Pacific Far Rider Travels

Time Out in Sri Lanka

2010-07-30T05:49:00.005+10:00

Recharging your batteries is a necessity with today's lifestyles. Recently I went for a battery recharge, in Sri Lanka at the Barberyn Ayurveda Resort. Not having taken a such a break in over 20 years just to relax alone, rejuvenate my mind, body and spirit, I can say it was well worth the time. This is the perfect beach to learn to just 'BE' again.

Barberyn Resort is on the beach where the Tsunami devastated the beach and all surrounding life. But they survived, and rebuilt, making it a perfect place to think of impossible things and contemplate life.

Relaxing on this beach contemplating, just where I am heading, what I am doing and why, lead me to learn many things about myself that might have just slipped past my rattled brain and been lost in everyday minutia.

At night I slept snug in a mosquito-netted bed, fit for a princess, dreaming of impossible things only to wake up and hear Alice laughing, "There's no use in trying ...One can't believe impossible things." "I daresay you haven't had much practice," said the Queen. "When I was your age I always did it half an hour a day. Why, sometimes, I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." So back to sleep I went to dream of more impossible things.... I spent most of my week sleeping, finally succumbing to the sleep I really needed after the past stressful years. We all need this, but few of us take it -seriously.

The Barberyn Resort takes you seriously; prescribing Ayurveda treatments such as massages, acupuncture, facials, and cook all your meals according to your health needs and your preferences. Its' all inclusive. Barberyn is the perfect place to go where they take care of you while you're taking care of yourself.

Reflecting on my week of relaxation, I realize "you do not need to know precisely what is happening, or exactly where it is all going. What you need is to recognize the possibilities and challenges offered by the present moment, and embrace them with courage, faith and hope. (*Thomas Merton) ...and remember to 'ride things out'...

Goodbye Dubai

2010-07-28T07:57:00.009+10:00

Dubai is a fascinating city in many ways. I loved the opportunity to live there. The architecture, the cultural traditions of the Middle East, and the diverse population have a certain allure. Dubai calls to you at night to come out and play while all day you work long hours, but I did reap many rewards as a teacher in the UAE.

Still.... it's bittersweet memories I will take with me as I move up a step on the ladder in my life's journey.

The Burj Al Arabia ~ a Dubai legend

The view from my apartment window in Dubai on a 'not too busy' Friday

I loved this view; I was mesmerized by it night and day!

Dubai Pics

2010-07-28T07:34:00.005+10:00

I got behind in posting pictures, but now that I have time, here are some pics of the Burj Khalifa that I wanted to share....

The Burj Khalifa on a Cloudy Day

The Tallest Building in the World- "The Burj Khalifa" - as it is now called instead of the Burj Dubai....

The Burj Khalifa at night...

Doesn't it look like a mechanical pencil?

2009 Summer Travels Have Come and Gone

2009-10-17T15:04:00.010+10:00

I have been back in Dubai now 2 months and I have not posted about my adventure back to the US via Italy....

Having always thought of backpacking through Europe as the ultimate adventure of a lifetime I decided Europe is best taken in bits and pieces so this summer I planned my summer holiday to just travel through southern Italy focusing on seeing Rome, Tuscany, and Amalfi. I had only dreamed of seeing these places from pictures in books, so looking back now this was an adventure of a lifetime, only not with a backpack, but with my Rick Steve's 21 inch roll-on which has become my favorite travel companion.

Since Laura and Neil are living in Rome it was only fitting that I base my travel out of Rome and get to see a bit of Laura, Neil, and the dogs/cats. Rome is fantastico! The food, the people, the history....It would take many visits to see and do it all. I did get to see the Vatican and I got a close up of St Peters Chair- remind me to tell you that story sometime and I did something unexpected. Laura was back in the US so Neil and I had dinner with other ex-pats eating Thai and then going to their suburban Roman apartment where they cooked authentic (as you can get in Rome) Mexican food. I never thought I would be eating Thai and Mexican in Rome though I did eat real pizza every chance I could.Pizza is my favorite food :)

