Last night the Chinese New Year started--I know because of all the fireworks and 'bombs' that went off at midnight! Tomorrow, Terri and I hope to attend a parade/show at the Dynasty Casino with dragons and such. There are a LOT of people at the Dynasty for New Year--perhaps the most we have seen since being on Tinian.
Next weekend is the Tinian Hot Pepper Festival, held on Saturday and Sunday.
This morning I walked along the beach. The Mayor is installing new coin-operated showers on some of the beaches (Taga and Tachogna so far). They are small boxes that one puts a quarter, which then turns on the water for about a minute. All the beaches have water lines run to them, and had, at one time, working showers. But over time the showers broke and were not fixed (much like the bathrooms along the beaches that have been built but no longer work).
This morning I walked along the beach. The Mayor is installing new coin-operated showers on some of the beaches (Taga and Tachogna so far). They are small boxes that one puts a quarter, which then turns on the water for about a minute. All the beaches have water lines run to them, and had, at one time, working showers. But over time the showers broke and were not fixed (much like the bathrooms along the beaches that have been built but no longer work).
By making the showers coin operated, perhaps they will be able to gather enough money to maintain the showers. Both showers and toilets are important for tourists who use the beaches. Now if they will fix the bathrooms, they will make some progress. There is one working bathroom by Taga beach, that they are turning into a coin-operated bathroom. None of the other bathrooms work. If the only way they can afford to pay for showers and bathrooms at the beaches is to make them pay-as-you-use, then it is much better than having no access to either!
As I was walking I passed a man cutting grass along the road. This is a common sight on Tinian. The tall grass is good for livestock and other animals. The man's name was Thomas Fleming, and he works at the Wild Animal Park. Neither Terri nor I have visited the Animal Park yet--it is something on my to-do list--so I have no idea what they have or if it is worth the $5 entry fee. Thomas said that they have deer, fruit bats, coconut crabs, and other indiginous animals. He was in the process of gathering feed for the animals. He said that they have had some problems with people breaking-in the park and killing and/or stealing the animals. Coconut crabs are good to eat and are expensive (they are also endangered and can only be hunted during certain times of the year). The fruit bats are large and are considered an island delicacy--I was told--although I'm not sure it is a dish I would readily eat!
Off in the back of the Dynasty Hotel are models of the two atom bombs dropped on Japan. Why they are here and not at the bomb pits, I don't know.
As I finished my walk I noticed someone else gathering grass along the roadside...
1 comment:
Coconut crabs are not endangered. That is why is it legal to hunt them. The season is make sure they are not hunted while they are breeding. Fruit bats are listed on both the local and federal endangered species list. If they have fruit bats at the zoo a federal permit is needed.
As for the bomb models, there was a lot of controversy about them at the 60th Anniversary of the Atomic Bombing of Japan. They are not at the Bomb Pits because the Japanese objected to that.
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