If you're an American, you can probably name all 50 states if given ample time, but how about all the US colonies? If you've paid close attention during the political party conventions you can probably tick off Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, but how about a few clustered islands on the other side of the international date line, a fringe of white beaches, palm trees, and spectacular diving sites, with weather in the 80's all year round?

Mention the Pacific islands of Guam and Saipan to most Americans and you'll be lucky to get more than a puzzled stare. Fewer still will know that the local inhabitants of these islands hold US passports and have representatives in Congress. The area was a fierce battleground during World War II, with both the US and Japan incurring heavy casualties. Eventually the Japanese were forced out and the islands became US commonwealths or territories.

Today the Japanese are back in force, but this time in swimsuits, carrying shopping bags. They are joined by vacationers from other Pacific Rim countries, as well as American and European expatriates who are working overseas. With as many signs in Japanese and Korean as in English, however, the military bases on Guam are about the only obvious signs that this is US soil.

Guam

Guam's Agana Bay and Tumon Bay are home to the island's beachfront hotels, with wide sandy beaches, beautiful and calm waters, and watersports. Agana Bay allows jet skis and parasailing, while Tumon Bay is restricted to wind and muscle-powered varieties.

Most hotels here have lush tropical gardens around their pool complexes, which often include waterslides, swim-up bars, and plenty of entertainment. Shopping is abundant too, though most of it is tacky tourist dreck not even made on the island, or brand-name clothing and accessories at prices that only the Japanese would think are reasonable.

Many golf courses lie inland from here and in the flat northern section of the island. Although courses are challenging and scenic, greens fees routinely top a hundred bucks for 18 holes. Fishing trips are popular and several record-setting catches have been made in the area.

The southern section of the island is more rugged and undeveloped, with some thick jungle areas, sheltered coves, and a few mountains. The rough seas make these areas popular with surfers and fishermen, as well as with the occasional nude sunbather or two looking for a private beach.

Hikers on Guam can boast of climbing "the world's highest mountains," even though they only stretch to a 1300 feet above sea level. This claim is made possible by a major loophole: you must use the measurement from the island's starting point--at the bottom of the ocean! The Marianas Trench is located here and is the deepest point in any of the world's ocean's. Measured from there, Guam's Mt. Lamlam is higher than Everest. (And you don't have to risk your life or cough up $75,000 to climb it.)

You can also follow trails down to small beaches, one of which features the remains of an old Spanish bridge and thousands of tiny hermit crabs. With such a deep point in the ocean nearby, there are plenty of unique creatures for experienced divers to find, including 880 species of coral reef fishes. Less adventurous types will also find plenty to look at as well, however, since snorkeling sites are abundant and most diving shops and hotels offer scuba introduction lessons.

Saipan

Saipan is smaller than Guam and is more laid-back, with hotels sparsely scattered along the western coast. You can survey the whole topography by driving straight to the top of Mt. Tapochao, the island's highest mountain. Most tourist attractions here are simply places where fierce battles took place during World War II, including a few massive "Banzai Cliffs" where Japanese soldiers and families leapt to their deaths to avoid capture and caves where soldiers hid out until as late as 1952, not knowing that the war had ended.

Most waterfront hotels have a beach to themselves, with warm turquoise water lapping on it gently. The environment is great for learning to windsurf, sail, or kayak since the water is shallow for up to a mile from the beach. There are some good snorkeling sites right off the shore, or you can take a boat over to Managaha Island for a bigger variety of fish.

Diving trips encompass a wide variety of dive sites, with the most famous being The Grotto. Here divers can swim through a tunnel from the sea and come out in a sunken, natural inland pool. There are 15 other official dive sites, including sunken World War II battleships.

Hiking opportunities here are more limited than on Guam since there are less mountains. One notable trail is located in the hills just past the Nikko Hotel. It is well-maintained and marked by the US military, who uses part of the land for radio antennas (for Voice of America and Radio Free Asia). The trail passes through some thick jungle foliage, but there are few steep grades and it is not difficult. There are usually varieties of colorful birds around and some big hermit crabs who at some point in their past climbed all the way up from the beach.

Saipan has four 18-hole golf courses, with great conditions year-round, but stratospheric greens fees.

Local Oddities

The Japanese tourism presence has resulted in some other unique attractions on both islands. One of the most noticeable is the proliferation of pistol and rifle shooting galleries. Gun ownership is illegal in Japan, so they get their kicks here by renting guns and shooting at targets in indoor ranges. Pachinko parlors are also abundant--the uniquely Japanese gambling game that looks sort of like a vertical pinball machine, with metal balls tumbling out instead of coins. And if you ever wanted to step into a real karaoke bar, there is no shortage of choices here, especially in the Micro Beach area, where massage parlors and sushi restaurants also fight for their share of the nightlife business.

If you want into get into the local rhythm, you could try getting a quick buzz from chewing betal nuts, join in a local village festival, or take a seat on the bleachers at a cockfight. None will take much of a search.

Food & Drinks

Harder to find is authentic Chumorro food, traditional dishes prepared by the islands' indigenous people. American bad eating habits have caught on big time here, with fast food and other fattening items from the mainland taking over. Guam's residents have the dubious designation of being the world's largest per-capita consumers of Spam.

The culture mix of locals and tourists sometimes has humorous results: where else could you walk into a convenience store and buy Spam sushi? Or find betel nuts for sale next to Korean kimchi? There are some good local food restaurants around, however, and the effort to find them is rewarded with some tasty cuisine, much of it using the abundant local products of coconut and breadfruit. The latter is often treated as a vegetable and cooked like a potato.

One of the most common dishes is kelaguen mannok, a spicy salad made from barbecued chicken mixed with crisp peppers, chopped onions, coconut, and lemon juice. Tinaktak is a beef stew made with coconut milk and different kinds of fish are often cooked over a fire while wrapped in banana leaves. Coconut crabs are an interesting local delicacy. They climb up into trees and eat the meat inside the coconuts, so the meat is very sweet.

Finding local beer is the toughest search of all, since there is only one local brewery in all of Micronesia. This is Pacific Universal Brewing (PUB for short), located a few miles from Tumon Bay in Guam. It's a large brewpub with a Korean-American owner and a German brewmaster, serving three kinds of fresh-brewed draft beer and a variety of food. Containers of the beer are for sale at retail locations where tourists shop. Otherwise, Budweiser rules the market and Asahi and Kirin battle it out with Miller for the remaining shelf space.

Guam and Saipan are both great destinations for someone working in the Pacific Rim: the flights are inexpensive and frequent, the language is English, and Americans don't need a visa. For someone on a business trip abroad, it's also a great stop after endless frustrating meetings in Japan, Korea, or Taipei. Or, it can be a nice way to break up a 15-hour flight back to the US from Asia. Whenever you go, you'll find sunny weather, beautiful beaches, and plenty to occupy your time.

• Visit the Guam Tourist Bureau website at www.visitguam.org
• Visit the Saipan Chamber of Commerce website at www.saipan.com.
  
  

  Tim Leffel is a freelance writer who just spent five months traveling through northern Africa and the Middle East, before spending a year teaching English in Korea. He now resides stateside in between adventures.