Saipan Part 2

Finishing up my assignment involved going around the construction site taking various measurements and photographs.

It's common to find  unexploded ordnance (UXO) from WWII when digging in Saipan.  The ordnance is harmless but caution is still taken before someone takes it away. Below is a beach mine, called a baby mine because it's small (about 20 lbs of explosive). This one is Japanese, according to Steve the safety officer who sees these alot.

Finally near the end of my assignment, tine for a trip to Mahagaha Island. John, the project archaeologist, knows one of the small boat owners that run out to the island.  The boat captain took me out there fore $10. It's a 15 minute or so ride.

Once on Mahagaha you walk off the dock into some fairy tale dream island with birds singing and visitors gently laughing having fun on the beach.  It's a natural refuge island and no one lives there.  Several workers come for the day to run food service out of a pavilion and various activities like snorkeling and rent beach umbrellas. 

WWII artillery

It was my first time diving... on the island you pay $65 then they give you a lesson, help you learn the gear, how to breathe through the scuba apparatus.  They a guide takes you out to look at the coral, tropical fish, and other strange sea creatures.  I found this on the beach afterward.  We saw one during diving but didn't have cameras underwater.

On the way back, the boat captain towed four Korean tourists on a banana boat for a fun ride off Saipan.

For my last day on Saipan I rented a car, drove around the island and up Mt. Tapochau, the highest point near the middle of the island.  Lately there had been a cloud bank to the east in morning and west in the afternoon. For my last day there, hardly any clouds.  It allowed a fantastic 360 degree view of the Pacific Ocean. From so high up and seeing so far, you look back and forth a few times and can start to take in the size of our big blue marble.

The small island you see below is Mahagaha Island.

Driving up to Mahagaha it helps to have a Jeep, which is what I had rented

This picture is out of place, but is a gift I gave to the archaeologist who told me that a folding ruler and protractor could not be found on Saipan. So I gave him mine when I was done using them, using survey tape for a bow tie.

Saipan is the northernmost Mariana Island.  This photo below is looking south from Mt Tapochau.  The next island south is Tinian.  It is the island where the Enola Gay took off from to Hiroshima.

This was a strange antenna array with webbing.  It emitted a deep hum and a sign on the fence said radiation danger.  I am guessing that being in such a remote corner of the world probably requires extra sophisticated communication equipment.

Below is the food selection one morning at my favorite place which they call a deli but is really an a la cart extremely casual restaurant.   You can get the usual breakfast and there are usually Filipino or Asian menu options, and fried chicken.

as I survey the horizon

Driving through jungle areas of Saipan