I headed out of Rome to the Amalfi, just me and Rick Steves. I stayed in Sorrento; it IS a place I could live. Actually the little hotel I stayed in St Agnello was great - minus the train and the church bells constant ringing every 15 minutes. ha...Taking the bus down the Amalfi Coast stopping in Positano, Amalfi and then water taxing it back to Sorrento was quite an experience for everyone on the bus- but after driving in Sharjah and Dubai last year it wasn't bad at all to me...I went to Pompeii and sweated through the buried ruins and met some really nice people from Vancouver Canada (she was an kindergarten teacher) who shared their lunch with me under a tiny bit of shade we found. Pompeii I now know would be best seen in fall or spring....I purposely didn't go to Capri and Sicily, saving that for another trip....

Then I took the train to Florence and explored the area. Again I would need many trips to see everything in Florence, especially the art, but I managed to see David and David and David..not remembering from my art history classes that there were so many Davids... and spent hours just looking at art from every angle. I sat. Looked. And devoured its' absolute beauty. The food, the wine, the ART, the people. It was everything I expected and more. I have so many more places in Tuscany I have added to my "must see" list for next time.

On the train back to Rome from Florence I spent looking out the window at the mountains in the distance (having lived in Washington State- I would call them hills) and the fields of Sunflowers- Brilliant, just Brilliant.

Flying out of Rome for the next half of my summer holiday all I kept thinking about was what I would do when I returned to Italy. Neil did remind me to throw my coin in the Trevi fountain to insure that I would go back - so I know I will return.

I remember on one trip to San Diego with the kids Trey asked me if I was writing it down - all the things we had done- so we could go back and do it all over again. Well this was that kind of holiday - it was so good I want to go back and do it all over again.

That's the memories we take with us, one reason we travel. I hope to go back again, but not alone next time. Traveling is an adventure and adventures are so much better when you can share the actual experience with others. Then you have someone you can say- "Remember when----"

Ajman Sunset

2009-06-05T02:50:00.003+10:00

"Almost Summertime Sunset in Ajman"

I grabbed this picture quickly as the sun was going down. This was really one of the best sunsets I have seen since I arrived last August. The sun was clear as it set, which is unusual for the heat of an 'almost summertime' day. Usually the sun sets behind a haze of dust in the sky. The sunsets in the UAE are different than sunsets I have seen elsewhere in the world, mainly due to the heat and the dust in the atmosphere most of the year. But they are "errily unique"- having their own natural beauty.

Sheik Zayed Road

2009-05-27T01:43:00.003+10:00

Picture od Sheik Zayed Road from the 21st floor of a building in Dubai. Doesn't quite resemble Manhatten or Vegas, does it?

But get a look at the Metro being built. It's due to start operation 9/9/09.

BTW- that's dust on the outside of the building window, not the camera or your eyes getting fuzzy.....

Aspen in Richmond

2009-05-23T00:26:00.004+10:00

Meet Aspen - Trey and Danna's newest addition to their Labrador collection in Richmond. Isn't she cute? Now they have a black lab, a chocolate lab, and a yellow lab. I hope labs don't come in too many more colors, or they will definitely have a problem.

Junior Mints

2009-05-22T18:14:00.004+10:00

I have 42 Junior Mints left. How many can I eat per day if I am not going to home until sometime in July?....I dont know how I will last.

Why don't they sell Junior Mints around the world???

I know I have not been posting. I have no excuse except that work has kept me very busy this year. Though I have finally bought a new cell phone, a Nokia e75. I took this picture with my new phone and bluetooothed it. It was so easy. Now I have no excuse left to not post things I see on a daily basis in Sharjah for you to see what life is like in the UAE..

The only thing is with so much work and the terrible traffic in Sharjah I dont go out much.....hummm so I guess I could take pictures of my apartment to share...dontthinkso....

More Travel Adventures....

2008-09-05T18:58:00.012+10:00

Pacific Far Riders rides again...This time the move is to the UAE.

For those of you who don't know U.A.E.is short for the United Arab Emirates, just like US is short for the United States. The UAE is made up of separate Emirates. I am working and residing in Sharjah now.....So far it has been an exciting adventure. I was sad to leave New York and the friends I made there, but you never know what plans are in store for you from 1 minute to the next, do you?

