Day 5 of the workshop was an optional day that began with an Indiana Jones type of jungle experience. First, we hiked a dry creek bed through the thick vegetation up a mountainside to a Japanese tunnel system that dates back to WWII. The trek in was a bit treacherous at times and required teamwork in the form of boosting, pulling, and holding ropes for each other to get everyone to the destination, but it was definitely worth it! The tunnel system had four entrances, some of which were more difficult to enter than others, and was an intricate, man-made set of caverns large enough to stand upright and walk in. This complex likely would have been a storage area and refuge for Japanese soldiers in the final days of the Battle of Saipan as American troops closed in. There was even a stairway carved into the rock to connect a lower tunnel to an upper level. A few Japanese markings and a small piece of ceramic from the period added to the intrigue. It was quite a site to visit and we even found and tasted some “football” fruit and fresh coconut along the way!
The second highlight of the day was an evening visit with a local Chamorro “navigator” who builds traditional canoes in the old style using breadfruit tree and mahogany wood and navigates only by the stars. Some of the canoes take years to construct and finish. He and some of the other navigators are able to sail using traditional techniques as far as Hawaii in some of their larger vessels. It was quite a treat to spend time with these revered indigenous craftsmen.
Bill and Jeff's Historical Travel Blog 