Feb 4, Pago Pago, American Samoa
American Samoa
Pago Pago Bay is one of the most dramatic harbors in the South Pacific, a region known for dramatic landscapes. Eons ago, the massive seaward wall of a volcano collapsed and the sea poured in. Today, dramatic mountain peaks encircle the deep harbor. The capital of American Samoa, Pago Pago is more village than city. The town is dominated by looming Mt. Pioa, whose summit draws moisture-bearing clouds, earning it the nickname of "The Rainmaker." Indeed, Pago Pago draws more than its fair share of rain - the island of Tutuila is a vision of deep, verdant green. Pronounced "Pango Pango," this island paradise awaits exploration.
American Samoa is a US Territory and its citizens are US Nationals, not US Citizens. Home to the only US National Park in the Southern Hemisphere (below the equator).
Far out view showing many islands in the area
American Samoa and Samoa are two different sets of islands. American Samoa is on one side of the International Dateline so it is the same day as the US. Samoa is more tied to New Zealand and the other Pacific Islands in between so it is on the other side.
We docked on time by 9 am but it took awhile for them to get everything in order to get off.
Even on a day when you can get off, there are still lots of things going on on the ship. But we like to get off.
I never know where I am going to get to ride the backpack for these trips
Coming into port
We were the 2nd cruise ship since before COVID so they were excited to see us. Talofal is there word for Hello in Samoan
The have redone their buses to have all wood inside and plexiglass window. The seats are wood too. No cushion!!
First stop was at their historic Tram site. It was not fixed after an accident when an airplane hit the wire.
We got a good view of the ship.
They kept telling us to watch where we stood and not right under a Coconut Palm Tree. They would really hurt if it hit you in the head!!
Next was the most exciting stop for Toni and Rob. They like visiting national parks and this was one they never thought they would see. And they got their National Park Passport book stamped.
They had some really neat display of the whales, dolphins and big fish.
And even a whale skull
And they had an amazing National Park Ranger that was really happy to see me.
She asked me to sign in to the visitor log book.
Our next stop was to see some wildlife. These are bats that they call Flying Foxes since the are so big. They have 3 foot wingspans.
"Large flying foxes, also known as fruit bats, are one of the more unusual animals in American Samoa, especially for visitors from areas where bats are small and rarely seen. Three species inhabit our islands – two large fruit bats (Pteropus samoensis, P. tonganus) and a small insect-eating bat (Emballonura semicaudata). These three are the only native mammals in the Samoan islands." https://www.nps.gov/teachers/classrooms/frubat.htm
One of our tour guides took a picture with me.
At another stop, we weren't allowed to go into the water!!
Our bus
Last stop was to see Flower Pot islands just offshore. They legend has it that...
"A fisherman named Fatu was out at sea fighting off a shark when his wife Futi approached the shoreline. Worried about her husband she began to enter the water. He called out to her to stay away, but she didn’t listen. In an effort to save her he turned himself into a vast rock situated between the shark and his wife. She became so distraught, she also turned herself to rock to always be near him."
And when we left the port, we saw it again from the ship
The biggest industry on the Island is fishing and the biggest company is Starkist. They had a statue of Charlie the Tuna that we got to get a picture of.
American and American Samoa flags
At the end of the tour, they had samples of local fruits and snacks. Rob liked the banana chips
They also demonstrated how to crack a coconut with a rock. Inside was the coconut water.
Then he shaved all the coconut meat out of the shell before squeezing the meat through the hair from the coconut husk. Then the poured the milk into the shell of the nut.
We walked around town after the tour. As we were stopping by the Fire Department, one of their trucks went out on a call. But I got to meet one of the Fireman and see their big truck
And I visited the United States Post Office though it was closed.
Getting a little help on the way out.
Got to see the airport on the way out
Back aboard ship and after getting cleaned up, we went to the buffet. And they had made a peacock out of a watermelon, fruits and vegetables.
Dessert and a nap out by the pool and Movies under the Stars.
A few days at sea coming up as we now head southwest to New Zealand. And we will again cross the International dateline near Tonga tomorrow but the ship won't skip the day until we get near 180 degrees longitude which is half way around the world from 0 degrees longitude. That 0 degree line goes through Greenwich in London and why time and timezones go by Greenwich Mean Time. "Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) is the mean solar time at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London, counted from midnight." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenwich_Mean_Time
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