Saipan Street Market

Do you want to see one of our oldest traditions in Saipan?  Brian and I have been going to Saipan's street market ever since the first week we came to Saipan, almost two years ago.  Sometimes we get a little sick of the food and stop going for a month or two, but we always come back. 

A bunch of local restaurants set up tents every Thursday night and sell food, smoothies, and island desserts.  Other vendors sell clothing and jewelry.  Street market is really popular for the locals and tourists alike.

 Street Market has recently moved to a new place in Garapan, and now it is shaded by the gorgeous, blooming flame trees.  When the bright orange blooms fall to the ground and sit in piles around the trees, Brian says it looks like the trees are bleeding. :)

 Laura and I at the market

 Some of the most popular foods at the street market are bbq'ed skewers, pearl shakes, and Asian cuisine.  Brian's favorite stand is Poons, which serves Chinese food.   

Laura, Josiah, Jennifer, and Brian 

Top of Topochau

Brian took these pictures from the top of Mt. Topochau on a bike ride earlier this week.  

Topochau is the tallest point in Saipan.  Standing on the lookout, you can see the whole island of Saipan, with the ocean stretching out on all sides.

It kind of makes you feel like you're floating on a little bitty island in the middle of the ocean.

We love to go up here to look at the beautiful view.

Here is our post from last spring when we hiked with hundreds of people to the top of Topochau on Good Friday morning.

Love this island.

Last couple of weekends

Here's a big bunch of pictures from the last two weekends in Saipan.  

Above, us girls after church.  Amy, Anna, Becky, me, Lynnette, Kara, and Alison.  

Saying goodbye to these girls at the nail salon and crying just bit. :)

Girls night at Mandi Spa at Marianas Resort

In the infinity pool overlooking the ocean- the best place to watch the Saipan sunset!

 We went to Obyan Beach on Memorial Day.  We made a fire and cooked fish and smores, and some of us swam over the reef to snorkel in the open ocean.

I swam over the reef with Brian, Matt, Amy, and Alison, but my mask had a leak and kept filling up with water every two minutes.  I had to keep coming back up and emptying it out... so I didn't really see much this time.  Brian has been out past the reef many times and he has seen sea turtles, squid, rays, and a lot of other sea creatures.

Chillin at Obyan

Matt, Nate, and Brian

Brian and I went to Aqua Resort on Friday night to celebrate our four year anniversary!

Beach reading- I love my kindle.  Saipan mail can be very slow (one time, it took two months to receive a book ordered from Amazon), and we only have one little bookstore in Saipan.  I would definitely recommend a kindle for travelers who love to read.  It makes it so easy to buy and download books.

Hey babe, happy 4 years!

Relaxing in the hammock at Aqua Resort.

Hiking one last time at Forbidden Island.

Making the steep descent

Matt, Amy,  me, and Kara- Brian on the other side of the camera for most of these.

Hiking through the brush

Matt taking a break to look at the view

This part is really slippery and it's easier to slide down on your butt for some of it.

The end- whew that was a lot of pictures!

U can do it

 I've been running a lot in Saipan lately, and I have to say I'm really enjoying it!  Yes, it is hot running in the tropical heat at times, but I've found that running anywhere between 5:00 to 6:30 in the evening works best for me.  Brian likes to get up really early to beat the heat when he runs... I've tried that a couple of times and I end up going home early and getting back into bed.

I've signed up for a race in Saipan right before we leave for the states, and plan to do another 10k there.  My goal:  to run a half marathon in 2012!

Here are the things that motivate/help me most with running:  (above) My ipod shuffle.  I always run to hip hop, especially Black Eyed Peas, Pitbull, and David Guetta.

 Garmin Forerunner 305.  At first, I hated this thing.  It felt bulky and awkward on my wrist (it's pretty big) and was kind of confusing to use.  Now, I love it.  It uses GPS to track distance and pace, so it's really accurate.  You can also load your runs on Garmin Connect, and compare your past runs to see how you are improving.  I use it every time I run.

  These have been through one 10k, and a lot of training.  I think I need some new shoes soon!
And here is me and Jenny's first 10k race in Saipan.