Saipan is part of the Northern Mariana Islands in the Micronesia region of the Pacific Ocean. About 4 hours flying time east of Hong Kong. It is about 44 square miles and has a population of under 70,000.
At the American Memorial Park and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Museum of History and Culture in Garapan, an in-depth display explains the Imperial Japanese expansion into the Pacific that went unchecked until Pearl Harbor.
On June 15 1944 the United States Marines landed on the beaches of the southwestern side of the island and fought the Battle of Saipan against the Japanese. A task force had destroyed between 150 and 215 Japanese planes. The Marines fought hard and nearly all of the 30,000 Japanese defenders were killed;
Thousands of Japanese civilians also died, many threw themselves off Suicide Cliff. Also many natives jumped or were pushed off the cliffs by the Japanese soldiers who had spread propaganda that the concurring Americans would torture and maim the civilians.
Today at Suicide cliffs there are many monuments placed by both Americans and Japanese acknowledging the bravery of those who lost their lives and a prayer that peace prevails in the future. Nearby is Banzai cliff where additional monuments are placed although there is some debate as to the belief that people actually plunged to their deaths there.
Across the island are remains from the war. Japanese pill boxes and bunkers are peppered along the beachfront and near the airport. They are also on some of the five golf courses on the island and even a Sherman Tank is slowly rusting away on the fifth hole of Loa Loa's east course. Especially dramatic at the Coral Ocean Point golf course which has a number of bunkers and gun mounts in the view of Tinian island a few miles off the coast which is where the components of the Atomic Bomb "Little Boy" were unloaded, assembled and then loaded onto the Enola Gay.
Today the horror of war on Saipan and surrounding islands are a distant memory. The natural beauty of the islands are especially highlighted on the five stunning golf courses around the island. From Coral Ocean Point in the south along the a stunning white sand beach and ocean views at each hole to Lau Lau with dramatic ocean cliffs that rival some of the best holes at Pebble Beach. Stunning flame trees bloom orange red in April for several months. Usually when I play golf the only hunting I do in the rough is looking for lost golf balls. But in Saipan the locals say that if you see the brown tree snake, kill it as they have taken a toll on the island's bird population.
One of the best hotels on the island is the Hyatt Regency in Garapan on the West Cost. It has a white sandy beach and clam waters thanks to a large coral reef that creates a stunning turquoise lagoon and amazing orange and golden sunsets. The Hyatt also has a spa with flowing waterfalls, private massage room with slate showers, ofuro tubs and wonderful massage therapists.
The Hyatt has four restaurants; Giovanni's, an Italian restaurant, Kili Cafe, specializing in buffets, Teppanyaki where the chefs prepare and play with your food in front of you and , Miyako which is a traditional Japanese restaurant with a sushi bar.
Up the road is The Palms Resort, a 14 - story luxury hotel which was formerly a Nikko hotel. located on a sandy white beach, it has an excellent Japanese restaurant, Minami They serve a killer buffet lunch loaded with all the sushi you can eat, lots of salads, grilled fish, veggies and crispy tempura. This is where I fell in love ... with ice green tea. Their superb Japanese green tea drove me to weather driving rains in search of the wholesale supplier of the tea. Fortunately after driving and almost swimming around downtown Garapan, I found the green tea and the tempest subsided. And on this friendly island, after a healthy rainfall there are usually rainbows along with a stunning Saipan sunset.
For those who want to know more about Saipan visit www.mymarianas.com
Continental and Delta fly from Los Angeles to Saipan via Tokyo.
For more travel viseos visit www.aroundtheworldradio.com
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Diorama of the Day | Saipan Beach M4A2 Shermanby ModelloursWorkshop72,513 views
Wung fu?
Nicklaspm 1 month ago