We arrived in Pago Pago, American Samoa last night in a light rain. The trip through
immigration and customs was easy except for trying to manage 2 roller luggage bags, a
brief case and a large bicycle transport crate. Our journey started 8 hours earlier in
Kailua Kona, Hawaii in the northern hemisphere. We left an overcast, humid tropical day in
Hawaii for rain in a warm, humid tropical evening in American Samoa in the southern
hemisphere. John is at the airport to meet us; it sure is good to see him. We find the
first van; we think we will need two vans to take all the baggage to the port. As it turns
out the entire luggage and ourselves all fit into the small van, amazing.
The seaport is 6 miles away, but the speed limit on the island is 20 miles an hour
everywhere on the island; fast sports cars just make no sense at all in American Samoa. It
takes about 20 minutes to get from the airport to the seaport. As we approach there is a
strong smell of warm tuna. It reminds me of the smell of the empty tuna can that you
discarded in the trash while cleaning the kitchen after a tuna fish sandwich lunch. Along
one side of the port are tuna processing plants, for example Starkist, that surely discard
their trash after canning the tuna, thus the smell. There are also other smells and
industrial polluters. John tells us they had to take Bella Donna 3 miles out in the ocean
to turn the water maker on before we arrived; the water is that dirty with industrial
waste. American Samoa is not a tourist destination; the first clues to this are the
passengers on the plane. They were not tourists but working people or local Samoans
returning from a trip to Hawaii or the mainland US. The jobs here are hard labor, long
hours and involve hard work. The wages are very low; there are no unions. The workers get
off work and are too tired to make their own dinner so they eat from street vendors that
set up outside the factories. They then make it home to sleep to prepare for tomorrows
work. The unemployment rate is 29% so everyone is thrilled to have a job.
The next day we go ashore to provision so we can leave tomorrow for Tonga. American Samoa
is well supplied with items from the US. There is an Ace Hardware that is extremely well
stocked and a True Value less well stocked. The people are exceptionally friendly, even
friendlier than other Polynesian people we have encountered in the South Pacific.
School children are everywhere on the streets in their lava lavas, a printed fabric cloth
wrapped around the waist as a skirt; both the girls and boys wear the same lava lava. Each
school has a lava lava of a different color that uniquely identifies the school. Many of
the grocery stores sell the lava lavas for from $3 to $5 each.
Like many of the other south Pacific islands all the people live and work on the coast.
All the roads are on the coast and circle the island. The middle of the island is
mountainous and not suitable for development including all but minimal agriculture. They
are beautiful to look at and good for trekking into the wilderness to witness the many
waterfalls. It rains off and on all the time; this is the rainy season. When we asked a
man living aboard his sailboat what he did for fresh water, he just laughed and said I
never want for water; I catch all the rain water I need.
Deborah and Ant went to the local farmers' market for fruits and vegetables tonight.
Deborah and Ant went to the local farmers' market for fruits and vegetables tonight. One
can not buy fruits and vegetables in the grocery stores, only in the farmers' market.
Friday night is supposed to be the big night. However, by the time Deborah and Ant arrived
most of the vegetables were gone, but there was still a variety of fruit. The people were
so friendly; they bought one fruit and were given two extra. The local asked where they
came from; when Deborah said Great Briton and South Africa their interest was peaked. They
don't see many travelers and rarely people from so far away. They were so taken by Deborah
they wanted her to stay and they offered her a job. When they asked what she was trained
to do, Deborah said she was an experienced stock broker. They said they were sorry; they
had no need for a stock broker.
It was an early night; I was in bed by 9 PM. We are "On the Road Again" tomorrow.
God Bless Bella Donna.
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