Since arriving just a short month ago I have learned a lot already. There is a saying here en'shallah, which means god-willing, so... en'shallah I will be sharing more of my travels than I did last year. My bad! I got too busy to post, but now I really want to share this part of the world with you. The UAE is a very exciting and interesting place to live and work.

I have been settling in and have not had my camera handy on too many taxi rides. Yes, I still take a taxi- I have not wanted to drive in what I call- some of the world's worst traffic. Maybe we should do a vote and see what some of you think are the worlds worst traffic places? That would be interesting to hear about. Recently we went to Dubai (the neighboring Emirate) for a conference and we spent 3 hours in a taxi that morning getting there and 1 1/2 hours getting back home to Sharjah. In my limited travels I have to say this rivals Bangkok or Bali 's traffic nightmares. And one thing I don't like is wasting time sitting in traffic jams, so it will be interesting.

This is an area called the Qasba in Sharjah. We walk to the Qasba at night when it cools down. It has very nice restaurants, stores, a Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts and Caribou Coffee... to name a few you might know. It's just a few blocks from our apartment building.

More travel adventures to come.....

1st Snow

2007-12-08T13:22:00.000+10:00

For those of you, especially my friends in the South Pacific, who might not know what snow looks like, or may have forgotten... this is what it looked like today.

And a funny thing I had forgot, that when it snows it is actually warmer than other days...so... let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

New Adventure for the Pacific Far Rider

2007-12-08T12:47:00.001+10:00

Oct 1 the now "lone" Pacific Far Rider left the beautiful island, Saipan, to begin a new journey. This time the journey took a move backwards to the mainland, and all the way across the continent to the east coast in New York. Very close to the Atlantic Ocean. This was quite a move, and done very quickly to begin a new position at a college on the Hudson River in NY. To move from a South Pacific Island in Fall to a northern climate will take some getting used to. I have been very c-o-l-d.

I took this picture of the Hudson on the day I arrived.You can see it was a beautiful fall day. This is the view you see as you walk out of the dorm, where I am staying until January and hopefully move into an apartment.

Within 2 weeks of moving to NY and starting a new job, I drove to Quebec to attend a conference, well actually, John drove. Quebec is a beautiful city, and as George says, "It reminds him of a civilized New Orleans." I would love to go back to Quebec in the summer time- when I could actually enjoy the beauty and the people, who are as friendly as the people in New Orleans, but is has to be much warmer!

Then for Thanksgiving we took another "rode trip" this time to Virginian to spend a "family Thanksgiving"- something we haven't done in quite few years and riding in a car for 8 hours is something you can't do on a island 14x5. - It was a very l-o-n-g drive for someone who has not had that many cars flying at you in all directions! I still don't know a word for East Coast Traffic...?

So this starts a new segment in the Pacific Far Rider's journey and hopefully to more travels, now to different parts of the world.

Duke at One

2007-09-23T07:40:00.000+10:00

An update on Duke. He's a real bundle of joy now at one. Duke keeps everyone constantly on their toes and has everyone wrapped around his little paw. He's now perfected the art of counter-surfing. His bark is very loud and quite deep, he's no longer a pup at 1.

It seems everyone had a grand time at Duke's 1 Year Birthday Party, especially Duke. He really enjoyed his special day with his favorite friends and partied with a home-baked cake and treats.

Where's Andrew Been Lately?

2007-08-16T15:18:00.000+10:00

Now you know what Andrew's been up to this summer. He joined the Coast Guard Reserve. Since he always did like boats, it will be a good fit with his degree in Homeland Security.

His Dad and Tiffney drove up to Cape May, NJ for the graduation and Andrew was very happy to drive back home with them. The last 8 weeks was hard work he said, academically as well as mentally. Now he can have a few days of fun until next week when Fall semester starts and the hard work begins again.

Travels of 2007- Back in the Pacific

2007-08-01T13:51:00.000+10:00

I can't believe it's been so long since I have posted, it's been one long year since Andrew left the Pacific and moved back to the mainland.

