Tender phoenix flower, iron and blood Saipan

This is the second largest island in the Mariana Islands. In the eyes of ordinary people, it is just a tourist attraction with rough waves and beaches. In my mind, it is definitely a fascinating museum of World War II relics. Because I like photography, I won't miss the exotic customs along the way in the lens; Because of his experience of joining the army, going to the battlefield and being injured, the trip to Saipan paid special attention to the history and traces of the war.

? At 7: 00 pm on May 30th, a group of 30 people from Saipan, a city photographer's association, gathered at Shanghai Pudong Airport to make all preparations before departure and board the plane. It took off at 10:35 that night, with an air flight distance of 3284 kilometers. After 4 hours 10 minutes, arrive at Saipan International Airport. When I arrived at the airport parking lot after completing the immigration formalities, it was already more than 6 am Saipan time. Clouds in the blue sky are soaked by the morning light, showing amorous and colorful romance. At this time, it was found that almost all the street trees on both sides of the airport road were full of bright red and yellow flowers, swaying under the touch of the sea breeze, as if welcoming tourists from afar. While the group members held up their mobile phones to take photos, several compatriots who were obviously infected by ultraviolet rays came to meet us in the work clothes of the local tourism company. The tour guide is undoubtedly from China and speaks Northeast dialect. The driver is a local, short, chubby and dark-skinned, so I don't need to introduce him.

? A bus pulled us for half an hour, and then we arrived at the booked hotel-"Gold Coast". The boss is a compatriot. A few years ago, he bought the building from Koreans for $4 million. It is said that Koreans only spent more than 800,000 on the original construction. There are more than 1 10,000 China people engaged in tourism on the island, and there are less than 50,000 local residents on the island. You can imagine how strong the penetration of China people is. This hotel is adjacent to the Philippine Sea. Crossing the island road less than 30 meters wide is the seaside. The panorama is the vast sea under the blue sky and white clouds, and the street trees that are not connected by the seaside roads are also in full bloom. There is a flowering tree in front of the hotel gate, which is particularly conspicuous and very tall and lush. Looking through the mobile APP "You can know the flower by one shot", that is, it is clear that this flower is a phoenix tree, with leaves like the feathers of a flying phoenix and flowers like a rockhopper. In the beautiful scenery, three dark gray ships are strangely and quietly floating on the sea. Common sense tells me that it must be an American warship, and its existence is showing something to the world.

After a short rest, the team members had lunch. Local time 1, take a bus to visit Wanerya, Bird Island and Blue Cave, the last headquarters of the Japanese army.

According to the tour guide, Viva Cliff is located in the northernmost part of Saipan. After the defeat of the Japanese army, the Japanese army on the island did not want to live with it, let alone surrender and be humiliated with their families and civilian workers, so they were tricked into gathering at the seaside. Then people were forced to face the direction of Japan and jump into the sea to show their loyalty to the emperor. When jumping off the cliff, he shouted "Long live the emperor", hence the name Long live the cliff, also called self-killing cliff. It is rumored that nearly ten thousand people jumped into the sea that year. Nowadays, a large number of Japanese travel to Saipan every year to miss their old friends, so many stone tablets are erected here to pray for peace. When I was there, I really felt the cruelty of war Soldiers died in the mission, and people died unnaturally. This is right and wrong.

I met a group of young people in Tianjin here, probably after 90, and took several local gorgeous sports cars in go road trip. They reveled in carefree days, taking photos and racing for fun. I really hope they can feel a little homesickness in this special scene. Another group of tourists who come and go silently. Although I don't understand jabber communication, it makes me respect. Obviously, there is some connection with their ancestors here.

The car took us around a hill, where the last Japanese headquarters was located. The Japanese army headquarters is a building built on a rock wall. More than 70 years have passed, and it is almost intact. The commander here is Nayun Zhong Yi, a Japanese general who planned and directed the attack on Pearl Harbor. When the Japanese army was defeated, he gave the order of "loyalty to the emperor" to the Japanese army on the whole island and committed suicide by caesarean section. When the Japanese army finally ran out of ammunition and food, they all chose to jump off the cliff of the headquarters, and no one survived. In the square in front of the headquarters, there are still Japanese artillery, tanks and heavy machine guns.

