Saipan Holidays

We've been MIA lately. School has gotten the best of us. We have found some time to do some pretty great things around the island recently. Last weekend I, Elizabeth, went hiking to Old Man by the Sea. A small beach area on the eastern side of the island with a rock that looks like the profile of an old man.


Hence the name, Old Man by the Sea.

We spent Veteran's day out at Managaha, the small island in the lagoon.



It is beautiful. Managaha is one of our favorite places out here. The west and south side have beautiful white-sand beaches, while the north and east sides have rocky coral. The water is crystal clear and there are hundred of thousands of fish.



Each time we have visited the island we have seen something new. On this visit we saw a baby shark. It was probably a 3 foot long black tip reef shark. He caught us off guard, but it was so neat to watch him and how the fish reacted to his presence. We also saw a small octopus. These guys are really rare to find, they blend in with the coral so well. This guy was purple when we first spotted him but quickly turned brown to "blend in" after we spooked him.

Another one of our favorite finds are the starfish. Saipan's starfish are pretty unique, they're bright blue.



They were all over on this trip. The first time we went out the island we only saw one, but we saw at least a dozen this trip. I think they're gorgeous! If you hold them long enough, they start to wrap their legs around your hands. So cool.

Today was Thanksgiving here on the island. It was a beautiful day. I am so grateful for all the friends we have been blessed with on the island. They have been our life support in tough times. It was great to celebrate today with all of them.

Happy Thanksgiving to all our friends and family back home. We love you all and miss you tremendously. Enjoy your holiday!