I have been very busy this year with work and traveling. In January I traveled to Honolulu for grant training, in February to Tinian, in March to Guam, in April to Palau, in May to Hilo and back to the states for Trey and Dana's wedding, and some much needed vacation time. Then I went to Vancouver BC for the ED Media Conference and headed back to the Pacific the end of June. busy -busy- I never thought I'd get tired of traveling, but I did. I spent way too much time in airports and in uncomfortable plane seats. But on the other hand, the wedding went off without a hitch- which was a relief for Dana and her mom; it was great having Fallon visit and return to visit beautiful Palau; meeting new people and enjoying new places; and finding out how much more I need to learn about technology at the Ed Media Conference. For now, I'm glad to be back in the warm Pacific, enjoy the island breeze, and the magnificent sunsets.

In June Andrew joined the Coast Guard Reserve and is currently in boot camp in Cape May, NJ. He'll finish that segment of his life's journey August 10th and head back to VA and VCU to begin his final year there. So next post maybe he'll send me some pics that I can put up of him in uniform- or some pics of something he did fun this summer- if you call boot camp fun.

Signing off from the lone pacific rider...I will post again soon.

Graduation from Henrico Fire

2007-01-04T05:30:00.001+10:00

The New Firefighter Paramedic

I just got back from 2 weeks 'holiday' in Virginia with the family. We arrived just in time to attend the Henrico Fire Academy graduation. We are so happy Trey is finally embarking on this new journey and he knows we are very proud of him. I really don't know when he passed me up so much in height (it must have been while I was sleeping) and now he will be soaring to new heights being Paramedic-Firefighter for Henrico County.

We got to see his new station with the green fire trucks. While he was giving us the tour the station got a call, so Andrew quickly shot some video. Here's a link to see the video excitement. Well it was excitement for us, but I couldn't get over the calm of the firefighters who just walked out and got into position into the fire trucks and ambulance. It was so reassuring of how knowledgeable and professional these firefighters and paramedics are about their jobs and that they are there to take care of us in any emergency we have. Bravo- way to go!

I'll post more pictures of the Virgina Holiday in flickr soon...Happy 2007.

Meet Duke

2006-12-19T05:02:00.000+10:00

Meet Duke! Fallon and Dean's new puppy.

Duke is now 14 weeks and 35 pounds and a sweetie. I am going to enjoy taking him on walks while I'm here for Christmas. He's going to enjoy them too I bet.

He's a very gentle Bernese Mountain Dog. Even being a puppy he's calm. He reminds me of our Sheltie- Libby who we had for 17 years. I'll post more of these pictures and my trip photos on flickr.

Our New Alpacas

2006-12-14T21:19:00.000+10:00

Our New Alpacas ! New mama, Verona, and baby Bernina are just so cute together . On my November trip to Costa Rica, via Washington I was lucky to get to visit all the alpaca babies and moms on a bright sunny, winter day. Brrr the breeze was cold (well for me it was) so the visit was brief, but we did get to see Esters new place, in Nine Mile Falls, which is very nice. The alpacas were very friendly, its just that we have to get faster with the camera.

It was quite trip, I got to enjoy the house (not the cold weather) and see some old friends and have a nice Thanksgiving Dinner with some new Newman Lake residents. I'll post the Costa Rica pics when I get the cd soon.

Our Alpacas are still boarded in Nine Mile Falls This year we had 3 new babies, 2 girls and 1 boy. This picture was taken when the baby was just a few hours old. Its one of my favorites!

3 Friends in Thailand

2006-09-29T16:48:00.000+10:00

3Friends
Originally uploaded by maranca.

Andrew, Nate and Dan in Thailand this past July at the King's Winter Home in Chiang Mai.

