9/6/17, “The Memorials” (Goal
14/17 Complete)
Capitol Hill, Saipan, Northern
Mariana Islands
It has been an exhausting day,
and it is not even noon yet. Other than
picking up a few souvenirs back in Garapan, I have done everything I need to do
here on the island of Saipan. I landed
15 hours ago, and I have 16 hours before my flight back, yet I have already
said, “Northern Mariana Islands Complete.”
I am proud to say that I completed Northern Mariana Islands, in the most
Official way possible, by pretending to be Speaker Pro Tempore in the House
Chamber of the Commonwealth Legislature.
It doesn’t get much better than that.
The main event, however, this morning, was visiting American Memorial
Park, which allowed me to say that I had been to all 32 US National
Memorials. I will explain that number
later, as the number of National Memorials is not as clearly cut as the number
of US National Parks or World Heritage Sites or States. My time on Saipan has been as enjoyable as my
time on Guam, but I am ready to make my way back to Hawaii and tackle
Papahanaumokuakea National Marine Monument before turning around and flying to
American Samoa. The appetizer phase of
this trip is almost complete.
After I
closed last night, I struggled with the internet, but I managed to publish my
entry. I fell asleep while I was posting
my photos and then woke up again around 6 AM.
Unable to get back to sleep, I started sorting and making the collages
for my National Memorial Photos. It was
looking great, and I was ready to go, but, first I needed breakfast. I organized myself for the day and headed
out.
I had a few options for
breakfast. My first choice was a place
called Cafe in the Park, second was the buffet at Fiesta Resort, and third was
a place called Shenanigan’s. I learned
at the front desk that Cafe in the Park had closed, so I tried the buffet at
Fiesta Resort. It was overpriced and
low-quality, the selection lacking. I
figured it was best option, so I tried to make a plate. I then helped myself to some coffee. It was terrible. I put down the cup and plate and walked out
without paying. Sub-par food, I could
deal with, coffee that bad I could not.
I then tried to find Shenanigan’s, but that, too, had closed down. I was now desperate. An American restaurant had a meager
selection, so I ruled that out, and I went in seach of a Filipino restaurant,
but that wasn’t open for breakfast, despite what I had been told. I settled for a coffee shop like a Starbucks,
by the name of Cha Cafe. It was a
stressful experience, entirely dysfunctional, but the meal was exactly a
quarter of the price of the buffet, high-quality, and filling. I got a coffee and a sausage and egg
sandwich. That was all I really
needed. It was not yet 9 AM, so I
checked a souvenir, but it was almost all generic souvenirs, no flag pins.
I then went to the American Memorial Park,
which is technically an affiliated area, not an Official unit, but I am still
counting it as part of the 32, much like I counted the Benjamin Franklin
Memorial and the Oklahoma City National Memorial. Now, let me explain that count. There are 30 Official units and 6 affiliated
areas, so why 32 and not 30 or 36? Okay,
well, of the 6 affiliated areas, only 3 have proper pages on the NPS website,
so, shouldn’t that be 33? Not
quite. The World War I National
Memorial, while designated, has not been built yet, so that’s how I get to
32. Once that is built and prints
brochures and molds stamps, then I will return to DC to get to 33, but, for
now, it’s 32.
As I walked, I
thought back on the other 31, some of them more challenging than others,
especially the one by San Franciso and the two in Florida. I thought back on how many trips to DC were
necessary to see all of those.I went to the VC, and it was a proper VC with
brochures, stamps, and pins, so I did my business there and walked out to the
flag circle, where I lit up a Trinidad and took my ceremonial picture,
announcing, “All 32 US National Memorials.
Goal 14/17 Complete.” I was
genuinely thrilled.
I wandered about and
then went to another souvenir shop, but, again, no dice. I went back to my car, and, by this point, I
had probably done over two miles of walking this morning, the weather no better
than yesterday. I was drained. I blasted the AC, lit up a Graycliff, and
drove to the northern tip of the island, to a site called Banzai Cliffs, part
of a National Historic Landmark District.
It was historic and famous for the fact that thousands of Japanese
civillians and soldiers through themselves into the sea rather than be captured
or live under American occupation. I
felt a sense of morose at their somewhat noble sacrifices.
I then drove down to Capitol Hill, to the
Legislature. I asked if I could see the
chamber. The Sergeant-at-Arms did one
better, and he let me sit in the Speaker’s chair and took my picture as I held
the gavel. I was thrilled. I told him about the flag pin, and he said he
would look around to try and find me one.
