Back to Marpo Heights

This morning I decided to return to Marpo Heights to explore some of the streets I have missed in the past walks. Marpo is up 'the hill' towards the airport and then to the east. There are a number of beautiful homes up on this hill, many of which have great views of Marpo valley, Carolinas Heights, and the oceans south and east.

I found one home for rent that had magnificent views out the back. Very tempting, as Terri and I are still looking for a home to rent here. However, there are some drawbacks for living on the hills of Tinian: many homes don't have phone service or cable service--therefore no TV or Internet! Also, to live in the hills it would be necessary to own a car to get into the village and back. So, in spite of the tempting views, I think we will continue to look for a home in the village.

One of the things you notice while living on Tinian is the beauty of the night sky. After living in the city for so long, one forgets how awe-inspiring the night sky can be! Here on Tinian the stars seem so much closer, and I can't remember when I have seen the Milky Way so clearly! As a result, we have purchased a new, state of the art, telescope. It has GPS and is motorized so that it will move with the night sky (a great plus, as otherwise one has to constantly adjust the telescope to keep an object in view). In addition, once the GPS has located you, you can program the telescope to find stars and planets in your range--just hit a button and the telescope moves into position to view the object! What an age we live in!

The Mayor brought to Tinian the Harlem Ambassadors (similar to the Harlem Globetrotters) for a free show for the island. They were treated to an 'island show' on the beach, with tiki lamps and island food. It was great fun.

For those into construction, I inspected a new home going up in Marpo Heights. It is made out of concrete, to withstand the typhoons that hit the island. They seem to have their own concrete making machine on site. The insterior walls are block covered by stucco.

I also discovered another farm down in Marpo Valley on my way home, and a few more 'lawn mowers'.