Hafa Adai!
This will be my last post in paradise for 2011:( I'm only hours away from leaving my little island. I am very sad and know I will cry when I'm flying away from here. The five months I've been here went by way too fast.
I had quiet the send off yesterday however. I went riding ATV's with Audra and a group of teachers from her school. We only paid $15 each for a two hour ride which was a bargain.
We left from the south end of the island in an area I hadn't been to yet and rode up a hill almost to the top of Mt. Tapachio. There were 18 of us total and most of us were new to the ATV experience.
We did a practice run first going up and down hills by the house so we could get used to accelerating and braking and then took off on our adventure! The girl in the very foreground was afraid to do this but she got talked into it and she did really good!
Once we got going we rode on a trail that was just wide enough for our ATV's and part of the way there was high grass on either side of us. Lots of bumpy road to go over and ditches to try and not get stuck in or turn over the ATV! We went up steep hills and down steep hills but all made it up and down them without any crashes or injuries! The only down side is we went very slow and were bunched together. I wanted to let loose and go, go, go! We all found our horn buttons too so, of course, we had to toot them off and on:)
I can see now why so many people like ATVing! It was a blast and I'm happy I got to do it!
After we got done with that adventure Audra and I went to the apartment, got changed into our swim wear and headed off to a new beach, Marine Beach on the east side of the island. We met six other teachers there. It was beautiful and had flat "step" formations on the south side that you go on. Each step had a tide pool in it and you could see fish and sea urchins in them. The waves were crashing against the steps so we stayed against the cliff side. There was even a big blow hole that we could get really close to as well. After we walked around that area for awhile we went into the water by the beach, stood around drinking beers and chatting for about three hours. We all got burned but it was worth it.
When we got home everyone showered and then we headed out for the night to a fund raiser at the Hyatt beach and then moved over to a fish restaurant. By the time we got there I had Audra drive me back to the apartment because I was bushed! She went back out and joined her friends while I stayed behind and played with the grandkids:)
Today I went to church at The Church In Saipan for the last time and everyone there wished me well. They are the nicest group of people and I'm happy to know they are taking good are of Audra for me. I really like this church because nobody is in charge and everyone has a voice. I even got a present given to me by one of the ladies. I will miss them alot!
So ends my time in paradise for now..............I will be back! I'm thinking next May after Travis graduates. I'll be on the first plane I can get and I'm thinking about buying a one-way ticket this time around!
I hope ALL of you get to visit this tiny piece of the Earth some day so you too can find paradise............Hafa Adai!
My time in paradise is coming to an end in five short days:( I am so going to miss this place. All my island pals don't want me to leave and try to convince me to stay but I can't. At least I know I'll be back in May after Travis graduates from ASU! Audra said she's getting sad as well.
We had one hell of a weekend and it was snorkeling paradise! Saturday Audra, two of her friends and I went to Wing Beach and snorkeled for awhile and then we headed over to The Grotto! I've never been down there in the water so was looking forward to this new experience. It is located on the east side of the island at the northern end. It is supposed to be one of the premier diving spots in the world due to the brightness of the water in the cave portion.
Thousands of years ago it was an underwater cave but part of the roof collapsed over time and made it accessible by land.
Stairs (one hundred of them) have been installed so you can get down to the opening. Once you get down there you are faced with crossing over an area that the surf comes crashing into. They have railings installed on the rock wall and ropes you can use to get to the crossing but you're on your own at the crossing over to the big boulder you stand on to jump into the water at the cave. You have to time your crossing just right in order to avoid getting swept off the path by the waves crashing in. It's kind of scary the first time but once you do it you get the hang of it....even me with my bad knees!
Once you make the crossing you end up on a huge boulder. Now you have the option of jumping off the boulder into the water or walking into the water using the exit, which I did. Where these scuba divers are going is the exit. The jumping off part is just on the other side of the divers standing on the top of the boulder.
Once in the cave it is beautiful! The water is aquamarine and just shimmers. There are constant drops of water hitting all around from water falling from the top of the cave. It is a blast snorkeling here because you can see all the scuba divers beneath you exploring the bottom (which is 75 feet deep). You can snorkel to the back of the cave into another part of it but no further. In order to take one of the three tunnels you need to scuba. You can take one of them out to the other side which is the ocean and see sharks that hang out in that part of the cave. I'll have to try that next time I come.
There aren't a lot of fish swimming around inside the cave section but you do see some. This spot had alot of them. It was close to the edge so I'm sure people must feed them to get them to hang out there.
Pam, a teacher friend of Audra's took us here. A scuba diver was blowing bubbles out of his mouth that would form a big ring on their way up to the surface and Pam would dive down and swim through them. It was really fun watching that. Lots of Japanese tourist come here to scuba.
Hopefully I'll make it back here before I leave for one more dip! It's just getting down and up these steep stairs that is the hardest part, the rest is gravy!
There are pretty plants all over the place up top too. This is a Palmyra flower used to make leis with. It had just rained too!
We ate lunch at one of our favorite beachside restaurants and had great Mexi food and Margaritas. We also stopped for ice cream before calling it a day.
Sunday we hit another beach I had never been to, Obyan Beach which is also on the east side of the island but on the south end. It had lots of wave action and is also surrounded by a little reef.
All of us except for Audra swam out over the reef and it was beautiful! The coral was live and lots of various fish to see. I noticed we were being pushed out to sea so started heading back into the reef area but the current was very strong. It didn't seem like I was making much headway but with a little help from Audra's friend I was finally able to make it to the rope the divers use to pull themselves in over the reef because of the strong current and waves. I got a good work out! I took Audra out on the rope part so she could see all the pretty stuff too. We needed our flippers to fight the current without holding onto the rope which we didn't have with us so we hung onto the rope! We swam to the other side of the beach and went out past the reef using the rope over there as well. Very fun day! I was bushed and it took me most of Monday to recover! My kind of weekend!
This coming weekend a bunch of my friends and I are getting together at a beach for a send off party for me! I'm really looking forward to that. I might go ATVing too with Audra and her teacher friends if there is room for me. Always something to do around this little island, even if it's just relaxing by the shore!
Hafa Adai until next May my friends. Hope you enjoyed your island adventure as much as I have. I'm happy I got to share it all with you. Now back to reality............................
