Justice Castro was kind enough to offer us a boat ride over to Managaha (with Eric's 3 co-clerks).
Patrick & Natalie's first time snorkeling
Up...and down. Tough life.
Smelling fresh Patrick?
Showing posts with label clerks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label clerks. Show all posts
14 May 2008
Day 2
14 May 2008
MANAGAHA
Justice Castro was kind enough to offer us a boat ride over to Managaha (with Eric's 3 co-clerks).
Justice Castro was kind enough to offer us a boat ride over to Managaha (with Eric's 3 co-clerks).
23 February 2008
Scuba
23 February 2008
Since moving to Saipan, we've done a lot of snorkeling, but yesterday was Eric's first time Scuba Diving. We've been hesitant to fork out the cash to get certified, but this was just a one-day lesson and dive at Laulau so it was a nice opportunity to see what diving is like (without spending $300-$500). I'm a little jealous that he got to do it (I had to work all day), but I'm really glad he got the opportunity because he's wanted to ever since moving here. By the way, the 2 guys in the middle are 2 of Eric's fellow law clerks, Peter and John (John's the one sporting the full body suit).
22 December 2007
Forbidden Island & Christmas Parties
22 December 2007
 | We've been on Saipan for about 5 months now, and we're still finding great new places to explore. Saturday morning it was Forbidden Island. I was a little bit nervous about this one because, although it's one of the most highly recommended spots on the island, it's also one of the most dangerous - hence, the name "Forbidden". Several people have drowned there, mostly from being swept away by the large waves and strong currents. This warning sign at the trailhead was posted as a result of 4 college students who lost their lives back in March. |
The hike took about 30-45 minutes. As always, it's much easier going down than up, but well worth it. We were walking along a cliff for a lot of the trek, and the wind was pretty intense so that added to the thrill of it all.
Eric, trying to figure out how to get from Rock A to Rock B.
King of the mountain. Homemade Lemonade
After our hike to Forbidden, we decided to stop by our neighbor's house for a bit, and I'm so glad we did! I got to help Katrina make freshly squeezed lemonade from the lemons right here at Facey Farms. It wasn't quite as lemony yellow as the picture above because we used brown sugar as the sweetener, but it was still delicious. We also ate some mandarin oranges right from the front yard.
Cookie Party!
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Eric replaced a woman named Deb at the court, and she's been so kind to us. She's treated Eric and I to lunch, she's given me several food and travel tips, and yesterday she invited us to a quaint little cookie party. This is her gorgeous patio (she and her husband are both lawyers). I tried to take pictures of the ocean view, but the sun was too bright.I only have 2 regrets - not taking a cookie plate home and not taking a picture of the impressive spread. Just ask Eric, I love cookies! In fact, I'm a little bit of a cookie monster.
Work Party
Getting our grub on...
Katrina (neighbor and GF to the clerk of the court), John, Eric 
I love Doll for getting Eric to dance! And to Blue Suede Shoes no less! He was not only dancing, he was doing the twist and the shimmy! I haven't laughed so hard in a long time.
Katrina & Jonathan (clerk of the court)
26 November 2007
Rota - "Home of the handwaves"
26 November 2007
Ok, I’m finally ready to offer more of an explanation for all of these pictures.
Eric and I decided, if we couldn’t be with family for Thanksgiving, we’d go on mini vacation instead. I was actually pushing for Guam, but Eric’s co-clerks, Robert & John, invited us to Rota so we decided it would be more fun to go with a larger group. Guam could wait.
Rota is a very quiet island. It’s not the place to go if you’re looking for amusement parks and fancy restaurants; it is, however, the place to go if you’re looking for a beautiful, relaxing getaway. When we first arrived, we probably drove for 15 minutes without seeing any sign of civilization. When we finally made it to the “big city”, Songsong village, there were probably a total of 4 restaurants (all ma and pop’s), and I think we ate at all of them during our weekend stay. The people on Rota are about as nice as they come. It’s called the “Home of the handwaves” for a reason. I would say 4 of every 5 cars that passed gave us a friendly smile and a wave. At one of the restaurants, Robert mentioned that he liked their hot sauce so the owner just said, “Here, take a bottle.”
The thing I’ll remember most about Rota though is it’s raw beauty. Even our $50/night hotel had a gorgeous view of the ocean only a few steps away. We left the door open for most of the weekend so we could listen to the waves. I guess we have the ocean here in Saipan, but the waves are pretty puny here. Plus, there are a lot of dark colored rock formations all along the beach in Rota. I guess I prefer the soft white sand for beach strolling, but the beaches there were quite impressive to look at.
