For such a spontaneously planned holiday, the trip so far has been remarkably smooth.
We got to the airport with about an hour and half to catch our flight - made it through security and customs just in time to board. Once seated, we were informed that we'd be delayed by about an hour for maintenance (faulty hydraulics). Four hours later, we were finally in the air, and shortly after that, we checked into our much nicer-than-expected hotel in Saipan. So, if not for the delayed flight - just perfect.
Our hotel is called the Aquarius Beach Tower, which I reserved through Expedia.com. Our room is huge - it is a suite, with a full kitchen. Very nice and convenient.
Not conveniently located however - so this morning I visited Expedia once again and we rented a car, which is also nicer than expected. Brian said, before we rented, that everytime he rents a car, he never gets what he reserved. That happened again -except I think we got upgraded this time!
Our beach plans had to be changed due to the rain, so we took the car today and toured the nearby half of the island. We went through Garabon and stopped at "Banzai Cliff"(where many Japanese civilians jumped to their deaths rather than be captured by American forces in WWII), the Japanese peace memorial, Bird Island and the Grotto.
We got to see a fair bit of Saipan - both the tourist centers as well as the local areas. Overall impression: It's like being in the States and Japan at the same time. There are many Japanese cultural references sprinkled around - buddhas, kanji and restaurants. However, the language is English, and the dollar is American.
We took some pics today and hope to upload some soon.
4 comments:
I hope you will get a chance to get out to Chalan Kanoa beach. It sounds like you've already scored with getting a complete kitchen in your suite. Should make eating a little less expensive than normal.
Welcome to Saipan!
I think I saw you at the Grotto yesterday. We were the Gaijin divers.
If you are into nightlife, tomorrow night at The Flair and Wednesday night at Godfather's are good bets for a good time.
Ask the guys at the front desk for directions.
Hello or Hafa Adai as the locals in Saipan would say! I'm originally from there and enjoyed reading your blog. I hope you have a wonderful time on such a beautiful land full of great culture and lots of history. Be sure to try out lots of the local dishes. Thanks for visiting and hope you have many great memories there! I miss home!
*formerly Ms. Sablan
Glad to know that you had a good trip so far! Bring back pictures!
Post a Comment