Talking Saipan economy with my friend, Laura, during our breakfast, I learned that there were many Chinese garment factories in Saipan prior to the meeting of World Trade Organization (WTO) in early 2000.
During the WTO meeting, it was decided to eliminate some trade taxes. Because of the trade tax eliminations, many garment factories in Saipan were closed.
The factories closed and the factories' workers left, many the related businesses such as apartments, restaurants, and supermarkets, were also closed.
Due to the lost of revenue, Saipan government had no money to maintain the roads, the tourist sites, or the safety of the beaches. Japanese tourists stopped coming to Saipan. Then, many related to Japanese tourists' businesses were closed including the 1,000 beds hotel, Hotel Nikko Saipan, and a 250 stores mall.
That is why I saw many abandoned houses and businesses.
In our free time today, Laura took me to see her beloved bird and tiger.
The bird is called Fred. The bird lives in the bird cage of Hyatt Hotel's pool area. She called the bird's name, and bird came and let Laura to pet him.
Laura also took me to see a tiger she helped to raise 10 years ago. The tiger now is living in Saipan Zoo. I never saw a tiger that close! Laura was petting the tiger like petting one of her own dogs.
On the way from the zoo back to our hotel, we saw a very sick dog. Laura stopped and checked the dog. She found out that the dog was not injured, but was starving and too weak to walk. So, we rushed to a supermarket to purchase a can of dog food and went back to feed the dog with the food and water. Laura told me that she will come back to check the dog tomorrow. She is a real animal lover person.
During our dinner time, Laura told me many interesting cultures in Saipan that most outsiders will not understand.
Saipan is a small area. People are related to each others. Everyone is considered a member of the "family". There is no secret in the "family". "Family" members can "borrow" each other's stuff without a returning date. Oh, by the way, the person who authorized the "borrowing" was not the owner of the stuff. Uhmm, that is a very interesting culture.
Saipan is not a luxury tourist's place, but is a very interesting place.
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