Tinian, our friendly neighbor to the South

I should have guessed that Tinian, the next island south of Saipan, would be as quirky of a place as Saipan.  The islands both display blatant polar opposites that often leave you puzzled, scratching your head.  On Saipan, the Louis Vuitton and Gucci stores are across the street from vacant buildings and poverty.  On Tinian, the remains of WWII and the destruction that began their missions there are just down the road from a glitzy and gaudy casino that could be found in Atlantic City or Reno.  Keep in mind that Tinian is probably 1/3 the size of Saipan, with only a few thousand people living there.  Apart from the misplaced Tinian Dynasty Casino and Resort, Tinian operates at a much slower pace.



Pony Boy rides shotgun



Six guys, including me, forced another polar opposite in planning a loud debaucherous guys' weekend trip to our quiet island neighbor to the south.  The trip began as any road trip would with morning beers and costumes - a mullet wig for one, tiny short shorts for another - and soon we're off aboard a six-seater plane after being weighed on the baggage scale at the airport and strategically placed on the plane accordingly.  I was in the back.  Our friendly pilot Regina humored us by looking the other way as we opened fresh beers and taking us on a brief aerial tour of Tinian. 



Tiberius and Daniel make up 1/3 of the
passengers.



Once there, we immediately checked into our rooms at the Tinian Dynasty Casino and rented scooters for a historical island tour.  The mood shifted immediately (at least for me) from one of jokes and cameraderie to one of quiet reverance.  The northern half of Tinian is eerily barren save the remains of WWII communications buildings, bomb shelters and barracks, and the now-overgrown runway where the Enola Gay and Bockscar began their fateful missions long ago.  To lighten the mood, we lined up and raced our scooters down this historical runway before heading to the bomb pits that housed the "Fat Man" and "Little Boy."  Another mood-shifting moment.  This site is made that much more dramatic by the fact that its unintentionally understated.  Apart from a couple photos, some old wooden signs giving directions, and a Peace memorial, there is literally nothing else there.  What once was the busiest airport runway in the world is now peaceful, vacant, and overgrown.

 

Our trusty scooters await.

The historical runway now vacant and overgrown.

One of the two atomic bomb pits.

The remainder of our weekend was to be expected...and cannot be publicized due to binding confidentiality agreemets signed by the six of us.  Generally, it involved beers, gambling, karoake, and highly philosophical conversations.  In fact, we enjoyed ourselves so much that we collectively gained 10 pounds overnight, forcing the airport to swap our pilot for a lighter one for the ride home.  Truly the sign of a successful trip.