Saipan Oil Change

What an adventure I had today!  It was time to get the oil changed in Audra's car and get it inspected so she could get her registration up to date.  The business we use is called "Car Town" in Garapan.  The guy we bought the car from last August had always taken his car to them so we promised we would continue using their service. Car Town sits in a neighborhood right near downtown Garapan along what we would call an alley but is a roadway here.  You would never really know it was a business if it wasn't for the hand drawn sign announcing you are at Car Town. 
  
There are no lifts to raise a car up to look underneath it at the frame, there are no supplies to speak of (they have to order any parts they want and go get them) and there are only three mechanics that work on the cars.......that's Car Town.  The owner greeted me and asked where I wanted to be dropped off so I said McDonalds would do.  He asked me for $10 for the "inspection".  Audra's car is missing the front cover to the head light (it looks like it was stolen) and they can't get the part in any more because her car is a 2000 year but not to worry....her car would pass "the inspection" so I gave him the $10.  

I brought my Kindle with me so read for a couple of hours while enjoying a mocha frappe and watched the people coming to Mickey D's.  The kids here are so dang cute!  After an hour and a half the owner came back and picked me up.  The car passed inspection and all the fluids were changed.  When I picked up Audra I told her it seemed like there might have been some "under the table stuff" going on with the inspection but wasn't sure since I'm not a resident here.  I had the inspection certificate so that was good enough for me! 

We headed over to the court house and paid the late registration fee (it was due in February), paid for a new license for Audra since hers got stolen and paid for a copy of our police report from our theft then went to pick all the paperwork up only to find out that department had closed early by 5 minutes....grrrrr!  Thank goodness the island is so small so you really don't have far to go back to places.


I heard all kinds of emergency vehicle sirens this morning off an on and couldn't figure out what the heck was going on.  On my way to Car Town I passed the hospital (which is on one of the two main drags on the island) and there was a line of cars waiting to get into the hospital drive way.  I thought for sure something bad had happened so dashed into the 99 cent store (which has nothing in it for 99 cents) to see what was up.  Turns out it was the semi-annual island emergency test today that took place all over the island and the hospital.  I don't know what emergency they were practicing today but guess the scenario changes each time.

I got to meet two of Audra's students today.  They are so shy and hid behind her.  She's a good teacher to them and really loves her kids.

My hair is getting curlier by the day.  It's nice not having to fool with it much.  I just wake up, wash it and let it go.  By the end of the day it starts getting frizzy.  The curse of having naturally curly hair!

Audra's newest baby cat is sick too.  I have to take him to the vets tomorrow.  He's having potty problems....ugh!  I told Audra this was NOT in my paradise adventure brochure!  She hasn't even left to go back to Arizona yet and I'm having to fulfill my grandma duties.  It's never ending!  Hope it's just a bug and the little guy is ok.  We have him caged up tonight in his kitty carrier so he doesn't mess up the place.  Thank goodness Audra's housekeeper is coming tomorrow to clean the place up:)  It sure is nice having her do the housekeeping.  

Audra wants curtains on her windows (she had blinds but the cats have destroyed two sets of them and we leave the blinds up on the other windows....she's on the second floor and nobody can look into her apartment) so I have turned the curtains into a craft project (of course).  I cut out shell shapes using my Cricut and am going to use the shapes to make patterns on her curtains using dye.  I'm going to use bed sheets for the curtains.  IF they turn out I'll post the finished picture.  Audra said "good ole mom, turning everything into a crafting event"!


So that was my Tuesday in paradise.  Still having fun but not doing a heck of alot.  But then I am in paradise so guess I don't to do a heck of alot huh?


Until next time.....enjoy yourselves!  And remember, be kind to each other please:)

This and That

Hafa Adai,

Sorry I haven't posted lately but have been under the weather with a cold which started Wednesday night.  Started as a head cold and then moved down to the chest and coughing.  I think it's getting better though.