Less than 20 minutes after driving, Bird Island appeared. Bird Island is naturally formed by limestone, so it is named after many kinds of birds. The island is estimated to be only the size of a football field, but it provides enough living space for birds. There are hundreds of kinds of birds inhabiting this island. At high tide, Bird Island is like an island at sea. At low tide, it is connected with this island, and the whole island is under the sunshine. A group of us stood on the observation deck and took pictures of each other. The ups and downs of sea breeze and sunshine fully show the characteristics of subtropical maritime climate. The scenery here is intuitive and there are no relics of World War II, so it is more fun and there are few snacks.

It's another short drive, and then we arrive at the Blue Cave Scenic Area. Blue hole is located in the northeast corner of Saipan, which is the most famous and difficult place to dive in Saipan. The geology here is limestone formed by coral reefs. The most amazing thing about the blue hole is that limestone has been eroded and collapsed by seawater for a long time, forming a deep hole with a water depth of 17 meters, and the deepest part is 47 meters. There are three waterways connecting the blue cave with the open sea, and light enters the cave from the open sea through the waterways. The blue cave pool can reveal a light blue luster and is quite beautiful. This is a good place to practice diving. We came here purely out of curiosity, and no one dared to go into the water. On the one hand, we don't have enough time; on the other hand, we lack the spirit of adventure. After staying here for about 20 minutes, we ended our first day of sightseeing.

I finished a buffet dinner in a Chinese restaurant in Saipan. Our team is divided into two ways, and the duty-free shops favored by female tourists attract many peers; Like-minded, we chase light and shadow to the seaside. The setting sun sprinkled golden sunlight on the sea, and the sea breeze shook coconut trees and palm trees without rhythm. Those warships are brightly lit, forming a strange scenery.

Because of the time difference of two hours, it's just 5 o'clock in Beijing time, and it's already dark here. Walking back to the hotel, the TV can't understand, the internet speed is slow, and it is the best choice to save your strength.

I planned to shoot the sunrise the next day, and I woke up before 3 am, only to see the wind and rain outside, waiting for the rain to stop. After the rain subsided, several colleagues took photos in the rain. We all posed in front of a tree-shaped buttonwood, and the models all came uninvited and were colleagues.

After breakfast, we went to Warship Island to play. The island is located in the middle of the west of Saipan. Looking north from the 500-meter-high Taboga Peak, the highest point in Saipan, this green castle is like a sea of coloured glass, surrounded by soft white sand beaches. The island is gently embraced by the crystal clear water, much like a green pearl jumping out of the sea. It is said that during the aerial bombing of World War II, the US military mistakenly regarded this small island with a circumference of only 1.5km as a warship, so it bombed it violently. Strangely, the area of the island was reduced by nearly half through continuous bombing. Later, a close look revealed that it was an island, hence the name Warship Island. There are so many shell casings in the sea that traces of war can be seen everywhere.

Not going to warship island is tantamount to going to Saipan for nothing. It is only 3 kilometers from the island to the warship island, and it takes the ferry 10 more minutes to reach the other side. You can go around the island in 20 minutes. The island is surrounded by white beaches, which are formed by the erosion and grinding of corals. The island is covered with dense green tropical plants, and entering the center of the island feels like a paradise. So warship island is also called lover island. The nearby waters are coral reefs, and colorful tropical fish can be seen swimming in the clear water. Coral reefs everywhere are refracted by sunlight, and the sea water is changing with fantastic colors. The beautiful women in the same trade are very busy, taking photos, taking selfies and taking photos while walking, and everyone can't miss a shot. There are also many hydrophilic people who are willing to let the scorching sun and seawater leave some marks on the bare skin. I am busy taking pictures of beautiful women and beautiful scenery, and I am very happy.

? After lunch, we started our first self-funded project, sightseeing the underwater submarine. 75 dollars per capita, diving by submarine for about 15 meters and 45 minutes, watching coral reefs, tropical fish, zero-time fighter planes sunk by American troops in World War II, and warships sunk by Japanese troops. The wreckage of fighter planes and warships scattered on the seabed has long been a parasitic place for marine life, and the ghosts who died on the seabed with these weapons have disappeared without a trace. What is left is people's reflection on the war. The battle of Saipan was the first carrier battle in human history, and countless American and Japanese naval and air force officers and men were killed. Thereby establishing the position of the US military to dominate the world.

