Saipan

Masashi was feeling beach-and-snorkeling withdrawal--we hadn't been in the water since Hawaii in December 2005! So we took a short trip to Saipan--compared to Hawaii, Saipan is closer (3 hours by plane), cheaper (even during Christmas), and there's no jet lag (only one hour time difference). And on top of all that, Christmas isn't the peak time, so we didn't have to plan months and months ahead, like we would for Hawaii.
We stayed just for four nights and three full days (with one day to get there and one to get back). It was wonderful--warm, even hot at times, with beautiful skies, and lots of bright, colorful fish. Since all we wanted to do was to relax in a warm place, it was perfect. And the food was good too, much better than Hawaii, where everything is too sweet. The picture above shows the beach in front of our hotel, Aqua Resort, and in the background you can see the small island where we went for snorkeling. On the left, you can see one of the main scenic spots on Saipan, overlooking Bird Island (which didn't have any nesting birds at this season.) It was also fun for me to be in a Christain country at Christmas time, to hear all the Christmas music on the radio and in the hotel lobby. We'll probably go back some day...