Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands

[buadhai]

I spent most of my adult life (1979 through 2005) living and working on the island of Saipan in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Thanks to some recently uploaded high-res images you can now see Saipan in all its beauty on Google Earth:



For more about Saipan, including a Google Earth KMZ file, look here:

Saipan

(KMZ file is under "Where the Heck is Saipan?")

[Marmite the Dog]

I know you've got your own website, but is there any chance of picking some of the best photos and anecdotes and putting them on here?

[buadhai]

My old house on Saipan:



Chinese shopkeeper and local kid:

[buadhai]

Beach near my house:



"Action Asia" magazine called this stretch of beach one of the ten best beaches in Asia....

[buadhai]

Sunset:

[buadhai]

Japanese bunker from WWII:

[buadhai]

Windsurfers with Managaha Island in the background:

[buadhai]

WWII graffiti inside an old Japanese shrine:

[buadhai]

Garapan massage girls:

[klongmaster]

1000 posts deserves some congrats...

looking at the piccies one wonders why you would ever leave?

[ChiangMai noon]

Yes, hearty congratulations on the 1000.
May i ask what you were doing there Buadhai.

Looks lovely.

[buadhai]

looking at the piccies one wonders why you would ever leave?

26 years was enough. Plus, with what's left of my retirement (after a divorce) I really couldn't afford to stay.

[buadhai]

May i ask what you were doing there Buadhai.

I worked for the US Government; the Social Security Office. I originally went there in January of 1979 on a 90 day detail. I liked it and told them I was staying and challenged them to open a permanent office. They did. I stayed until I retired last year.

[buadhai]

I'll upload some more photos later. Doesn't seem to be working now....

[ChiangMai noon]

Just been looking at your web site.
Is English the official language?

[aging one]

Its American, you use US dollars dont you?

[buadhai]

English is the official language, but the indigenous people speak Chamorro, which is widely used.

And, US dollars are the official currency. Almost all US laws apply.

<edit> Damn, can't load photos to the Gallery, so I'll throw 'em up on my own web site and post from there.</edit>

[buadhai]

Forbidden Island, Saipan:





Ms. B at Forbidden Island





Beach at Forbidden Island

[buadhai]

Managaha Island off Saipan

Japanese artillery from WWII:



Ms. B, ready to dive:



In the shade:

[buadhai]

Farewell to Saipan. The last Sunset:



Taken at the Seaside Grill at the Pacific Islands Club, where Ms. B used to work before we retired....

[buadhai]

Here's the last photo from me in this thread. Me in my garden in Saipan:

[Jon]

I have a Thai friend who worked in a jeans factory in Saipan on a contract for a year or two in the 90s, having done the same job in Thailand previously as a skilled cutter. I think they worked her hard, but she said it was ok, and she managed to save some money. Of all the strange places to have a jeans factory
It looks like a nice place.

[Storekeeper]

Buadhai,

So what's the scoop with all the Thai, Filipina, Chinese, Korean girls working in the factories in Saipan ?

[friscofrankie]

What's the Cost of living? what about buying property in Saipan?

[buadhai]

Of all the strange places to have a jeans factory

The garment factories exist on Saipan because of some deliberate loopholes in the law. Saipan is part of the US, so jeans and other stuff made there can carry a "Made in the USA" label. However, US minimum wage laws do not apply, so they can import skilled labor from Asia and pay them $3.05 an hour. Plus, under the old Multi-Fiber agreement, Saipan had it's own quotas on garments for export to the US. So, when countries like China ran out of quota they could move production to Saipan and use their quotas. That ended when the WTO eliminated the Multi-Fiber agreement.

So what's the scoop with all the Thai, Filipina, Chinese, Korean girls working in the factories in Saipan ?

There are thousands of them. Many of them live in company supplied dorms, but there are also many who live in apartments. For my last year in Saipan I lived in an apartment building that was populated almost 100% by Thai and Chinese garment workers.

What's the Cost of living? what about buying property in Saipan?

The cost of living is high because almost all products, including most food, is imported from the US. Want a head of lettuce? $5.00 please. Bananas? Sure, we have some imported from Ecuador for only $1.09 a pound.

Only "locals" can own land. Non-locals can get a 55 year lease or play games similar to those played here in Thailand (corporation, proxy owner, local wife, etc.)

I met Ms. B on Saipan. She original went to Tinian (a neighbor island) to work as a waitress in a Chinese owned casino there. After three years she moved to a resort hotel on Saipan. Including tips and stuff she probably grossed around US$14K per year or so, a lot more than she could have made here. She saved quite a bit and sent a lot home. Plus, she improved her English skills, got some great international experience and, of course, met me. She's glad to be home in Thailand, but I think she looks at the overall experience as having been a good one.

I think that in spite of the low wages and less than ideal working conditions in some industries there, most of the foreign workers feel that it's a good deal for them; especially the young ones with no family to support: They get a few years living on a nice tropical resort island. They get paid a lot more than they would have at home. They work in factories and other work places that are supposed to meet US health and safety standards. The mostly end up saving money.

That said, there have been some horror stories; especially in the early years and in the bar and entertainment industries.