Visiting Thailand was great fun. We stayed in Bangkok for a few days and visited the Emerald Buddha and got lost. We even had bruch with the Prime Minister and his entourage at the Royal Princess Hotel. I think most people do manage to get lost in Bangkok; it's so large and full of people and cars going every which way. It's quite easy to get turned around and suddenly find yourself (and the others with you) miles out of the direction you were heading.
Now I loved Chiang Mai- I could live there! But I would never take the train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai again. Its like in French Kiss, "Stop the Rocking"- its too many hours, rocking back and forth...in this case a 16 hour train ride (they say 12) versus and 1 hour flight? Well, we did it twice and next time I'll opt for the quick flight!

The rest of the pictures are on Flickr for everyone to enjoy.

The people of Thailand are very friendly and have great smiles, they make you want to return. I will and next time I will go south too.

Saipan Friends

2006-06-12T22:35:00.000+10:00

My Special Korean Friends

This photo was taken a few months ago when I had dinner at Sallie and Sam's- not their real Korean names, but the only ones I can pronounce. We had a special dinner of hand-made fresh Spring Rolls in their small apartment at The Stanford with Sonia and Shin Young. It was quite an evening Sallie played her flute for us- we had to ask repeatedly, but she did and we sang along as she played of my favorite songs, "Amazing Grace." Sallie, Sam, Shin Young and her 2 daughters moved back to Korea last week and will pick up their lives where they left off before they moved to Saipan. I know they will really appreciate the markets now with fresh produce in Korea after living in Saipan.

One thing all of us will miss is the Saipan friendships we have made here...Much Happiness, Sallie, Sam, Shing Young, Julee, and Junyoung

Farewell Laura & Neil

2006-03-16T12:34:00.000+10:00

Farewell Laura & Neil
Originally uploaded by maranca.

So long, Farewell, Auf wiedersehn, Adieu.

Andrew and I wish you both the best of everything to come as you enbark on our next adventure!

Regretfully they tell us,
But firmly they compel us
To say goodby to you.

Yes, sadly we will miss you, but we are very excited to hear about your next assignment.

Laura and Neil left Saipan this morning for 6 months in DC; then off to a new assignment..they left with 5 animals, Little Bit & Tess, along with 3 cats they adopted while living here. I'd say those are very lucky animals.

We will meet again!

keep us posted ;)

Rota Hallway

2006-03-16T08:52:00.000+10:00

rota hallway
Originally uploaded by maranca.

At the end of the Rota Campus Hallway you see a beautiful landscape, you think it's a picture hanging on the wall? No, it's the real scenery of the Pacific Ocean, complete with palm trees.

Bali Textiles

2006-02-12T11:56:00.000+10:00

This is a picture of a young Balinese woman weaving. I just loved her smile.
She was working on a weabing by weaving in skeins of a single cotton thread that had been dyed with certain colors in a certain order on each single thread to complete a beautiful turqouise patterned fabric. Its very amazing to see the finished product.

Below is a picture of the finished textiles they sell in their store. I could have spent the full day in there and touched every fabric. All the fabric is a different and unique pattern that is all hand made by their weavers.

Windsurfing at Micro Beach

2006-02-02T20:54:00.000+10:00

Andrew Windsurfing - the wind was blowing quite hard last Sunday and it was a beautiful sunny day....

Last weekend we headed to Micro Beach to watch the windsurfers. After a bit we decided it looked like a lot of fun, so we rented a board to give it a try. Well for the next hour we spent a lot of time standing up, balancing, then falling off the board. But it was fun. So on Sunday we went back for a second try, this time we took Andrew and Dan. In a matter of minutes these 2 guys were up and going. Though they did fall off and get back on the board many times, they did a whole lot better than us. I think they said they had fun, too. I did manage to stand up and "windsurf" for about 30 seconds, so I wonder if that classifies me as a windsurfer?

Andrew and Dan soaking up the sunshine at Micro Beach

Managaha Saipan

2005-12-11T22:37:00.000+10:00

Monagaha Saipan
Originally uploaded by maranca.

Andrew snapped this aerial view of Managaha Island and it also shows the beautiful turquoise waters in the Northern Marianas and the stark contrast where the reef meets the ocean. The snorkeling is very good at Managaha.

Up & Away over Saipan

2005-12-11T21:50:00.000+10:00

Up & Away
Originally uploaded by maranca.

