Advertisement
Published: February 2nd 2014
TIKI
The Samoan wood carvings are exquisiteAmid the usual frivolity and fish kissing that marks the Equator crossing ceremony, we passed into the Southern Hemisphere. The seas were so smooth we hardly felt the bump when we crossed over the line.
As we approached the deep harbor of Pago Pago, we were escorted into port by three leaping dolphins, two tugs and hundreds of flying fish. Pago Pago is considered the wettest harbor in the world, but fortunately we had bright, warm, sunny weather. Mt Alava, aka the “Rainmaker,” towers above the harbor in this fjord-like setting.
Even though it is called American Samoa there is a lot more Samoan culture than American. There are U.S. Post Offices, Food Stamps, Mormans, McDonalds and baseball caps. But the traditions and culture are the result of over 3000 years of Polynesian heritage. Although most residents understand English, a local dialect is used almost exclusively. We went ashore and met a man who is a safety inspection officer for the police force. Fautua told us that professional sports are the road to success for young kids on these islands. U.S. colleges routinely send scouts to Samoa to recruit future football players. Fautua is grooming his sons to follow
KING NEPTUNE RULES THE WAVES
A polliwog gets an egg shampoo this path. There are many excellent Samoan players on college and professional teams.
Samoa isn’t a typical tourist destination but it certainly could be with its extensive rain forests, colorful reefs and abundant exotic sea life. The local buses, known as “Aiga,” form the basic transportation system. These are open-air converted trucks and each one is equipped with a big sound system pouring out an earsplitting mixture of island music and American rap. We got on one going to the east side of the island. We went past the tuna canneries which employ almost 5000 Samoans. Sunkist and Bumblebee are the biggest exporters to the U.S. market. There is a pervasive aroma which hangs over the island from the canneries and the harbor is filled with huge tuna boats which supply the canneries.
We took another bus to the west side where there is still much repair being done as the result of a big tsunami which struck in 2009 causing extensive damage. There are few local cemeteries as most families bury their loved ones in the front yard of their homes. Thus they can visit and tend to the graves every day.
Just as we sailed
FISH KISS
Not very romantic. away that evening the Rainmaker lived up to its name producing numerous rain squalls.
We had dinner one night with Maureen and Dean, a couple we met on the ship. Come to find out both Maureen and I lived in St Louis when we were growing up. Then as we kept talking, we realized that we lived not only on the same street but on the very same block. It was so much fun reminiscing about life in St Louis and it evoked so many memories for both me and my sisters and brothers when I told them of this coincidence. Dare I say…it truly is a small world!
We crossed the International Dateline and lost January 23 as we made our way to the Kingdom of Tonga…“The Land Where Time Begins.” Captain Cook called these lands the “Friendly Islands” because of the warm reception he and his crew received here. At least they didn’t boil and eat him as what eventually happened to this famous explorer in Hawaii.
We had a friendly welcome to Nukualofa, Tonga by a 20 piece police band playing, appropriately enough, “Around the World in 80 Days.” After that the skies opened
and we were deluged. A tropical depression descended on Tonga complete with 50mph winds and many inches of rain. We waded into town to the local market. We found out that cars have the right-of-way in Nukualofa, no matter what the weather, as we stood on the curb getting drenched while trying to cross the streets. The rain didn’t slow down the singers and dancers who were entertaining on the pier. They carried on in high spirits. We were delayed in port for several hours waiting out the storm but then went sailing off to Kiwi-Land.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.058s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 11; qc: 30; dbt: 0.0291s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Barbara Stein
non-member comment
Hi from the Crystal Serenity World Cruise
We love getting your blog! We're further North in the Pacific, now in Guam and heading to Japan. Keep enjoying...and if you meet our friends, Sharna and Stewart, the Signature hosts,please give them hugs from us! XXX Barbara and Ted