As I mentioned about this series of blogs before, the stories come out of order to you, any time I get in the mood of tackling another country that we visited on our 5 month tour.
Kingdom of Samoa small airport to American Samoa and other islands
Weighing in for the flight
Our plane to “yesterday”
I have always wanted to visit the pacific island paradises, because of the lore of waving palms and bare breasted ladies, waving a welcome in front of their huts, on golden beaches.
On our way, photo taken from our back row seat
Sadie by the Sea taken from our balcony looking at the former officers club now hotel restaurant
Pago Pago’s Bay
Thus, the South Pacific was through out my life my plan B. If my marriage or career or both would go south on me, I would go South Pacific way and become a beach bum with a coffee stand, to just make enough dough to drink the night away.
Local private $1 public transportation system
Driver, operator and $ collector
Could not resist giving you another shot at Pago Pago’s transportation system
So in planning the detour to this part of the world, I eliminated all tourist traps, such as Tahiti, Bora Bora and the like.
There were many choices left, but in the end I decided we should visit Pago Pago, the capital of American Samoa, where I hoped to find the real Samoa as it was in the time of my youth or even before that. Also Somerset Maugham’s short story “Rain” nudged me in that direction (a missionary reforming a prostitute?!!!?).
One of the many churches gets a make over
Another Church
Downtown Pago Pago
It takes quite a few hours from Auckland NZ to fly to Apia, the capital of the Kingdom of Samoa, than a cab drive of 45 minutes to a little, one runway airport on the other side of the island, where after luggage and passengers have been weighed in, we proceed to a two propeller 8 seater plane of American Samoa’s national airline Talofa (translated as Welcome), where we are carefully and strategically placed by the pilot in our seats. Skinny foreigners in the back seats and local heavy weights in the middle to front seats. The seat besides the pilot - seat nr 8 is for a lucky skinny person. Then we fly 22 minutes to Pago Pago International airport to arrive a day earlier than we started.
This is the Pacific at American Samoa during the tourist season
Golden beaches
In 2011 the kingdom of Samoa changed time zones from their left border to their right border crossing the date line. On top of that, the kingdom adheres to daylight savings time and American Samoa does not. So we also had to change our watches.
Ocean all around you see above and below pictures
Tutuila island, the main island here is 17sq miles/44sq km
The sizeable Samoans are the friendliest giants I ever encountered. This is where “island time” and “talofa” or “malo” dictates life. Where everything slows down, like maximum speed on the island’s roads, which is 25 miles/hour and in the city only 20 miles/hour, thus eliminating the need for Porsches and Corvettes.
A “Fale” in the national park is basically a Samoan house with open sides and thatched roof for welcoming and socializing purposes
Nature is abundant and lush in a climate that ranges from 84F to 86F or 29C to 30C
We stayed in Sadie by the Sea motel, the location of the characters in the aforementioned short story by Somerset Maugham.
Had to take this picture
Remains of WW II
Samoans here are not “US citizens” but “US nationals”, which allows them to have their local governing system to remain unchanged, such as communal property ownership and the rule by “talking chiefs”, representing their community in a council setting chaired by a chosen “high chief”.
Christianity has been the only change here in more than 3000 years
Another Fale in use this time
Tata our driver guide and Sandee
During a day of being driven around by our taxi driver/guide Ata, we learned that now already for years the council has not been able to elect a “high chief” and as a consequence the US federal funds have not been distributed, as the government only pays to the “high chief”.
A WWII remnant, looks like a US landing craft or LCM
Leone Healing Garden, commemorating February 25, 2012, when the Leoni Tsunami hit the island taking out to sea 11 people
A roadside vegetable stand
This highly religious island of 45000 Samoans, earning an average 6000 US dollar a year, is dotted with churches, many of them shuttered for some reason. And they do dress up with hats and all for Sunday service. On our return flight we encountered a group of young men of the Latter Day Saints church on their way to Utah to start their missionary service, being waved out by women and men all dressed up in their finest.
A Communal City Center Fale with beautiful wood carving pictures
Pago Pago lived up to my expectations of the real Pacific, with beaches, wonderful tattooed people (not bare breasted any more, although I saw bare butts - see pictures). The only modern day pollution, such as the Starkist factory and McDonalds are unavoidable blemishes this day and age.
