The Island of Tinian, The Northern Marianna's

Aqua clear waters and deserted beaches, an idyllic place to exhale and unwind and forget all the worries of a fast paced life.

On every hike or venture through these bird filled jungles we always found ourselves facing aqua waters as this island's entirety is a mere 40 square miles. We kept mask and snorkels in our packs daily as every chance we had to jump back in we found ourselves greeted by colorful reef fish.

The prehistoric latte stones at the House of Taga were quarried about 1,500 meters away and then somehow moved here. How this was done in such isolation so long ago is still unknown.

Where the sand beaches ended the shoreline shifted to limestone cliffs dropping steeply into the sea.

On the northeast side of the island there are blowholes. While standing here on such a small landmass the tidal pools and gentle rolling waves create a sense of serenity, looking outward forever into nothing but sea. When larger waves wandered back in water would shoot up vertically through the rock's holes waking us from our standing meditation.

While looking back towards the main town area the lack of development becomes apparent as the few structures in the distance provide little evidence of any footprint.

The warm clear waters just make you want to grow gills and sleep on the sand bottom. The dense salt content here made it an effortless relaxing float in gentle bathtub warm waters.

The flights to and from Tinian are only on small single prop planes. We sat in the back seat, while the pilot and a local on his way home sat in the front two seats. The plane (pictured) we were on leaving Tinian was much nicer than the one we took there. On the way there, duct tape was literally holding things together and the door seemed reluctant to stay closed. Fortunately the pilot was incredible at multi-tasking and was able to keep one hand navigating and the other ready to grab the door as needed, only now is this laughable! Oh the price one could pay making it to such utter tranquility.