Tinian

In 2007, we took a short trip to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, spending a total of 3 days on Saipan and 1 day on Rota. This year, on New Year's weekend, we returned to revisit Saipan and check out the third island, Tinian. If you're living in Asia and looking for a low-pressure, long weekend getaway, the CNMI are a lovely island trio to explore. These are U.S. territories, so English is the spoken language, dollars are the currency, 110 is the voltage, and treacly American hip-pop is what’s on the radio. I've done a mini travel post for each of the three islands, so if you're thinking of visiting, read on!
> Read about Saipan here.
> Read about Rota here.

Read about Tinian below.


1. Moment; 2. Holes

The Lonely Planet's South Pacific and Micronesia book (purchase just the Northern Marianas section in PDF form here) can give you a basic introduction to the geography of these islands. As a quick introduction, here is a little map I sketched:


1. Airport; 2. San Jose; 3. Tinian Dynasty Hotel & Casino; 4. Old Japanese communications center; 5. Unai Dankulo; 6. Unai Masalok; 7. Unai Chiget; 8. Blowhole; 9. North Field; 10. Atomic bomb loading pits; 11. Unai Lam Lam; 12. Unai Chulu; 13. Mount Laso; 14. Japanese village ruins; 15. Hidden little beach and Yapese cemetery; 16. Suicide Cliff

We slept
Lorilynn’s (#2) – The Lonely Planet’s description made it sound appealing enough, but when we got there, their restaurant appeared shuttered for good, and the girl at the front desk seemed honestly surprised that we wanted to stay there. “Are you sure? Don’t you want to see the room first?” I hesitate to characterize it as a dump, but there WAS a spider living in the faded curtains and the bathtub faucet leaked a rusty drizzle of water. I think $55 should get you a better deal than this. They don’t have a website or e-mail (or the ability to take credit cards) so if you want to reserve a room, call them at 1-670-433-3256.

Fleming Hotel (#2) – On our second night on Tinian we stayed at the Fleming. The Fleming Hotel has large, tidy rooms, and they even sprang for matching wicker furniture, a decorative pillow, and an abstract painting of a fish. All for only $10 more than Lorilynn’s. The “Hotel Nikko” printed on the bathroom towels gives a hint as to where they might have gotten their new décor: the (now-defunct) Hotel Nikko Saipan’s fire-sale, perhaps? They’ve got a well-stocked store and a decent restaurant too. The Fleming Hotel's website is all in Japanese, but you can email them here: tinianmf[AT]gtepacifica[DOT]net or call them at 1-670-433-3256.

Tinian Dynasty Hotel & Casino (#3) – We didn’t stay here, but I suppose I should mention it because it appears to be the island’s current main attraction. Busloads of Japanese, Chinese and Korean tourists come here to get their gambling on. In the casino, the tables all look like they were inherited second-hand from another era. There’s a SEGA plastic mini-horse-racing track that you can bet on that looks circa-1970s. The lobby interior is an excellent example of Plastic Disneyesque Baroque. Kind of… amazing… in a disturbing way.

We got around
In a rental car
There are Budget, Avis, and Islandar car rental booths at the airport, so take your pick. You could opt to rent a scooter instead, but there are a lot of dirt roads on Tinian so it could make for a bumpy ride. Don’t forget to take a copy of the car rental map – it’s pretty detailed and shows all the points of interest. Most of the unpaved, grassy roads are navigable with a compact car, so you won’t really need a 4x4.

Streets
Tinian’s network of streets was initially paved within a span of 4 months by the U.S. Navy Seabees in 1944. They are straight, wide and efficient-looking, leading directly from the dock on the southern end up to the airfield on the northern tip and giving Tinian the appearance of a giant aircraft carrier, which is essentially what it was from 1944-45. I imagine that 65 years ago they were heavily trafficked, but today the main roads are desolate, the smaller side streets are overgrown, and the odd Stop signs still stand at lonely intersections with nary a human in sight. Orienting yourself is easy if you’ve ever been to NYC. Tinian is shaped like a fat Manhattan; Broadway and 8th Avenue run north-south and 86th street runs “crosstown.”

We relaxed
Just south of town, there are three popular beaches, each a 5 minute walk from the other, each with it's own parking lot.

Kammer, Taga and Tachogna Beach -- Kammer Beach seems to be a hit with the local picnicking crowd. The strip of sand is narrow and doesn’t allow much room for sunbathing. Some steep, rocky concrete steps lead down to Taga Beach and to a diving platform where local teenagers challenge one another to jumping contests. The water is crystal clear and the drop-off is sandy but steep in this tiny little cove. Tachogna Beach is the most secluded of the three beaches in town. We watched some amazing postcard-worthy sunsets here, and the rocks just off-shore are worth a snorkel.