Thought you might like to see Andrew flying! This was taken yesterday while they flew over Saipan.
Can you tell how much he likes flying?

The Flight Plane

2005-10-01T13:16:00.000+10:00

Flight Plane
Originally uploaded by maranca.

This is a photo of the plane Andrew goes flying in...he gets to see Saipan from a 'birds-eye' view!

Saipan Aerial View

2005-10-01T13:11:00.000+10:00

Saipan Aerial View
Originally uploaded by maranca.

This is Saipan from Andrew's view.
Andrew has found that he can go flying with Tom & Dan. Tom is teaching his son Daniel to fly and Andrew gets to "bum-a-ride". Everyone knows Andrew he has always wanted to Fly!

Forbidden Island

2005-09-09T16:55:00.000+10:00

Far Beneath is Forbidden Island
Originally uploaded by maranca.

This is Forbidden Island from where the trail head begins. You can see how beautiful it is set against the bright blue Pacific Sky.

The Hidden Forbidden Pool

2005-09-09T16:44:00.000+10:00

The Hidden Forbidden Pool
Originally uploaded by maranca.

Recently I hiked the trail down
to "Forbidden Island" with a few friends. To accomplish this great feat you hike down the side of a steep hill about 1 1/2 miles to the beach and find this beautiful pool filled with crystal clear water.
The magnificent part of the hike is the swimming once you get down to the beach to refresh you, but this hike is pretty strenuous and not be be taken in the heat of the day! The downside of this hike is that you have to hike or should I say climb, using your hands and feet, back up the side of the hill!
Locals named it 'Forbidden Island' because of the dangerous swimming conditions, but I think it is 'forbidden' due to the heat!

Summer in the City

2005-09-09T16:20:00.000+10:00

mississippi-bridge
Originally uploaded by maranca.

This summer we left the Pacific and returned to New Orleans to revisit our birthplace, to reconnect with our friends and relatives and to bring Nana to her final resting place in St. Joseph Cemetery in Thibobaux, Louisiana.
Especially now we are so glad we saw many sights that we hadn't seen in 13 years, ate the great food that we love and miss so much and got to hug family and friends in New Orleans we hadn't seen since we moved away.

This was a summer we will always remember and a summer we all want to forget.

Le Chef Jacques

2005-05-17T17:11:00.000+10:00

le chef jacques
Originally uploaded by maranca.

Farewell Jacques! Jacques was one of the very first persons we met when we arrived in Saipan last August. As the pastry chef at the Hyatt, Jacques presented quite a display of pastries every week for the delectable Hyatt Sunday Brunch.
Now Jacques has moved to the luxurious Hotel Mulia in Jakarta, Indonesia. The Hotel Mulia looks like a hotel for the "rich and famous." I can only imagine what it would be like to stay in such an exquisite place.

We will miss Jacques and his wonderful desserts!

Tinian Beach

2005-04-22T16:14:00.000+10:00

Tinian Beach
Originally uploaded by maranca.

This idyllic beach is on Tinian. It played an important part during WWII and the War in the Pacific. It is used now for wonderful BBQ's on weekends, but lots of the time you can find it desolate like this photo that was taken on a Sunday afternoon.

ESL Students

2005-04-13T12:29:00.000+10:00

ESL Students
Originally uploaded by maranca.

Meet Huang Ping and Qu cai Hong from China. They were attending the Technology Show & Tell today in the Student Center. We shared our tech toys with the students. I showed them how easy it is to use Flickr and Blogger to make a Photoblog. Huang and Qu cai are in the ESL class I have been working with each week. All the students in that class now have blogs. They enjoy working in the computer lab each week writing and correcting their English Blog posts and they have fun helping each other.

Anatahan: Ominous Clouds over Saipan

2005-04-11T12:23:00.000+10:00

Anatahan: Ominous Clouds over Saipan
Originally uploaded by maranca.

As the clouds swirled over the peninsula just a few mintues later Andrew was able to capture this picture from our apartment. It was such as eerie feel all over the island, even the green hedges took on a neon glow as the sun was totally hidden behind the ash cloud and by 10:30am it was dusk all over the island. Add another adventure to our journey!