I went snorkeling on Wednesday at my favorite beach, Wing Beach.  It was so fantastic to be back in the ocean swimming around with my fish friends.  I saw a fish I had never seen before too.  It was white with blue swirls all over it kind of like an angel fish.  I also saw a needle nose fish.  They are about a foot long and have a really long nose.  They are hard to see
because they float near the
surface of the water.  He followed me around for a while then went on his way.  I saw a big fish and tried to follow it but it was too fast for me.  Hope it wasn't a shark:)  Once I had my fill of snorkeling I sat in the water on the shoreline just taking in the scenery.  This is truly paradise for me!  As usual there was nobody on the white sand beach and a couple were in the water snorkeling so I pretty much had the whole place to myself!  Audra's freinds keep telling me I shouldn't go by myself but there is nobody else to go with.  I check out the area before getting out of the car to make sure it looks safe and don't take my purse with me or leave anything in the car or on the beach of any value.  I also keep checking the shore while I'm snorkeling too just to keep a watch on everything. 

I went to pick up Audra from school the other day and was waiting for her in the office.  A little first grade girl was sitting on the couch and starting talking to me asking me who I was.  I told her I was Audra's mom and there to pick her up.  She said "you look more like her grandma than her mom" to which I replied I very well could be.  She also said we sound alike (go figure....how many times have we heard that).  Audra said the kids speak their mind here and haven't learned the art of being tactful.  I just had to laugh.  When Audra came and we left the office she ran outside and yelled "it was nice to meet you"......what a little sweetie.

One of Audra's teacher friends house got broken into the other night and her jewelry was stolen including her wedding ring.  She lives here and her husband works in the Philippines.  She was having dinner with us when it happened.  She is paranoid now like we are about going out and about.  They broke the lock on the back door of her house.  We were comparing our police report cards the next night over dinner.  They took me to a great Thai restaurant that was just a little hole in the wall place but the food was divine.  It was pretty cheap too, $7.95 for dinner.   

My cards arrived last Thursday so now I have access to my funds again....woo hoo! The last of my boxes of craft stuff arrived safely as well.  I have my own little craft section set up in my room already.

We went grocery shopping today and loaded up on food.  Audra likes to go out to eat every night but I told her I can't afford to do that so will be eating at home.  If she wants to join me she can or she can go out with her buds.  The food costs about double what it does back home.  They have basically the same brands and also lots of Asian stuff to choose from.  I love hitting the veggie stands that are all over the place and getting new stuff to try.  Most of it is really yummy!


But, tonight we're going to The Taste of the Mariannas which is a big food event every Saturday of the month of May for dinner.  They also have music and native dancers.  I'll post pics from it on my next blog post.

We went to see the movie The Priest today and it was great....of course it's about those pesky vampires.....you can't even escape them over here in paradise.  It has sequel written all over it:)

One more story......yesterday I put on Joseph Fire Crow on my IPOD which is a native American flute album and Audra's cats went crazy.  They absolutely HATE the flute and take off to hide.  I torment them daily now with the music.  One of her cats hides inside the cabinet above the fridge, the little guy hides underneath the couch and the other one is now getting used to it and doesn't seem affected by it any more.  He just hangs out on the back of the couch looking disgusted.  What can I say except CATS!!!!

Hope the hot weather hasn't hit in Arizona yet.......still 87/78 here with at least one quick rain storm a day.  

Remember, paradise is a state of mind!

Toilet Tissue Anyone?

What a day today was in paradise.  I was up and about at 6:45 AM to drive Audra to school, stopped at Winchells for a blueberry muffin, stopped at the local gas station near the apartment to pick up the paper.............I absolutely LOVE reading the daily paper.  I never read it at home but his one is so homey it makes you feel like you're part of the action.  The island suffers all the economic woes we do on the mainland but it it a lot worse here.  The government is threatening to do away with the education credit so teachers had their 6th grade students a the school Audra teaches at write letters to the governor.  The letters were heart wrenching.  One kid said his family often times go without dinner so they can afford to buy school supplies and another kid said they go without new clothes so they can afford to buy school supplies.  It went on and on like that.  Audra said a lot of the kids come from families who just don't earn very much and don't get a lot to eat.  

So after I read the paper and got caught up on all the happenings here I went for a swim in the apartment pool which is just down the street from the apartment.  Felt good to be in water again.  I still haven't hit the beach......maybe tomorrow:)  High tide is real early in the morning now and late at night so hasn't been deep enough for me to snorkel in.