I was even more thrilled. He
found a pin of the Official Seal of the Commonwealth, which isn’t a flag pin,
but it’s close and a lot better than nothing.
I thanked him profusely and then went outside to take my ceremonial
picture out front, announcing, “Northern Mariana Islands Complete.” I then sat down in the shade, where I lit up
a PDR and proceeded to write this entry, which I will now close so that I can
head back to Garapan, look for souvenirs again, get lunch, and take a nap. My flight is at 4:15 AM, so I will try to catch
a nap while people back on the mainland are sleeping, as I would not want to
post anything during that time anyway.
Garapan, Saipan, Northern Mariana
Islands
I am completely exhausted. There is not a part of body that is not in
pain, but it is a good pain. It is the
pain of a trip going well, the pain of the effort that has been required to
make this trip go well. My neck is
burnt, my back is in excruciating pain, and my legs hurt so much that I can
barely walk. Reader, say it with
me. The mission always comes first. I have a few more hours here in Garapan,
really just enough time to do my usual end of day activities, pack, and then
drive to the airport.
The only thing
helping me maintain my sanity is the thought of lying down in my seat and
sleeping on the long flight from GUM-HNL.
I will then have a tight connection to Hilo, where I can sleep again in
a bed. It is now 11:45 PM local time on Wednesday,
September 6. That will be the local time
in Hilo when I go to sleep there. That’s
the International Dateline for you. I
still don’t get it. I still don’t quite
understand what to do with tomorrow’s entry.
I will be glad to spend the rest of the trip east of the IDL and the
time zone only changing by a few hours at a time. That I know how to deal with. The appetizer portion of the trip is coming
to an end, and next comes the main course.
After I closed at Capitol Hill, I drove back to hotel and then went in
search of souvenirs and lunch. I
struggled on both accounts. Salty’s, the
place I wanted to go for dinner last night, did not serve lunch, and the owner
(or waiter or bartender or cook or whoever he was), told me that it was “very
hard” to find Saipan food for lunch.
Yes, it seems that everything here is quite generic from the restaurants
to the souvenirs. The Hard Rock Cafe and
Bubba Gump Shrimp standing beside the stores that sell the “I [heart] Saipan”
keychains. I found another souvenir
shop, but it was the same stuff as everywhere else, and they kept thinking I
was asking for a “flag pen” and stuff for the “kitchen,” rather than a “flag
pin” and a “keychain.”
I got a keychain
and t-shirt then walked to a Japanese restaurant, Himawari, for lunch, figuring
that was the closest I would do to local.
I opted for what they called BBQ beef fingers, which were excellent,
along with rice and soda. After lunch, I
walked back to my hotel and went to sit on the balcony, lighting up an Aroma de
Cuba. It was too hot and sunny, and I
couldn’t deal with heat anymore, so I sat in front of the balcony door, with my
feet outside, allowing the smoke to blow out to the balcony. Eventually the sun moved enough so that I
could sit sideways to finish my cigar.
After my cigar, I took a nap, waking up at 8:30 PM to head out to dinner. I finally was going to Salty’s, after trying
to eat there for the past three meals.
If my reader is expecting me to describe epic feast or life-altering
meal, he or she will be very disappointed.
It was nothing special, but it was local food, and that’s what
mattered. I opted for chicken kelaguen,
a local specialty that was basically a cold chicken salad. It was decent enough, but I felt let down,
after having anticipated eating here ever since I landed last night. On the plus side, though, when I walked in,
they asked if I wanted smoking or non-smoking, so I was able to enjoy an Oliva
with my meal.
After dinner, I went back
to my hotel and finished my cigar on the porch.
Someone else came out to smoke a cigarette, and he recognized me from
last night. He told me that he was from
Guam and just comes to Saipan to gamble.
Go figure. After my cigar, I went
to my room and sat on my bed under the AC just to recover. Eventually, once I had regained a modicum of
energy, I went out to the balcony with my Ardor to write my entry. That’s when I got two scares.
First, the heat and humidity immediately left
a thin sheen on my laptop, and I was worried about it becoming water log. The touchpad stopped working, and the laptop
was physically making some odd sounds. I
decided I would need to do the chair by the door trick again, so I wanted to go
back inside. I couldn’t open the
door. It was not locked, but it was
jammed shut. I was now seriously
worried. I put the laptop down and,
using both hands and all my might, I was able to jiggle it open. My laptop soon dried off and was back to
normal. I then proceeded to write this
entry, which I will now publish so that I can close, post my photos, and get
ready to head to the airport.
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