McDonald’s Samoan offerings. They love spam in these regions
Talking about tattoos, the word “Tatou” originated in the Pacific, where this tradition rivals the Egyptian pyramids in age, we were privileged to witness the annual Tattoo festival at Tisa’s Barefoot Cafe.
Tisa’s Barefoot Bar
Chief Tisa
Was very painful in the olden days without the electrical aids of today. We were told there are many older people with unfinished tattoos
A half hour out of town on a small cove with a sandy beach lies a bamboo erected cafe built by Tisa, the talking chief for her community and her husband Candy Man, where every year the island’s Tattoo festival is held.
An overview of the festivities
Here is the butt picture of a newly inducted chief
Still showing his butt unlike the other two
It was our privilege to be included as guests at this very local event, where new entrants in the society show off their tattoos and where swaying local dances are performed and local arts are displayed. It is here where I was confronted with the butt of a new young chief that was a passenger on our flight in, as he returned from the States after completing both his bachelors degree at the university of Oregon as well as his missionary period in Utah.
Island atmosphere pictures
There we also met a never ceasing talking New Yorker, who came here 20 plus years ago and stayed writing now his fifth unpublished book about Pacific historical mysteries. Unlike my plan B, where I would have had to supplement my lifestyle selling coffee to tourists, his social security check sufficed here to allow him the profession of undiscovered writer.
Starkist Tuna in front of factory
The biggest employer here
Having a break or waiting for public transportation at the end of shift
I think the last paragraph aptly summarizes my life’s successes, as unlike the New Yorker, I visited this paradise late in life.
This was also where we had the pleasure of consuming after many weeks of Asian cuisine our own American cuisine, such as a baked potato with a 1 lb ribeye.
Just another picture of down time leisure
After all we were in the good old US of A.
On the way back we flew above a rainbow
Cloud formations drift lazily below us
Forbidden activities for visitors in American Samoa: 1. Study for credit 2. Employment 3. Work as a foreign press, radio, film, journalist, or other media. 4. Apply for residency. 5. Apply for extension of stay in American Samoa, except in emergency situations.
Thought you might find below copied info from their visitor website interestingAmerican Samoa’s islands make up the eastern part of the Samoan Archipelago, whose people are Polynesian. Archaeologists state early Polynesians traveled from South East Asia into the Pacific populating the islands of the western Pacific from Papua New Guinea to Tonga and Samoa. It was from to Tonga and Samoa sometime later that they migrated east and populated the Cook Islands, Niue, Tahiti and Rapanui (Easter Island) before heading north to Hawaii and south to Aotearoa (New Zealand) on the last legs of the great Polynesian migration. Today Samoan’s are regarded as the largest full blooded Polynesian race left in the world. Fa’a Samoa or the Samoan way is the foundation of Samoan society culture and heritage. Aiga or extended family is the core of the Fa’a Samoa, where at the head of the family are matai or chiefs and each family member has their role to play in their tautua, or service to the extended family. Our customs and culture are over 3,000 years old and has changed very little over this period. The most major western influence accepted into Samoan custom has been Christianity which forms the spiritual basis of our society.
FA'A SAMOA
Fa’a Samoa or the Samoan Way is the foundation of Samoan society culture and heritage. Aiga or extended family is the core of the Fa’a Samoa, where at the head of the family are matai’s or chiefs and each family member has their role to play in their tautua, or service to the well being of the extended family throughout life. Christianity is also a major foundation block in Fa’a Samoa.
CUSTOMS & CULTURE
Fa’a Samoa customs and culture are over 3000 years old and have changed very little over this period. The most major western influence accepted into Samoan customs has been Christianity which forms the spiritual basis of our society.
Our culture and customs are based around the mutual respect given to our elders, the church, visitors, and the extended family.
Matai or chiefs make up the heads of the extended family units and each person has their duties to play in the well being of the family and its members and come together when ever needed.
Absolutely beautiful pictures and very interesting commentary!!!! Experiencing your fabulous blog is just like being there!!! What a fantastic slice of life on the other side of the world!!!!:):):):):):) So looking forward to more of your delightful exploits!!!!!!
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