A trip to the Shinto Shrine

Today I decided to climb up into the Carolinas Heights to see the Japanese Shinto Shrine, hidden somewhere up on the hillside.

It starts with a trip up Broadway towards the Dynasty Casino. Workers continue to create a new median strip down the middle of Broadway--cutting down the existing trees, then building planters surrounded by brick pavers, and planting new trees. This will continue all the way to the airport!

Next we pass the Grace Christian Academy, a private Christian school here on the island. Pastor Reid and his wife run the school and the church (Tinian Christian Assembly), situated in the same building. The school goes from 1st to 8th grades.

Next comes the Broadway Estates. This is the only true subdivision on the island. This is a small enclave of about sixty homes, all very similar, and all made out of concrete to endure the frequent typhoons. Though the homes are very similar in style, many have spent a lot of effort making their homes beautifully landscaped.

Once you turn east, you soon run out of paved road and start up a steep dirt road running straight up the side of the Carolinas hill. About halfway up there is a small jog in the road where I discovered another farm.

As mentioned in previous posts, there are very few functioning farms on Tinian, even though at one time it was one of the highest producers of sugar cane in the CNMI. On this small farm Rudy and his brother grow taro and tapioca, both root plants. According to Rudy, both plants take 6 to 9 months to grow to maturity (you can harvest and eat the roots at any time, but the longer left in the ground, the larger the root will be). He says taro is similar to a yam; they mix it with coconut juice to a consistency of mashed potatoes. The tapioca is also mixed with coconut juice.

Taro is a plant used as a vegetable, and both the root and leaves can be eaten. In its raw form taro can be toxic, but the toxin can be killed by cooking or by soaking in cold water overnight.

Tapioca is a flavorless root that is used in making pudding. The tapioca seeds or balls that most people are familiar with in their pudding are actually reconstituted processed root. It is similar as to how wheat is turned into pasta.

Rudy promised that when he harvests his crop he will bring Terri and I some of his home grown food to try for ourselves!

After the jog in the road, the dirt road again heads straight uphill. Along this leg can be found a large group of fighting roosters. Pictured are about 30 beautiful roosters by their sheds. The owner has even more farther back in the jungle.

At the top of this leg of dirt road we finally encounter a sign, pointing north, telling us we are going in the right direction. The road turns from dirt to grass, and jogs again before heading straight uphill yet again. At this jog, one can see that the road does seem to go straight through the thick underbrush...to somewhere. Taking my life in my hands, I ventured down this road, assuming that it just might connect with the upper paved road in Carolinas Heights (where I got lost a couple of weeks ago, since the road dead-ended). After a short walk, I broke through the brush, and sure enough, a paved road! If only I had known that two weeks ago!

After back-tracking to the grass road to the shrine, I was once again walking uphill. The jungle seemed to close in on me, the trees became taller, covering the road and making the way seem darker. Finally, with a slight bend in the road, there was the shrine. It was a beautiful spot for a shrine. In fact, I believe that I like this shrine the most out of all the memorials I have seen on the island. Unfortunately, a small tree had fallen over and covered part of the steps leading up to the shrine itself. It will be one of my first projects: to find a saw and return to cut-up the fallen tree, and clear the steps to this wonderful shrine.

Turning around on the steps of the shrine one can see a beautiful view of Tinian harbor, where a supply ship had just arrived. After heading back downhill, I noticed a large herd of...lawn mowers...in a field at the side of the road. It was a great walk, well worth the time and effort!