“Babe! Don’t forget about our tickets tomorrow to Saipan!”, I shout as he is on the phone with his Submarine potentially being called back in during this only 2 week liberty he had been granted while we lived on Guam. The tickets weren’t actually booked, but I was working on it super quick – I wanted my man damn it! This is what started our amazing, and spontaneous tour of the US Northern Marianas Islands! These Islands are less than 100nm from Guam, and thus it was important to see and experience while we lived so close.
TINIAN
This little Island is known for the spicy Tinian Chilli Pepper that grows all over the Island, and boy is it spicy! Tinian is actually more famously known for being a large air landing strip during WW2. In fact, at the time, this small Island in the Pacific was the largest by acreage in the entire West Hemisphere – and was key to the US winning the war. The only way to get to this Island is to take a little Sespa Plane from Saipan. Once Matt and I landed on Saipan, I discovered that we could make a quick day trip to this Island as our first day of three I had planned for our Saipan getaway. This wasnt planned at all, but it was without a doubt our only chance to ever get to see this Island, so why not!? These little Sespa flights only take about 20minutes and there is only one plane that holds five people, some potatoes and toilet paper each hour. Matt and I were able to snag spots, but the airport on Siapan seemed surprisingly busy that day. Unknowingly, and tragically, we chose to go to Tinian, on a whim, on the same day as the funeral for the Commissioner of Tinian – essentially the eldest living member of Tinian, and the Governor of the Island. Naturally, all the relatives from the neighboring Islands were traveling to Tinian to pay their respects and attend the funeral. When we landed there were no rental cars available, and there was no escaping the tropical heat.
We walked to the center of town and came across the one and only local store and bought some water, sunscreen, and, of course, the famous Tinian Chili Peppers! We snagged a map from the airport before set out for the day. I figured we would walk as far as we could go and then walk back to the airport. Afterall, we had four hours to spend on Tinian until the last flight at 6pm would take us back to Siapan. Given the heat, that was plenty of time! We made our way to the beaches, memorials, and the old House of Taga. The House of Taga is the oldest original standing CHamarro Latta stones that still exist in the Marianas. There was an age old ship wreck that landed on one of the beaches. We also saw remains from the War. Thankfully, a nice couple saw us walking on the road back to the airport nearly four miles away, and gave us a ride. This couple, and the lady at the mini convenience store were the only people we encountered once we left the airport for the entire day.
SAIPAN
Once we landed back on Saipan it was time for the mini 3 day resort vacay to begin. I decided to splurge and get a top room with an ocean view, since our house on Guam is in the country. Ironically this “ocean view” was of the anchorage filled with military cargo ships and of course there was even a BOBO Class ship!! Nothing like paying extra money just to look at your work on your vacation. It was too dang funny. There were many local restaurants to try and we could walk on the beach each evening.
The first day on the Island we decided to drive around and see what there was to see. Saipan, while is built up in comparison of the other Marianas Islands and is the most populated, is still only a few miles long. It is very possible to see all the sights in one day with ease. The Grotto is a famous cave that you can walk into. If you buy a tour then you can dive down into the cave and into the open ocean. Needless to say, when you go on a trip on a whim, you dont know to buy a tour, but it was still a wonderful experience. My personal favorite part of this island was the Isle of Birds National Park. It’s a cliff of reserved land that overlooks the Bird Island and it is absolutely beautiful! Having been lucky enough to see other National Parks in the States, I can say that this park on Saipan has that same majesty. We continued to drive around the island stopping at the various WW2 Monuments and relics. Siapan resulted in the largest number of US Marine casualties in all of the Marianas, totalling over 20,000 men. The WW2 Memorial Park has a monument dedicated to these Marines and the fields they taught are still preserved.
Our second day had more of a beachy theme. Outside the hotel you can take a mini ferry boat to the tourist island of Managaha! It only takes about 20minutes to walk around the entire island beach. We spent the day soaking up the sun and snorkeling!! We actually saw quite a bit of coastal fish! It is was a nice relaxing mini-getaway day that I think we both needed. In the evening, we made our way downtown for the Thursday BBQ Market. Each week the locals set up tents in the center of town and sell delicious food and crafts. We decided to pick random foods to try as our dinner, and dance to the lovely music. Price of gas here was $3.93/gal.
Pro tip: The CHamarro masks have no cultural significance. They are sold all throughout the Marianas simply because they know tourists like to collect exotic masks.
ROTA
Unfortunately, I made the trip to this Island on my own. Matt had to leave on deployment, but I really wanted to see this final Island while I still lived on Guam. Instead of hourly flights from Saipan, you can take a single daily flight from Guam to Rota. I cant make this up, but the town elder also passed away the same day I went to visit Rota. He was not just a War Vetern but the last living CHamarro who faught on Rota, and lived on Rota after the war. But this time, I reserved my rental car in advance. When I got to Rota, I was given the last available rental car, but it had no AC. This Island had no people that I saw whatsoever!! Ok, one person who ran the run down hotel, that I was the only guest. It was HOT!!! I have never felt so much heat in my life! I had one bottle of water, a bag of chips, and a coffee to last all day. It was so, so hot!
I stayed the night in the one and only hotel, and thankfully there was food. I could buy a quick dinner. I mostly tried to drive as and see as much of this Island as much as possible. I hiked the monuments, and walked along the beaches. The central town had been decorated from a recent celebration and it was nice to see. Similar to Tinian, there is a low population, and because there is no US economic value in building a Base, this Island is run down and left up to the locals to maintain the land and get by. But sadly, there wasnt too much to see on this Island. I can say without a doubt that a day was more than enough time to see this Island. Due to the remoteness of this island, price of gas here was $5.74/gal.
My favorite part was not only the beach view of this Island, but the Bird Sanctuary. The northern tip of Rota is a designated bird reserve to allow endangered native Pacific Birds to have safe habitat. If you drive to the overlook you can look down into a canopy of tree tops that eventually blend into the ocean horizon. It is absolutely a gorgeous view and if you get the chance to explore this Island, this Bird Santuary is a must see!
As I drove around the Island there is no escaping that a war once ragged here. At one point the Japanese would aim cannons at the US Ships on the horizon. I sat in one cannon hole and tried to take a picture of the water from the sight of the cannon. I sat for many minutes thinking about these men who fought here. First, I’ll say that the mosquitos were everywhere, and they certainly were not phased by my mini canned bug spray!! As I continued to sit next to this cannon I found an appreciation for what these men endured on these islands. The heat was unrelenting, the bugs were unrelenting, and their perseverance was even more so. The truth is, is that the United States simply would not have won the War in the Pacific, without first liberating the Marianas. Tinian was the airstrip, Rota was the training platform as the US planned campaigns further in the Pacific, Guam was the Naval Base and strong hold of supplies, and Saipan was the Japanese stronghold. All four Islands needed to be secured, in order for Tinian, Rota, and Guam to be the strategic stronghold that they became. Regardless of a further campaign into the Pacific, the US Troops were also sacrificing to liberate the CHamarros from Japanese oppression. Below are pictures of and from sitting inside the Japanese cannon hole.
In 2019 the Islands celebrated the 75th Anniversary of Liberation. To be honest, I didnt really learn too much about the War in the Pacafic in school, and I never knew about the battles that raged on these Islands. I am beyond grateful for the experience of seeing this Island. I now understand this war on a more personal level and my experience will not soon be forgotten.
Stay Salty!
-Emily
Modern Mariner 