Then I headed out for shopping!  I stopped at Payless Shoe Store and bought some flip flops and sandals, went to Dolphin Store (Saipan's version of WalMart) and then over to the Joeten Super Center which used to be Costco to get some more guava juice (the last case I bought was stolen out of the car along with our purses).  I was leaving the check-out counter when the clerk came running over to me and informed me I had toilet tissue on the back of my pants (they call toilet paper toilet tissue here).  I said "on my butt" and she shook her head yes.  I reached back and there was a big long piece of it stuck on my pants!  How it got there is beyond me but it was there.  How embarrassing!  I wonder where I picked it up at and how long it had been on my butt.  It's not like I blend in here either being white and 5'8" tall!  I told Audra when I picked her up from school that I was sure to be the talk of the island after that!  Geez!!!!  Too bad I didn't get a picture of it for all of you to see.................sorry:(

We then came back to the apartment and couldn't get the key to open up the door.  They put a new lock on it (since I had a key to her place in my stolen purse I thought it was best to replace the lock) and the keys worked fine when I left but wouldn't unlock the darn door for anything.  It was hotter than heck out too.  Lucky for us the workers were still around so they got us into the apartment.  Audra's babies were meowing their heads off wondering why we weren't coming inside.  

After we cooled off  we went to Coffee Care for dinner which is right by her apartment.  I made friends with two of the waiters there last time and they were excited to see me again, Lanie and Ann.  They are my Saipan buddies!We met two of Audra's friends there for dinner too.  Very nice girls.  We all had a very nice chat and a great dinner (chicken enchiladas with tons of sour cream.......yum)! 
 
Every Saturday night this month is "The Taste of The Marianas" where a bunch of restaurants around the island gather at Memorial Park near Audra's school and you go booth to booth and buy the food.  Can hardly wait! 
Sunday night is a free concert put on by the island choral groups that I want to go to.


On May 22nd 60 Buddist monks are coming to the island for a peace event that will be held at the Japanese Memorial Park and Banzai Memorial Park which commemorate the fighting that took place here during WWII.  I will for sure go to that.  


Every Thursday night they have a huge downtown food fest too and also performers from all the islands around here doing native dances.  That's really fun to go to!


There is always something going on here.

Now we're just chillin'.  Audra definitely has a cold so she's pretty tired.  I just too an Aleve for my knees from my swim today.  The cats are up to no good so all is good in paradise!   

I'll just have to make sure I have left all the toilet tissue behind when I set out on my adventures tomorrow!


Remember to check out what is behind you before moving forward!

Good Day to be in Saipan

It's a great day to be in Saipan.........my card arrived today so I now have access to my moo-lahhhhhhhh!!!!  You know where I will be tomorrow - shopping 'til I drop!  Let the spending begin:)

I hung around the apartment most of the day waiting for the mail to arrive at the Post Office Box place.  Saipan has no addresses so everyone has a post office box.  That was a trip trying to explain that to all the credit card companies.  They insist on sending the cards to a street address but I finally convinced them to Fed Ex it to the PO Box. 

Audra's cats are a hoot.  Never a dull moment with them around.  The two big ones are always into something and running around banging into stuff.  They are delighted with all the boxes I've unpacked of my craft stuff.  They just can't get enough of them.  Today they actually all curled up and slept together.  So cute!  They can sleep through anything too.


Audra has new neighbors living across from her now and so far they've been pretty noisy playing cool music but with the bass turned way up.  Hopefully it will stop so we won't have to complain.  The people who live beneath them have kids so maybe they'll talk to them.  She's been lucky so far because the people who used to live there were from Japan and only used it off and on so weren't there most of the time.

I set up the printer we shipped over here for Audra.  I feel like such a geek when I do stuff like that.  It always amazes me that I can actually get stuff like that working.  I didn't even need to call Steve up once for help - woo hoo!!!!

That's it for now.  I'm not sure if I will be keeping this up every day now that I have access to my funds again:)  But will let you know about the exciting stuff that happens!  Hopefully I'll get out snorkeling tomorrow.


Give peace a chance!




 

Happy Mother's Day

What a wonderful Mother's Day I had today.  Audra took me for brunch at the Hyatt in Garapan.  A friend of her's from the apartment complex, Bonnie, went with us.  She is Audra's surrogate mom here on the island and takes care of her for me.  She also shares Audra's passion for cats so they really hit it off.

We met a teacher Audra works with at the brunch and her family and friends.  The food was fantastic even though I didn't know half of what I was eating.  I'm always willing to try anything and that's exactly what today was all about.  Lots of Asian foods and local foods I hadn't tasted yet.  There was not one thing I didn't like.  Lots of Champagne too:)  I ate so much I thought I was going to explode.......we sat there for three hours and enjoyed the feast.

