscent of Hawaii- at least the wilder less urban parts of the islands. There was the similar vegetation, but the real clincher was the use of the greenback for currency. The island is a part of the United States. Historically, the island was the site of major battle or two between American and Japanese soldiers in the Pacific battle during World War II. The American success made them the last of a long line of foreigners that ruled the island; the photographic essay at the airport identified the Chamorro as the original people, who were then ruled by the Spanish, the Germans (briefly) and then the Japanese. The island was mostly one large sugar cane plantation with an airport.  If someone can explain to me what the Japanese were doing with all of that sugar cane  (there was also loads of cane in the Ryuku islands), I would be very grateful.

There were no local and exotic critters to be seen on the island. We saw tons of chickens and cows by the roadside ( I mean not in pens, but BY the roadside) on our trips on the winding island roads. There were the odd dogs too.  Mostly the island looks a little sad.  The houses are small and the 24 hour poker places and pawnshops are plentiful. The major engine for the economy is no longer sugar cane; for the past couple of decades, this island has been a popular destination for Japanese and Korean tourists- and when the Japanese economy suffered some setbacks, Saipan felt it.

Lovely place for a nice rest and respite from the cold that we had been experiencing in Shanghai- you know that kind that sends you to the hot bath tub in search from some warmth and relief frm the cold toes and numb bum.