The more secluded beaches are on the north side of the island.

Unai Dankulo (#5), Unai Masalok (#6) and Unai Chiget (#7) -- These beaches are on the northeast side of the island. To get there, turn right off Broadway onto the dirt roads just north and south of the abandoned Japanese Communications Center. The beaches are pretty large, but a lot of crushed up beach garbage seems to wash up on shore here.

Unai Lam Lam (#11) and Unai Chulu (#12) -- These two are on the northwestern shore, close to the abandoned airfield. Lam Lam is hidden little cove protected by a rocky cliff. You won’t be disturbing anyone but the hermit crabs here. Chulu’s peaceful seclusion belies its history; it’s where American forces landed in July 1944, quickly overtaking the Japanese and setting the stage for WWII’s end.

The coast just southwest of Tinian’s airport is a short rocky cliff, but there is a wonderful secluded beach hidden in a cove somewhere in there (#15). I won’t tell you exactly how to get there; you’ll have to discover it yourself since that’s part of the fun. Hint: don’t be put off by the landfill on 8th Ave.


1. Empty; 2. Air Operations Building

We ate
All the restaurants are in San Jose (#2)

Take 5 – Take 5 is a simple little café near the post office that serves your choice of Filipino or Chamorro breakfast. Not the best value, though, cuz most of what you get is rice with only some tiny longanisa (sweet sausages) or cornbeef hash on the side.

JC Café – This café was crowded with local Japanese families when we went, seems pretty kid-friendly, and has a karaoke stage should the urge to sing in public strike you. It’s menu is diverse, covering Chinese American, Japanese, Korean, Filipino and American standards. I didn’t get a chance to try the Japanese, Korean and American food, but I’d recommend staying away from the Chinese American stuff. The Pinoy dishes were hearty and flavorful in an unhealthy, fatty sort of way. Free WiFi here, if you need to check in with the office. But why would you want to do that?

Kerida’s BBQ – This is both the best value and the best meal on the island, I think. The Filipino-style barbeque (your choice of chicken, pork or stuffed squid) is prepared and grilled on the spot and you can enjoy it on the picnic tables out back.

Minako’s Coffeeshop – Minako’s is located in a little strip mall on Broadway in downtown San Jose. A decent cuppa joe, Pinoy style breakfast, and local Tinian hot sauce for sale up at the counter.

Things to see
Suicide Cliff (#16) – From the rocky cliff on the southeastern tip of the island, Japanese soldiers and civilians jumped to their deaths rather than face surrender when American forces took the island in 1944.

Blowhole (#8) – At a spot north of Chiget Beach, the incoming waves hit a craggy shoreline of volcanic rock to create an impressive spray mist every 30 seconds. Go here for guaranteed rainbows.

An old Yapese Cemetary (#15) – I remember reading somewhere that some Yapese had been involuntarily moved from Yap to Saipan during colonial occupation, and I guess some of them ultimately ended up here on Tinian. We’ve been intrigued by Yapese culture ever since we visited the Federated States of Micronesia last year, so we spent a moment of silence here. All but two of the graves were unmarked. They were a long way from home.

Old Japanese Communications Center (#4) -- It’s located near the turnoffs for the Chiget and Dankulo beaches, on the northern end of Broadway. First a Japanese Communication Center, subsequently an American Communications Center where U.S. forces kept Japanese POWs and finally a slaughterhouse for a now-defunct cattle-ranch.

North Field (#9) -- In the summer of 1944, the newly arrived U.S. forces built North Field directly on top of the Japanese airbase (Ushi Field). Here, you can explore deserted and overgrown runways, abandoned air raid shelters, the crumbling Air Administration and Air Operations Buildings, and the two atomic bomb loading pits where Little Boy and Fat Man began their infamous journeys.

Tinian isn't exactly entertainment heaven, although the Tinian Dynasty Hotel & Casino might offer some respite for you if you're a gambling addict. It's hard to forget Tinian's important role in WWII here with all the war ruins scattered about the island; you can read more about their history here. While locals don't seem as effusively friendly as on the even tinier Commonwealth island of Rota, Tinian's desolate beaches interspersed with abandoned WWII relics will give your experience another feel entirely. North and south of town, the island is practically deserted. It can be strangely peaceful but sobering to sunbathe in the morning, and stroll amongst war ruins in the afternoon.