Magnificent Ocean Scenes abound

Pago Pago, the capital of American Samoa,  comprises of a string of coastal villages on Tutuila Island. The letter “g” in Samoan sounds like “ng”; thus Pago Pago is pronounced “pahngo pahngo”. It’s a gateway to the National Park of American Samoa, which protects lush rainforest, coral reefs and waters visited by humpback whales.

It was quite a sail from Maui, Hawaii down here. 2,575 nautical miles to be precise, more than 6 days, during which quite a few of the 2,500 passengers got an upper respiratory infection that did not want to go away. Upon arrival there were a couple of ambulances waiting at the bottom. Some passengers were taking off the ship. Of course you want to go on land, although you don’t feel like it. We went to find Vicks Vaporub, but at the end of the day all we found was some kind of local cold remedy that featured the name Vicks but did nowhere near have  its potency. We know, we’re experts on the matter.

J.P. Haydon Museum

Fagatogo village (the capital?!) is home to the Jean P. Haydon Museum, exhibiting local historic artifacts in a former U.S. Navy facility. A trail leads up to Blunts Point Battery, a WWII gun site

After several centuries of colonial back and forth between England, Germany and the USA, Pago Pago finally became a US territory in 1900. The reason for the long fight was actually the natural deep, very protected harbor of Pago Pago and the fact that the island was located smack in the middle of the best whaling grounds in the world. Always keen to discover good deals, the Americans quickly figured out they could catch and process large predatory fish such as tuna and swordfish right off the deep harbor.

During our ship’s arranged tour we learned that Tuna canning is the main economic activity in town. Exports are almost exclusively from tuna canneries such as  Chicken of the Sea and Starkist (Heinz), which are both located in Pago Pago. 14% of the population is employed here and they export close to half a billion US dollars of canned fish and pet food a year.

He just drove while she talked…

Our tour vehicle needs a separate description for readers that are not used to exotic islands and road conditions. We’re talking a 1975 or there about, chassis of a Ford/Chevy or Datsun/Toyota truck, completely rebuild with a passenger wagon, hand-built for some 12 to 16 passengers and decorated by everything that  may make you feel comfortable such as curtains and kitchen items or religious relics of questionable history. The tour was only $25 per person, but on several occasions we thought the truck’s sounds indicated it was done and over with. Probably that is the charm however. The driver and his wife with an unpronounceable mile long name took us around the middle of the island with many little villages up and down the road. What’s interesting is to see that many houses have their own little graveyards, only meant for family. This is a clear indicator that communities have longevities. Samoans hold on to their circles. But the question arises after seeing a for sale sign on a house; does that include the graves? And here is where I learn something about humanity.

When Samoans sell their home, which happens to include a couple of graves, they will perform the ritual for re-interring human remains, which is termed liutofaga. It involves opening of the grave, removing the bones, oiling them and, with accompanying prayers, wrapping them in tapa cloth for re-interment elsewhere. Life can be make so simple, doesn’t it?

After a couple of photo stops, we are returned to the cruise docks, give a quick goodbye to the local representative and mount the Ships Planck for a late afternoon liquid snack. We’re both feeling the respiratory pressure so we decide on room service for the evening. Maybe a lot of hot chicken soup will do the trick. We hope so.

Pago Pago is a South Pacific Island that has been touched by western culture, but somehow managed to keep an authenticity about it. It’s literally located in the middle of nowhere Pacific Ocean, which is probably the reason why it kept some local color.

Yes she knows how to milk the cow...

Typical Cruise ship docking in islands

A cute local dance show performance

Cruise tourists sitting all over the place

Great Local Food, but nobody's hungry

Breadfruit and Taro

Churches are the center of their daily lives

Peaceful Village communities on Pago Pago

Inspite of feeling sick....there's that smile

Proud local customs official

Port of Call: Honolulu, Oahu is often called the “Heart of Hawaiʻi” You’ll find stunning beaches all over the island — Waimea Bay (summer), Waikiki Beach, and Lanikai Beach, just to name a few. While these beaches are significantly more crowded than what you’ll find on Maui,

The name O’ahu occurs frequently among Maori place names and the meaning usually accepted is the literal one, “windy place. Sometimes called “The Gathering Place,” Oʻahu certainly lives up to its name. From a tropical paradise in the 1950, this third largest Hawaiian island is now home to the majority of Hawaiʻi’s diverse population, a fusion of East and West cultures mostly rooted in the values and traditions of the Native Hawaiian people (Maori).

Our bus trip to the Polynesian Culture Center took us through Honolulu’s Waikiki beach past China Man’s Hat island into the rain forest. Han noticed that the former 4-lane Interstate Highway 1 had changed to Interstate H1 covering 27 miles on Oahu ? Apparently nobody in government has yet to realize that an Interstate Highway on an island in the middle of the Pacific is a pretty ignorant statement.

En route to Polynesian Cultural Center

Chinaman's Hat Island in the distance

Hawaiian Beach Wave Action

Hawaii is waiting for the sun

Oahu on a rainy day

Peaceful Easy Feelings

The Polynesian Cultural Center is an initiative of the Mormon Church of Latter Day Saints, who in the early 1960 build the 24 acre park to create jobs for its Polynesian students at the local Brigham Young University subsidiary.

Our O’ahu port of call day was completely taken up by a cruise ship tour visit to the Polynesian Cultural Center up on the northeast coast. A full day package sets you back about $200 per person, which includes drive, visits of the exhibits, dinner and evening show. Be prepared to do some real walking, because this park covers 8 Pacific Island nations with their own villages and cultural centers, designed inside a web of ponds and canals. We visited all of them, participated in many of the cultural activities, canoed on the canals and even got a lesson in playing the Ukulele, which instrument was apparently brought to the Hawaiian Islands by Portuguese fishermen in the 19th century.

By late afternoon we were hungry enough to attack the enormous spread prepared for us at the huge restaurant, followed by a Pacific Island show including Hulu dancing and ancient rituals.

We got back to the ship around 11pm, ready for a good night’s sleep. Our step meter for the day said 12,843 steps. Port of Call Oahu was a still good day although Han felt already the beginnings of a head cold.

Fetching some coconuts

Ukelele fun

Hawaii Polynesian Cultural Center; Oahu's premier attraction

Canoeing in the local ponds

Restaurant at the Polynesian Cultural Center

Restaurant Conch Shell decorations

Dinner at the Polynesian center

Ukelele lesson in the Cultural Center