Boat Rides and Night Markets

One of our favorite places to run in Saipan is along the beach front trail on the southern end of the island (I like to think it’s because of the great view and not that it’s the only flat running path we could find). We try to run a couple times a week, and this has definitely become our regular route. It’s a really nice paved path right along the ocean which is a great distraction while we run. The half-way point where we turn around is a tank that is from the American invasion during WWII. The start and end of our run is at a restaurant right on the ocean called Oleai. Sometimes we go there after our run to get some iced tea and a snack!

Last weekend it was the birthday of one of our friends here. He planned a dinner cruise on boat for all of us to celebrate and hang out. The boat was catamaran style, with tables set up on the front deck and inside. We were lucky to get a primo spot in the front so we could enjoy the amazing views while we ate. John had fish, I got the chicken, and they both came with grilled veggies and rice. We all had a great time on the boat and got to see the island from a different perspective along with some great views!

Thursday night we had the opportunity to go to Thursday Night Market. It was a pretty exiting experience as this has been closed since typhoon Soudelor hit back in August. There was food tents where you paid $5 and got to pick 5 items for your plate. The food was mostly different types of local food, Chamorro, Korean, Chinese, Thai, etc. All of it was really delicious, and there was also music and dancers near the middle of the market. Now that it is back open, I am sure we will be back for more good music and delicious food.

Saturday night John and I decided to take on a more challenging dish to cook (it probably isn’t actually that hard for people that cook more frequently than we do, but it was exciting for us). We found a recipe for a cream parmesan pasta with mushrooms and green onions. So we went out and got all the ingredients and whipped it up that night. To both of our surprise it turned out extremely well, and we made so much that we got to enjoy it for dinner on the following night.

Sunday morning we had a bit of free time so we drove out to Marpi, (the main protected area of forest on the island), to hike a bit and read. This is also where the team has more of their sites for the plant and bird projects, so I got to see what those look like. Later that evening we drove up to Mount Topachou (the tallest point on the island) to watch the sunset. The drive up was pretty bumpy as it is not paved and full of pot holes, but once we were up there the view was incredible. From the top, you have a 360 view of the entire island, and it really puts in perceptive just how small it is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. At the top there is a statue of Jesus, and every year on Easter there is a pilgrimage up the mountain to this statue.