Anatahan: View from Saipan

2005-04-11T12:15:00.000+10:00

Anatahan: view from Saipan
Originally uploaded by maranca.

When Anatahan spewed last week Andrew ran home and took this picture from our apartment. You can see the dark line in the sky over the peninsula as the ash cloud began to approach Saipan.

Tinian Latte Stones

2005-04-05T20:13:00.000+10:00

Tinian Latte Stones
Originally uploaded by maranca.

Fallon took this picture of the Latte Stones on Tinian while she was here visiting. Latte Stones are a symbol of Chamorrow culture. If you look really hard you will see a person (me) and see how small I am next to the huge Latte Stones. We also saw Latte Stones when we went to Rota. In Rota the Latte Stones are still in the ground, they were left in the 'rock quarry' all these years. It is amazing to imagine how they would have carved these stones and moved them back then.

Tinian Sunset

2005-03-12T13:48:00.000+10:00

Tinian Sunset
Originally uploaded by maranca.

Fallon took this photo when we went to Tinian to see the whale. She took this shot just before we got on the ferry to return to Saipan. She's on her way back home today, but I have lots of her photos to share with you!

Rota Swimming Hole

2005-03-07T11:43:00.000+10:00

Rota Swimhole
Originally uploaded by maranca.

On our trip to Rota in January we found this great swimming hole. But the typhoon has made getting into the swimming hole difficult, there is no way to get down into the water. Hopefully on our next visit we'll be able to swim in this ideal spot.

Tinian's Blow Holes

2005-03-02T14:14:00.000+10:00

TinianBlowhole
Originally uploaded by maranca.

Fallon took this picture of a blow hole on the south coast of Tinian when we visited there on Sunday. The tide was low so we were able to see the coral shelf and the pools on the shelf were filled with tourquise blue water. The water spouts were quite big despite low tide and not much wind.

Saipan Sunrise

2005-02-08T17:17:00.000+10:00

SaipanSunrise
Originally uploaded by maranca.

Sunrise in Saipan was awesome this morning over the Pacific. I had to grab the camera as I woke up to get the coffee going. This was one of the best I have seen from our apartment balcony. Now in the Deep South they call it a Veranda, in Hawaii they call it a Lanai, what would they call it in Saipan?

Cairns- Flecker Botanical Gardens

2005-01-31T17:32:00.000+10:00

Cairns- Flecker Botanical Gardens
Originally uploaded by maranca.

We visited Flecker Botanical Gardens during our Cairns "City Tour". We saw some awesome "tropical" plants. The City Tour Guide, David, was a terrific guide who showed us sights that we would never have seen. David is an artist, so most of the places he showed us had lots of visual appeal!

Australian Signs

2005-01-31T16:42:00.000+10:00

Australian Signs
Originally uploaded by maranca.

Signs, Signs, Everywhere Signs!
Aussies Love Signs!
We had more laughs trying to figure out what they meant!

Cairns, AUS

2005-01-31T16:29:00.000+10:00

Cairns, AUS
Originally uploaded by maranca.

Andrew took this aerial view of Cairns from the Sky Rail tram. I think it captures the beauty of North Queensland, Australia.

Prepositioned Ships

2005-01-31T15:59:00.000+10:00

Prepositioned Ships
Originally uploaded by maranca.

We took this photo late one afternoon last fall.
This Navy ship is among 5 "Prepositioned Ships" that sit in the Philippine Sea off the coast of Saipan. These ships are fully loaded with supplies for 30 days for an entire Batallion. The ships are ready to leave at a moment's notice to defend our country. The soldiers would be deployed from elsewhere and meet up with the ship at the troubled destination. I never knew we were so well protected and it seems we have people in our Armed Forces (and elsewhere) who have thought of everything that is needed to be done in an emergency.
Lately since the Tsunami we only have 1 ship still left for us to watch each day.
At Christmas I told Andrew I thought they would look great bedecked in Christmas Lights! Of course his reply was: "Who do you think would pay that light bill?"

