So this morning bright and early I set out to pick up Jan and George from the harbor. I knew very little about them except that Jan would be wearing a white hat. This did me absolutely no good since the average age on the ship was about 55 and white hats seem to be very popular amongst women in their 50s. Fortunately they found me and soon enough we were on our way. The drive from town to Fagatele Bay is incredibly beautiful - particularly if your only expectations come from the Lonely Planet guidebook which has the following to say about American Samoa: "Despite the palm-trees-wafting-in-the-trade-winds image, American Samoa is something of an oddity in the South Pacific. Hastily Americanised in the 1960s, the islands have all the ugly results of commercial an cultural imperialism sticking out from behind the fronds." Now I'm not saying that the McDonalds next to the airport isn't a bit of an eyesore but I think it is a safe assumption that most visitors to American Samoa don't come expecting much and are pleasantly surprised by what they find. Jan and George were no exception. They ooh'ed and ahh'ed all the way to Fagatele while I confirmed (or denied) different rumors they had heard about the island. Is that really the most profitable McDonalds in the world? True. Are there really more churches in American Samoa than households? Basically True. Do the buses really play bad 1980s rap music at six in the morning so loud that you can't hear yourself think? All the time!
The hike to Fagatele was lovely as always. It was a beautiful clear day but unfortunately we did not spot any whales (there have been loads of sightings lately). After the hike Jan and George inquired about a place to purchase binoculars. I wasn't exactly sure where to purchase such an item (I am quite sure we don't have any bird watchers here on island) but when in doubt there is always Cost U Less (the island version of Cosco)! Well they didn't have binoculars but Jan was able to pick up a pair of nifty sunglasses. Next on the trip was snorkeling. We hadn't gone snorkeling at Fagatele Bay because the tide was still pretty low and it can be quite tricky navigating over the coral in a foot of water. However by this time it was a bit later in the day and Jan and George were quite keen to see some fish. After some deliberations we decided to drive to the east side of the island to $2 beach. Jan had recently been in a car accident and didn't want to walk too much and $2 beach is very accessible being right off the road. Plus we would have a chance to drive by the Tuna Canneries and Tisa's Barefoot Bar, two locations the tour director said were must sees (although I cannot possibly think why - at least as far as the canneries are concerned). Fortunately the smell wasn't too bad as we past by and we safely arrived at $2 beach.
My friends live right across the street so we parked in their driveway, chatted with the neighbors and were soon in the water. I am always a little hesitant to take people out snorkeling in American Samoa because very often people are very quick to judge. "I saw more fish in Hawaii" or "the coral cover is much more extensive in Fiji" seem to be some of the first things out of tourists mouths when they snorkel here. Fortunately (for me) Jan and George had not enjoyed snorkeling in Maui at all (due to bad weather and poor visibility) so they were very impressed by the various fish species they spotted. After snorkeling I had to drop off the government truck and then Jan and George treated me to a wonderful Sashimi lunch at Sooks Sushi, my favorite sashimi restaurant on island. The ambiance (christmas lights and large plastic plants) is a little odd but the food is delicious and the portions are huge. After our late lunch we said our goodbyes and they headed back to the ship on foot. Good hike, good snorkeling, good company...just another day on the job in American Samoa!
No comments:
Post a Comment