Marianas Variety

VIEWING the spread of Laolao Bay from another angle was a treat for me when I accompanied a group on a photo shoot on Sunday afternoon.

We drove past the intersection of Laulau Beach and took the next right turn in Papago into a rough road. I had a brief glimpse of a road sign almost hidden by tall bushes. The sign said the road was called “Railroad.” I hadn’t explored this road before because I presumed it ended in a residential area a few meters away from the main road.

Well, it never pays to presume.

The road forked into smaller intersections leading to several houses but we drove straight on until we reached something I didn’t expect to see. We were approaching something like a tunnel and before long, we were driving into a narrow road in between two high cliffs. It was like a mountain that had been cut in half to create a road. Thick vegetation blotted out the sunlight. With thick vines hanging from the trees and swinging on the roadside, it was like a scene from a war or a scary movie.

I had passed through a similar tunnel on Rota just past the zoo in Songsong but that was a totally different situation. I was alone, it was almost sunset and I was not familiar with the territory. I remember driving on a similarly narrow and dark lane not knowing what was ahead, all the while fighting my imagination which was going wild. There was no going back and there was no phone signal.

But this time the “tunnel” was not long and we emerged into the sunlight where we parked our cars. Another surprise awaited me. From the roadside, we could see the whole cove of Laolao Bay spreading out in graceful curves and crevices. The ocean stretched out blue and peaceful in the early afternoon hours.

This was one place where butterflies were not scared of intruders and birds flew around and carried on their business like we were not there. We would have loved to stay longer if not for the gazillion mosquitoes that were the only ones glad to see us.

Are you tired of taking the same route day in and day out? Try venturing out to roads you haven’t explored before and be prepared for surprises.

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