We never actually set foot on the island (it is forbidden after all) but the expedition was a resounding success. The Forbidden Island resembles a handsome hat tilted playfully to one side. It’s flat top is a perfect lawn of green grass where sea birds are safe to lay their eggs in the open, as if for an elementary Easter hunt. Its surrounded by rough black cliffs on all visible sides.

To get there take the fork in the road at Kagman’s natural edge and follow Forbidden Is. Rd. for a mile or so. Keep an eye out for cars parked at the trail head, the small brown sign has been taken by the jungle and easy to miss.

The trail, a slim, clay track, is patrolled by hundreds of red-helmeted millipedes, each tiny armored body carried afloat by hundreds of rolling legs. Pick your way through the vine choked forestland (be thankful Saipan is snakeless) to an outlook with a perfect view of the rocky coast. A ragged strip of beach, scattered with jagged boulders, tips into the deep blue Pacific water. Reefs have shaped the edge-water landscape into raised plates and sandy channels teeming with the UV blue an neon pink bodies of coral biting fish.

PJ and I brought our masks, so as soon as we got to Forbidden Island’s shallow pools we slipped into the easy water for some fish spotting. My favorite was the orange-spine unicornfish. This beautiful seal-gray animal has lightning blue stripes racing down its back and four dreamcicle thorns way back on its tail. From above the spot before it’s tail looks like a clown-fish swimming the other way. Have a look for yourself, they are amazing.