There’s Something About Saipan!
by Walt Goodridge

Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. It’s a US territory in the western Pacific….near Guam!

Tourists from Asia return season after season. US mainlanders come for a week and end up never leaving! Men and women come and find the loves of their lives. Others decide to raise their families here. Retirees see it as the perfect place to spend their golden years. Yes, there’s something about Saipan that endears it to visitors and residents alike. But what is it exactly? Is it the Guinness Book of World Records weather? Is it the Spanish, German, Japanese and US colonial influences? Is it the world-changing WWII history? Is it the warm, welcoming indigenous Chamorro and Carolinian people? Is it the unique mix of guest workers and expats from all over the world? Is it the special, possibly magical. energetically enhanced proximity to the Marianas Trench? Is it a combination of all these or something as yet unidentified? Perhaps you’ll be the one to find out!

If you happen to live on Saipan, you know it’s true! There’s just something about Saipan, but how can you explain it all to friends and family back home? To really understand, they’d need to know a bit about Chamorro and Carolinian history, and the colonial eras, and WWII, and the CW (Contract Worker) Program, and the garment factories, and… oh, forget it, it’ll take too long! Well, now there’s a solution: hand them a copy of There’s Something About Saipan! A visitor’s guide to fantastic facts, tantalizing trivia, startling statistics, dramatic diaries and hair-raising history from America’s most colorful island territory! Problem solved!

It’s like a "Saipan for Dummies" or a "CliffsNotes for Saipan" primer! Each page offers a concise, illustrated summary of over 120 unique “somethings” about Saipan! It’s an insightful, often irreverent, occasionally politically incorrect virtual tour of life, love, legend and lore in the Northern Mariana Islands through historical, cultural, environmental, economic, political, military, even geological facts, fictions, truths and tales that make Saipan, Tinian and Rota unique…and not just among US territories! Discover and share all the things that make for a fun, memorable tour/introduction to these islands:
? History and hearsay
? Facts and fiction
? Scandals and controversy
? Tour site descriptions
? Fun graphics and historical photos
? PLUS: A suggested itinerary checklist
? AND sources for further research

The best introduction and overview of Saipan, Tinian and Rota you’ll find!

Created by author and part-time Saipan tour guide, Walt Goodridge, as a supplement/takeaway for his "Saipan in a Day" WWII/Amelia Earhart tours of the islands, it features, as he says, "about one-seventh" of the commentary and conversation he weaves into his tours of the standard tour sites as well as off-the-beaten-path adventures! If you can’t make it to Saipan, then this may be the next best thing! If you CAN make it, then discover the other six-sevenths of Walt’s tours at www.discoversaipan.com!