WingBeach

2005-01-31T15:20:00.000+10:00

WingBeach
Originally uploaded by maranca.

Sorry for the haitus. John was visiting and we had so much fun. I'll be posting some of our Australia photos too.
I came across this picture that we took at Wing Beach on 12/26/05 the day of the Tsunami.
Interestingly that morning John and I noticed extremely hign waves crashing on the reef and strong currents about the same time the Tsumani was occuring in our neighboring Indian Ocean- We didnt swim long, but kept commenting on the size of the waves!

Lau Lau Beach

2004-11-04T16:16:00.000+10:00

Lau Lau Beach
Originally uploaded by maranca.

On a recent Sunday afternoon exploring some local beaches Andrew and I came across Lau Lau just up the road from our house. Of course to access this beautiful beach you have to maneuver down a rocky limestone road with cavernous craters. I did find out that many Americans use this road as a joggers paradise, hidden off the beaten path and away from traffic.

Saipan's Golden Sunset

2004-10-19T08:43:00.000+10:00

Saipan's Golden Sunset
Originally uploaded by maranca.

This is another one of Andrew's photos he took on Beach Road. I think Saipan's claim to fame should be "Sunset Captial of the World". Sunsets here are among the best I have ever seen.

Rainy Season

2004-09-23T18:15:00.000+10:00

Its still rainy season here. Since Sunday we have had rain during the night with also showers and downpours during the day. It did stop and the sun came out yesterday afternoon for Andrew to go to his Outrigger Canoe class. I took a nice walk on the "World Path" on Beach Road.

Saipan Sunset

2004-09-23T18:14:00.000+10:00

Saipan Sunset
Originally uploaded by maranca.

Isn't this just beautiful? Andrew took this photo at Oleai Beach when we went for our weekly Buck-A-Taco meal! Great tacos too!

Technology Deficient

2004-09-13T14:46:00.000+10:00

Funny thing being "without" technology. We become so dependent on technology for so many things. While we have been without a TV we have been listening to NPR and our solar powered radio for news and entertainment. This weekend we had time to watch a movie on my mac. We watched MIRACLE and hope you'll take the time to watch it too if you haven't already!

I think I'll buy external speakers...that way we will be able to listen and really hear the movie!

Herb Brooks and I must share the same life philosophy: "You know, Willie Wonka said it best: We are the makers of dreams, the dreamers of dreams. We should be dreaming. We grew up as kids having dreams, but now we're too sophisticated as adults, as a nation. We stopped dreaming. We should always have dreams. I'm a dreamer."- Herb Brooks

We also were out enjoying the tropical island walking the path on Beach Road, swimming in our pool and enjoying the Pacific Ocean. Andrew went on a biology field trip to Managaha, an outer island, to plant trees and to restore paths that were being abused by tourists! So he did his part in restoring the island's ecology!

New Apartment

2004-09-09T18:07:00.000+10:00

We found an apartment! We have named it Hilltop Terrace, though there is no name or address on the apartments. We know we live on Katbon Road in the village of San Vincente. We really like our apartment and so do the ants! We have a great view of the Pacific Ocean and we'll be posting pictures very soon.

Upon the Painted Horse

2004-08-31T18:26:00.000+10:00

On the plane ride over to Saipan Andrew and I got to see the movie HILDAGO: As a matter of fact for 10 hours I watched more movies than I have watched in the last 3 years! Andrew and I both recommend Hildago and make sure you bet on the Painted Horse!

Typhoon Songda

2004-08-31T18:13:00.000+10:00

Andrew is at his evening Biology Class and it's really rainy and windy. We're getting squalls off the the latest Typhoon Songda

Andrew's College Schedule

2004-08-31T18:00:00.000+10:00

Andrew's first college classes started today at Northern Marianss College. He's taking Criminal Justice(we decided that is an oxymoron), Biology 101(Lecture and Lab), English 101, Speech, and Outrigger Canoeing. Outrigger Canoeing is at 5:00pm Wednesdays and 7 am Saturday Mornings down on the beach. He's taking 14 hours. I think he'll be real busy, he thinks it will be better than High School...