Any visit or stay on Saipan is never complete if you have not stepped foot on this small, flat coral islet that is one of Saipan’s main tourist attractions. Managaha Island, accessible by about 20 minutes by ferry from the Lower Base, is one site that never fails to get its fair share of visitors...
AN afternoon floating lazily on the Lazy River at the Pacific Islands Club was something I always thought was a great thing to do if you’re a tourist. I had said no to many invitations until my very persistent buddy Tom refused to take no for an answer. – We skipped lunch but munched on...
I THOUGHT I had been everywhere on Saipan until I discovered roads I didn’t even know existed. Recently, my buddy Pat and I decided to pay a visit to the radar tower in San Roque, a site I had visited and photographed several times before so we decided to make this trip different. Bordering the...
IT started with a red arrow on a rusty sign beside the path that proclaimed: “The Bell of Peace and Love…anyone who rings this bell will return to this special place someday again.” It was the red arrow pointing to a wooded area some 80 meters ahead that kept me going despite the knot of...
TUCKED into a luxurious row of rooms on the second floor of Saipan World Resort is heaven on earth — La Mer Massage. Sathiyan Kalarkkal, who is in charge of the establishment, said La Mer has been open for several years now but not a lot of residents know about it. One afternoon a couple...
DRIVING aimlessly one Saturday afternoon, I ended up at a popular destination in As Mahetug, the Saipan Zoo, which I had not visited for the past couple of years. Except for a woman with a couple of kids, there were no other visitors at the zoo when I pulled over and walked leisurely toward the...
FOR someone who has been on island for the past five years, I can’t help but sometimes feel bored and think that there’s nothing more to do to break my daily routine. I thought I have been there and done that already. But one dreary Sunday evening, a text message from my friend Donna...
I HAVE been visiting Ladder Beach on the northern part of Saipan for the past five years, so I was familiar with how the parking area could become bushy and “jungle-like.” On a recent visit, however, something presented itself that had previously remained unnoticed. Just before you make the left turn toward the Ladder Beach...
CAN you imagine Christmas without Christmas trees? Each year in December, Christmas trees with brilliant twinkling lights and other ornaments are installed in homes, parks, stores, schools and offices. On Saipan and Tinian, the three tallest Christmas trees can be found at the multi-purpose center in Susupe, at the Paseo De Marianas in Garapan and...
A TREK to Naftan Point was not on my mind when I joined a group of six others on a late Saturday afternoon. We were in the parking lot of American Memorial parking lot flipping coins to decide where to go for a shooting adventure when I remembered the Rabbit Hole in Naftan. I had...
I'm Raks. My joys are simple– writing and sharing adventures, shooting sunsets, landscapes and anything and everything that moves or does not, traveling, watching clouds, listening to the crashing of the waves on the rocks, coffee, dreaming, capturing and freezing moments forever. Come with me and let’s explore places. It’s a big wide world out there.