I went back to the hotel to have a rest, followed by the second self-funded project-sunset cruise dinner, which cost $65 per capita. This cruise ship carries a large number of tourists wandering in the Pacific Ocean. There are resident singers singing in the cabin, and tourists outside the ship are looking for angles to shoot the sunset. Dinner is a buffet of local food, and drinks are free, regardless of taste, just to experience novelty. At the climax, a local hosted a sunset party to sing. Several beautiful tourists are singing and dancing on the top of the cruise ship with the rhythm of the male host. The enthusiasm of tourists is ignited by the atmosphere, and interactive songs, laughter and applause ripple in the Pacific Ocean. At that moment, I thought, with the evidence of the sunset and the sea, peaceful coexistence is the ideal of mankind.

In another restaurant, our fellow friends are enjoying a buffet seafood dinner of $37 per person. There are all kinds of seafood products that are rare in domestic third-tier cities, and a few young people can be regarded as an experiential luxury.

After dinner, some choose to continue shopping, some continue to take pictures at the seaside, and some go back to the hotel to rest early.

On the third morning, I still got up early and rushed to the buttonwood to wait for the boastful person as agreed in advance. Some people who are more impatient than me have started taking selfies. Beautiful women came one after another, the scenes were consistent, the seats were consistent, the movements were consistent, people stood still, and I consciously and diligently provided services. Not for utility, but for word of mouth.

This morning, we took five off-road vehicles and went to Crocodile Mouth seaside to complete the all-terrain cross-country project. All Toyota SUVs and all Northeast men are drivers. When approaching Crocodile Mouth Beach, they have to drive for a long time on the rugged jungle path. After crossing the ridge, they can go to the beach and watch the waves hit the rocks on the shore. The crocodile's mouth, that is, the reef is shaped like a crocodile's big mouth, and the waves are coming to the crocodile's mouth. The scenic spots here make people feel a little far-fetched.

? Another motorcade marched, and we came to Saipan-Chaoshan Mountain is only 473 meters above sea level, but the tour guide said it is the highest mountain in the world. It sounds a bit like a fable, but it makes sense to ponder it carefully. Standing on the top of the mountain, visitors can see a 360-degree panoramic view of the island. From the mountain, you can see not only the whole Saipan, but also the big cross made of wood and the huge statue of Jesus overlooking Saipan. Standing on the tide, you can see the whole Saipan. Looking north, the Killing Cliff, Long Live Cliff and Bird Island are clearly distinguishable; Looking west, Warship Island, Galaban Commercial Center and even Yuetai Hotel are unobstructed; Looking south, there are quite a few Saipan International Airport, Dead Water Lake and the three islands that make up Saipan Island-Saipan Island, Tianning Island and Rota Island. The lake in the south is the only freshwater lake in Saipan, but its water is not drinkable. During World War II, the Japanese realized that their failure had been decided. They put a lot of dead livestock and poison into the lake, which was seriously polluted. Since then, Saipan people have called the lake "Dead Lake" or "Dead Water Lake".

Coming down from the commanding heights, we came to Notre Dame Hill (well), where there is a fresh water well. It is said that a Christian found fresh water here according to the wishes of Notre Dame, thus educating the local aborigines to give up the brutal and bloody way of asking for rain.

Standing here, carefully reading Saipan's past lives, several key words of Saipan's campaign come to mind: time1June-July, 944 (more than 20 days); The participants are the United States and Japan; Results: The American army won; Strength of participants: 67,000 in the United States and 43,000 in Japan; Casualties: Japanese army 4 1 10,000, American army10.6 million; Combat significance: It provided a forward base for bombing Japan. The battle declared that the defeat of the Japanese army was a foregone conclusion. This information made me feel the fierceness of the war, not the hatred of both sides of the war and the fragility of life, not the preaching of the winner. There is no doubt that Saipan is the graveyard of imperial soldiers, whether American imperialism or Japanese militarism.

On the return flight, Tagore's poems have been echoing in my mind: life is as beautiful as summer flowers and death as autumn leaves. Appreciate each other. A soldier transcends the distinction between the enemy and ourselves, because blood is the character of a soldier, and only a bloody person can serve the country.

The short trip to Saipan ended the moment flight 3U8648 landed at Shanghai Pudong Airport. Although the group members are reluctant to go, they still have to follow their existing life trajectory.