After brunch we drove around the top of Capitol Hill for a while looking for a resort up there that we never did find.  We did see an apartment building that Audra is interested in moving to.  It has a fantastic view of the ocean on the other side of the island.  We're going to see how the rent there compares to the rent at her current place.  It sits further into the jungle too and is off the main road.  Very pretty area.

Bonnie, Audra's Saipan mom, gave me a really cute turtle box for a Mother's Day present too.  She is so nice to Audra and it makes it easier on me knowing she has her to go to for help.  She made us ravioli's and homemade pasta sauce the other night for dinner too.  You know how I feel about anybody who cooks for me:)!  The sauce was made using buffalo meat and it was bueno!

I saw another friend I made last time I was here today too, Andre.  He's a Marine Biologist who teaches at the community college here.  He remembered me too!  He's neat to talk to because he knows everything about the wild-life here and all the sea life.  


Hopefully my "cards" will get to me this coming week so I can start fully enjoying myself again!  Until then I'm home bound.  Sucks having to depend on those cards to get access to your money............maybe I should start keeping it all in my mattress:)


Hafa Adai until my next adventure.....................remember to be kind to each other too!

Hafa Adai!
A beautiful Saturday in Saipan.  We didn't do a heck of a lot today, mostly just hung out in the morning and then hit 5 pawn shops in the afternoon looking for the stolen camera.  Nothing turned up.  I was amazed at how little the pawn shops are here and wondering how they all manage to stay in business.  Not a heck of a lot of merchandise oh hand either.  We only have 15 more to go:)  What an adventure!

We ate lunch at my favorite mexican food restaurant, Oleai Beach restaurant.  Their food is delicious....yum, yum.  It sits right next to the ocean too so you get to enjoy the view while you eat.  I ordered ice tea and they brought out the glass of tea along with the bottle of sweetener (sugar and water mixture).  I had forgotten about that from the last time I was here!  
We watched a guy who had his spear fishing gun with him talking to some of his buddys about a fish he must have speared.  He was telling the story not only with his mouth but his hands as well.  We got a kick out of watching his antics.  It must have been one heck of a battle the way he was carrying on!
I have all my crafty stuff unpacked and my Cricut Machine set up and ready to go.  Let the crafting begin!

Tonight we went to see Thor and liked it.  It was kind of corny but guess that's to be expected since it's based on a comic book.  I was surprised Natalie Portman agreed to be in it.

I haven't got to snorkel yet but hopefully I'll get some time in the ocean tomorrow after my Mother's Day Brunch at the Hyatt!!!!

Happy Mother's Day to all my friends and hugs to you all!!!

Greetings from Paradise!

Hafa Adai!  I'm sure you have all heard the news about my first day in paradise and the theft of mine and Audra's purses from the car.  We are recovering from it and by next week I should have all my new cards back and in my hot little hands.  Let the spending begin!

I haven't been snorkeling yet because I've been busy tying up all the lose ends from the theft.  I dropped Audra off at school today and then bought a blueberry muffin and went to Pau Pau, my favorite beach and sat at a picnic table enjoying the view while eating my breakfast and drinking my tea.  What a view and what a life!

After that I got to spend two and half hours at the local McDonalds waiting for the window in the car to get replaced.  There was a business meeting taking place while I was there with around 10 Japanese business men.  I love this place because of all the various languages that are spoken.  You just don't see that much of it in our neck of the woods in Az. 

I met two friends of Audra's today who are from the Philippines and teach at her school.  We had dinner with them.  Audra is the tallest of the three of them which was fun to see.  They all call me "mom" and were happy to finally get to meet me.  

My grandsons are so dang cute!  The two older ones, Jives and Jigs are always up to no good looking for ways to get into anything.  The first night I was here they kept me up most of the time running around and making noise.  I sleep with my door shut now:)  The newest edition, Rufus sleeps most of the time and is still adjusting to being inside.  He is just now coming out from underneath the couch and is sleeping with Audra at night along with the other two cats.

 

Audra is taking me to the Hyatt for brunch for Mothers Day.  We're going with friends of hers to celebrate the day.  I'm really looking forward to it! 

That's it for now.