Taste of India folks doing better in Guam, MV 4

By Jeffrey C. Turbitt

If anyone wants to know where all our Japanese tourists have gone I can reveal the obvious answer and waive the $200,000 MVA consulting fee: They are in Guam -- in droves. A convenience store at 11:30 pm on a Thursday night had a line twenty deep in booming Tumon.

That we're being taken to the woodshed by Guam isn't shocking news, but after a weekend there I am stunned by the contrasts between Guam and here. Guam has more and better restaurants, shopping and hotels, yet not near the beauty of the Marianas Islands. Guam scuba diving was slightly more exciting than sticking your face underwater in the bath tub, yet the dive boats were packed, and I had to call a friend to find a contact to help get me on a boat. That we're losing to this, and not just losing, but getting spanked with Chicago Cubs style abandon befuddles.

I talked to a lot of tourists, Guam residents and former Saipan folks and everyone without exception said Saipan is more beautiful. They happen to be right. The Brown Tree Snake has killed off their King Fischer birds and other birds apparently, though they do not have wild dogs all over. The downtown tourist district though has a life to it that sits in stark contrast to Garapan, which is typically emptier than the space between George W. Bush's ears. That ghost town feel in Garapan, like a lifeless night club, gives that unhappening vibe that doesn't draw repeat business or good memories.

There aren't all that many fish underwater in Guam, and the coral isn't very colorful. Several tourists told me they'd rather go to Saipan, but it is just too inconvenient to get there. I spoke with Japanese divers and they also noticed the absurd prices Saipan dive shops charge, upwards of fifty percent higher than Guam, and they are annoyed by that. When people from Japan, where a gumball purchase practically requires a loan shark or a mortgage broker, think things are expensive, you know you're probably pushing things too much.

In some regards, Guam is making the same mistake as us by putting the strip clubs and karaoke bars in the heart of its tourist district. Naked, writhing women have their place don't get me wrong, when I was single I had a strong recommendation on that place, but it's not in the tourist district where families congregate.

In visiting the Maharani, which is owned and staffed by the same people from the Taste of India in Garapan, the contrasts are even more amazing. The old Taste of India had delicious, exotic food with a very friendly staff at reasonable prices, and they were rewarded with virtually no business. In Guam it's packed every night.

Tom Kallingal is the owner of the Maharani, and after years in Saipan he now has a bustling business with his Indian restaurant. "Back in 89 things were good. The Japanese market gradually came down. Chinese and Koreans go to Chinese or Korean restaurants. Eighty percent of our customers were so called haoles. This island has more support from the community as a whole. We're full every night so far. I expect to see more when the military comes in."

Kallingal said federalization and the minimum wage were no issue for him, and in fact he said federalization is the answer to Saipan's troubles because he feels the current wages don't provide a living. "They won't like it, but federalization is the answer. People can't live on those wages and they will continue to leave." Kallingal didn't blame the CNMI government for his businesses problems, but noted they were not helpful, either. "The government did nothing to help us, but they didn't cause harm, either. The parking issue was a problem for us. The night clubs took over the clean businesses. It hurt us. The families hated to come. Saipan is so much more physically beautiful (than Guam) with its Flame Trees. I really like Saipan, but they are two different markets.”

Joji Cherian, one of the famously friendly waiters now in Guam, says his life has changed for the better because he's getting a lot more pay. He says he is not the only one doing better in Guam. "I really miss Saipan. We had time to talk to customers. We see a lot of people from Saipan, maybe 100, who live here now. Many others have visited us and I'm so happy to see them."

Pauly Vettiyadan, the second half of the dynamic duo from the Old Taste of India, has had similar experiences. "It was easy and sometimes boring. We had a big reputation. We had a lot of mainland customers, but not much else. Here they are more adventurous eaters and the whole community is supportive.”

There really is no reason for Guam to be eating our lunch the way they are right now. The first, second and third solution is going to revolve around more direct flights to these islands. This will lead to better shopping and better restaurants. We certainly have the raw materials to turn this place around as a tourist destination.

Taste of India working out the kinks

I made my first trip to the new Taste of India the other night. They are still working out the kinks. First, I seem to recall the old version being open pretty much always. We were hungry as hell at 5, so we showed up then, but no go. They open at 6. We got there at 6 and it took a full 45 minutes plus to bring our order. There was only one other small table with customers. They were very apologetic and nice about it, but hopefully the kitchen is operating smoother in the future. Forty five minutes with two kids is a nightmare in a restaurant, though Alex wasn't too nuts.

I got my usual Chicken Curry, which is the best I've ever had anywhere and it was as good as always. I ordered the Fish Tikka, and there was a sauce for it that I swear tasted exactly like mouthwash. It was the worst sauce I've ever tasted, but the fish itself was ok. The old guard of friendly folks is all gone. They have relocated to the Guam location. Good for them, but their now absent good natured presence takes away from the place.
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Cynthia won a free night at Fiesta Resort. The pool there is atrocious. Dirty and so heavily chlorinated as to be unpleasant. The kids' pool was always closed. The buffet was generous, lobster at a $20 buffet, but not especially good. I've been to their teppenyaki restaurant and have liked it.
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I ate out a lot on my trip to the states. One thing that has changed, at least in wealthy New Jersey, is that people eat out every night of the week now. It used to be just weekends. Places were packed on a Wednesday. In contrast, I went to Tijuanas here in Saipan on Saturday around 8. Not a soul in this place. That place isn't that good really, but our economy absolutely blows.
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Tomorrow is the last day of summer vacation. Yecch. I'm as uneager to return as the students right this second. The key to being a teacher is to survive the first three months with your sanity. There are hardly any holidays in that period. After that, there are a ridiculous number of days. I suppose I'll feel better once I get in the flow. Being switched from seniors to freshmen with no notice does not help.
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I met this guy Travis while diving in Palau. He was more interested in paddling and camping than diving, but he is a cool dude and I like hanging with him. He lived on one of the rock islands, often alone, for a month -- pretty much living off the land. He wrote about it here and it is pretty interesting. He had some other good posts, but blocked them for some unknown reason. I asked him why in an email just now. Definitely worth a read.
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For more serious, adult minded movie fare, I recommend a film on DVD, strangely enough, called Little Children. It has four main characters, an emasculated man, a woman in a loveless marriage, a child molester (Kelly from Bad News Bears many moons ago, and very weird looking) and an ex-cop obsessed with making the now free child molester's life hell. The coldness and bitchiness of suburbia is well represented. It is definitely not a dopey action movie. It is probably my favorite movie since The Illusionist.