A visit to beautiful Rota

The Island of Rota sits between two highly commercialized isles–Guam and Saipan. In a way, it’s a blessing that commercialization was concentrated on the two major business centers. It gave our brothers and sisters the time to develop at their own pace. And they’re not in a hurry to replicate unbridled growth on either side of the ocean.

Rota has been skipped by conquerors or colonial powers all these years. Its people, whose vernacular has hardly been influenced by foreigners, remained intact for generations. It still is! It’s where real indigenous Chamorro is spoken. What a pleasant treat returning to the land where real Chamorro is spoken, daily.

The pristine land I visited several years ago–once the domain of cattle and wildlife–has been developed into a world class resort, equipped with an 18-hole golf links. What majestic aerial view of manicured green that greets passengers with a warm welcome as they descend on the Island of Adventure.

The 30-minute panoramic drive from the airport to downtown Soñgsoñg Village offers the most pleasant cruise anywhere in this archipelago. Traffic congestion is non-existent. People traveling the other direction (from work or shopping) greet you with warm hand waves. It speaks abundantly of a friendly island community. It reminded me of Saipan of the late fifties and early sixties when everybody knows everybody else in the old village.

Soñgsoñg Village had undergone a face lift.
Trees and shrubs have been planted right along mainstreet. Adjacent residential areas too have benefited from it. Restaurants abound, including new hotels, spread all over town. I was rather pleasantly pleased by what face lifting has done to reflect true tropical ambiance.

Indeed, I felt the strong sense of community of the simple island folks who have stuck together in both calm and storm all these years. I could also sense the vicious though quiet political divide among key members of the community. But it is shelved for now among friends and foes so to generously display a true sense of community in trying times.

I took a quick visit to the Swimming Pool where tourists and residents alike frolic in its crystal clear blue waters. Definitely, it is E Coli-free and I’d take a splash any day without worrying about cholera. But on this trip, I wasn’t about to brave water deeper than six feet, nah. It’s a real treat though for people who love the triad: sand, sea and surf.

I was rather pleased to have made the acquaintance of retired military types (locals) who have returned home to give back to their community by way of services. These are people who have left the island for more than 20 years who came back to their birth place. I listened intently to their views on a number of issues. They are teeming with energy and talent ready to unravel the status quo of old warriors. I will delve into these views at a later time.

The imposing Sabana mountain fronting Sinapalo (new village) near the airport rolls southward bracing Soñgsoñg and Teneto` villages. The island is one complete setting for nature lovers. Eco-tourism is a theme for tourism development. Policies of preserving what makes a tropical island is a true and thoughtful exercise of this community.

If anything, at least I have a grand excuse to sneak away to Rota on weekends. I love the simple folks and the allure of the links. It’s a beautiful island that takes me back some 45 years when Saipan was at its incipiency. It’s a great place to relax among simple and friendly folks.

No wonder why retirees (civil service, military, and the wealthy from without) have chosen Rota as their retirement home. It’s a beautiful and peaceful place under the sun, far removed from the hustle of small cities. Tradition and that unique sense of island community is still at its best!