Blogs from Samoa, Oceania

This is our second visit to this island. This time we stopped at a town called Fagoto. Soon after disembarking there is a lovely museum (closed since it was Sunday) but they had this lovely mural and story of creation in front that I wanted to share. There are some interesting buildings that added a bit of character to our walkabout. Further down we stopped at the only bar in town (which was also closed) but I got this great poster of Sadie Thomson! A beautiful and lush island – very green as the average rainfall is around 200 inches per year! Take a taxi for a trip around the island to see the views and hope that you never have only a Sunday to visit Pago Pago! I added a photo of Darold outside our ... read more

9. Today's the day....or isn't the day. Despite the fact that the ship's GPS is showing a position of 168 degrees west, the international geographical authorities deem that the international date line actually passes through this line of longitude rather than at 180W, thus at midnight, we jumped from Tuesday April 9 to Thursday April 11. Technically the date line has been reached and instead of being 12 hours behind Greenwich, we are now 12 hours ahead. Around a dozen people aboard have missed their birthday. Talk about time travelling. On the other hand, at 12.45pm today we will be crossing the equator. However, and somewhat surprisingly, there has been no announcement of King Neptune making his customary appearance. Maybe he couldn't afford the fare, although we've now just heard he'll be arriving tomorrow instead. All ... read more

Hello from Apia, the capitol of Samoa – also known as Western Samoa. We arrived this morning about 9:30. That gave us time to sleep in a little and still have a nice breakfast before the ship arrived. David was able to go out on deck to take a few pictures as we arrived in port. There is a local tradition of having some native dancers on the pier to welcome ships as they arrive, and we had a good view from the Promenade Deck. According to the information channel on the TV, we are at longitude of 171W and latitude of 13S. We will still visit some ports even further south, but all will be back toward the east. This is the farthest west that we will go on our cruise. So in one sense ... read more

Dateline: November 5, 2018, Pago, Pago, American Samoa (Territory of the USA) Tsunami’s, Dogs and SPAM Today is Pago Pago, American Samoa. So… Pago Pago is pronounced, Pango, Pango with a short a. We arrive to pouring rain and 82 degrees, but with hopes, once again, of a sunny day. The harbor is absolutely beautiful but there is a tremendous wind coming off the mountains that keeps pushing us away from the dock. The ship is listing to starboard as the wind hits us broadside. We get in the elevator which is at a slant. Passengers in the elevator are saying they want out. But really, its true, we are heeled over some but… more fun than a problem. We exit on Deck 11 to our cabin and everyone is laughing as we walk drunkenly down ... read more

Issy says she spent half the night awake listening to a pack of marauding dogs trying to chase off a squealing pig outside our room. She’s wanted me to get my hearing tested for a while now, and even more so now that I managed to sleep through the whole show. We spend the morning lazing on the beach and then set off along the coast in search of some lunch. We’d been recommended a small restaurant on the beach sandwiched between two fancy resorts about twenty kilometres from ours. The "restaurant" is a beachside shack with some small fales for rent around it, and it calls itself the Maninoa Beach Club. The food is excellent, as is the beachside setting. It is run by an Australian girl and her Welsh partner. She’s trying to get ... read more