We also had a couple of humor highlights in Rota. Believe it or not, all of the rental cars were out so we had the pleasure of packing 7 people into a borrowed Toyota Camry. That meant 2 of us had to be the designated lap-sitters. During my lap time, I made the mistake of sticking my head out the window to conserve on space, and of course we got pulled over - not for the over-loaded car or for the lack of seatbelts, just, "keep all body parts in the car." From then on, we kept ourselves hidden behind tinted windows in our cozy sardine can.
Later in the trip, Eric, ever the comedian, decided to spice things up. Let me explain. During one of our adventures, this time to a waterfall, the group was split up so Eric decided to prepare for a dramatic reunion. Next thing I knew, he was taking off his shirt and I was helping him secure his palm leaf loincloth with vines (fortunately, he had shorts hidden under there). Next thing I knew, he was completely in character. No longer Eric, the law clerk, suddenly he was “Eric, the savage Rota warrior”. When the rest of the group arrived, he jumped, while crouching and grunting of course, from behind a tree with his wooden club and Reeboks. I can confidently say he struck fear in their eyes. We all thought it was hilarious, and, fortunately, we all have plenty of photo evidence.
Eric and I decided, if we couldn’t be with family for Thanksgiving, we’d go on mini vacation instead. I was actually pushing for Guam, but Eric’s co-clerks, Robert & John, invited us to Rota so we decided it would be more fun to go with a larger group. Guam could wait.
Rota is a very quiet island. It’s not the place to go if you’re looking for amusement parks and fancy restaurants; it is, however, the place to go if you’re looking for a beautiful, relaxing getaway. When we first arrived, we probably drove for 15 minutes without seeing any sign of civilization. When we finally made it to the “big city”, Songsong village, there were probably a total of 4 restaurants (all ma and pop’s), and I think we ate at all of them during our weekend stay. The people on Rota are about as nice as they come. It’s called the “Home of the handwaves” for a reason. I would say 4 of every 5 cars that passed gave us a friendly smile and a wave. At one of the restaurants, Robert mentioned that he liked their hot sauce so the owner just said, “Here, take a bottle.”
The thing I’ll remember most about Rota though is it’s raw beauty. Even our $50/night hotel had a gorgeous view of the ocean only a few steps away. We left the door open for most of the weekend so we could listen to the waves. I guess we have the ocean here in Saipan, but the waves are pretty puny here. Plus, there are a lot of dark colored rock formations all along the beach in Rota. I guess I prefer the soft white sand for beach strolling, but the beaches there were quite impressive to look at.
We also had a couple of humor highlights in Rota. Believe it or not, all of the rental cars were out so we had the pleasure of packing 7 people into a borrowed Toyota Camry. That meant 2 of us had to be the designated lap-sitters. During my lap time, I made the mistake of sticking my head out the window to conserve on space, and of course we got pulled over - not for the over-loaded car or for the lack of seatbelts, just, "keep all body parts in the car." From then on, we kept ourselves hidden behind tinted windows in our cozy sardine can.
Later in the trip, Eric, ever the comedian, decided to spice things up. Let me explain. During one of our adventures, this time to a waterfall, the group was split up so Eric decided to prepare for a dramatic reunion. Next thing I knew, he was taking off his shirt and I was helping him secure his palm leaf loincloth with vines (fortunately, he had shorts hidden under there). Next thing I knew, he was completely in character. No longer Eric, the law clerk, suddenly he was “Eric, the savage Rota warrior”. When the rest of the group arrived, he jumped, while crouching and grunting of course, from behind a tree with his wooden club and Reeboks. I can confidently say he struck fear in their eyes. We all thought it was hilarious, and, fortunately, we all have plenty of photo evidence.
All in all, it was a great trip! I could probably go on and on about all of the gorgeous things we saw, but it’s late, and I don’t want to bore you with descriptions. That’s what the pictures are for, right? Enjoy!
Pona Point - stunning (probably my favorite spot on Rota) 
Songsong Village lookout (aka makeout point)
Bird Sanctuary
Taga Latte Stone Quarry (I'm a happy meditator)
"Ohm"
Sitting on my harley in front of the ancient Chamorro Cave Museum
BELLY FLOP!
Swimming hole (another favorite spot on Rota)
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