The Long and Winding Road

---

The lure of a flight over to American Samoa cast a powerful spell on me, and it didn't take long for the friendly staff in the Apia office of Polynesian Airlines to get my itinerary sorted. I always find it thrilling when a new travel itinerary has been finalised, and the chance to visit another country in this wonderful world becomes a real prospect. The airport to American Samoa is very close to Apia itself, only a ten minute drive in fact. The runway is only suitable for propellor planes, but the ride in the taxi entails just a few turns in an Apia neighbourhood, and suddenly the airstrip presents itself seemingly out of nowhere. I arrived at the airport a little over an hour prior to departure time, and there were a few taxis and passengers milling around but absolutely no staff. And so began a unique adventure to the beautiful main island of American Samoa.

The staff turned up to open around 15 minutes later, and we were weighed and checked in before boarding a twenty seater propellor plane for the scenic thirty minute flight across to American Samoa. The scenery is spectacular during the flight, and being on a flight with an open cockpit is always a thrill as you watch the pilots working in perfect unison to get us safely to our destination. For a country that's so close there are amazing similarities to Western Samoa, and yet American Samoa also feels very different. In a slightly dizzying trip through the South Pacific over the last month I'm back to driving on the right, seeing American flags flying proudly, hearing American accents amongst the local people, but still quite clearly in the heart of the unique Samoan culture. I checked in with the friendly and professional staff at the Tradewinds Hotel which is one of the top accommodation options on the main island, and the room is impressive. There are limited options to stay in American Samoa, and certainly no market at this stage for budget accommodation here. Although I was paying through the nose for my room, sometimes on the road there's no option if you have your heart set on a visit.

American Samoa has been under United States control for over a 100 years now, and is firmly within the orbit of America. The country was formerly run by the US navy and has been of strategic importance to protect US interests in the region for all that time. During World War ll hospitals were set up on the island, and many troops passed through the island during the course of the war. The TV news is beamed out direct from US channels, and for a while it felt a little strange being in the South Pacific but feeling like I was in the States. It puts things in perspective when you realise American Samoa is only five and a half hours flight from Hawaii, and situated halfway between Hawaii and the east coast of Australia. The Samoans pass frequently between American and Western Samoa for work or family reasons, and American Samoa is known for it's higher wages, but at the same time for the low prices on food and the basic necessities of life.

Spending the last month in the South Pacific has changed me as a person. A month ago driving around at this speed would've made me half crazy with frustration, now chugging along at these low speeds seems the most natural thing in the world. I give way to other drivers and pedestrians, I've started to walk around at islander speed, everything seems to have slowed down to match my surroundings. Even my daily beach walks seem to have been curtailed as the month has rolled by. There's something quietly addictive about the South Pacific, and the hustle and bustle of city life back in Australia seems so far away. "Be on time, I mean to say in your own time" the islanders joke with tourists.

I organised a hire car for the duration of my stay, and American Samoa is a tiny island compared to other islands I've visited during this trip. The speed limit on the winding coastal road around the island is a leisurely 25 miles per hour and one could explore most of the island in a day. But I decided to break the days up into two more leisurely drives, heading north on the first day and south on the second. So on day one I headed north in a new Kia Sportage, and it's so much fun driving these gorgeous new vehicles as opposed to my old clunker at home. The new cars nowadays are super schmick, and an absolute joy to drive. I got directions from the friendly hotel staff, and just followed my instincts and more importantly the traffic before I ended up on the main coastal road without a single hitch. American Samoa is far windier and the traffic slower even than Western Samoa, but within an hour or two of driving the sky was starting to clear, and I was able to take several photographs on pristine and deserted beaches. Tourism on the island is in it's infancy even compared to Western Samoa, so I quickly got used to having beaches to myself except when challenged by the odd territorial dog. As in Samoa they have a bit of a crack but a confident response will see them off. I got in the habit of carrying a few solid rocks around and I would just knock them together to announce my presence. That seems to do the trick but the dogs are far more territorial in Samoa than on the other pacific islands. The problem arises because there is no fencing to keep them at bay, yet they seem to be so aggressive. In Western Samoa they are cracking down on owners, and something needs to be done to get the problem under control.

The food has been great in American Samoa as in Western Samoa, but drinking tap water has posed far more problems than the rest of the pacific, and is not recommended. On the second day I spent my drive exploring the south of the island, and there's a different feel to the beach scenery that is prevalent in the north. It's still quite undeveloped and the winding hilly road gets a bit sketchy as drivers reach the end point for driving on the island. There are a few small villages around and the odd person, but not a whole lot going on in the wild and rugged south coast of American Samoa. I've spent ten days now in the Samoan islands, and the gentle nature and quiet pride of Samoan culture has had a positive impact on my thinking. This is off the beaten track as a tourist destination, but my time in Western Samoa and American Samoa will live on in my memory. As a matter of fact, basically all of you should be here now!

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart." Helen Keller

As I continue my travels, until next time it's signing off for now

Tom

Note: Feel free to post comments on this site, or click on the subscribe button for notification of upcoming travel journals

---

Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Samoa
You've been traveling on the island circuit for a while now. We are very jealous. This one sounds grand. Rich in history. Sounds like you've found your groove. We'd love to see you write a blog comparing the Caribbean islands to the South Pacific since you've done them back to back. It would be great to hear your impressions of the similarities and differences. The personalities of these parts of the world, history and culture.