Day 43 21st February 2011

Pago Pago Town

Pago Pago harbour

Aurora in Pago Pago

We spent today at Pago Pago (pronounced Pango Pango apparently because Missionaries had a broken ‘n’ on their typewriter) which is American Samoa and thus part of the USA. Immediately on the quayside the local people had set up a large market. Cruise ships are an important part of the local economy. None of the tours today used vehicles that could transport a wheelchair so we were unable to go on them. Instead we went for a walk in the local town. The island has a small area of flat land near the coast and then the ground rises very steeply. It is beautiful and green with houses built on stilts on the steep sides of the hills. One reason for the lush vegetation is the rain and we were greeted with a tropical shower which only lasted about 30 minutes but did deposit a lot of water.

The walk into town was easy with most pavements having dropped kerbs. We went into a local church which was being renovated and had lovely carved wooden ceiling. Unlike many places it had a ramp up to the main door. A little further away from the ship we found a small supermarket that was clearly for the local people. We bought two bottles of local beer, crisps and two ice creams. We were looking to buy local tuna but it was all imported from Vietnam. The person in front of us used food stamps to buy her groceries and that perhaps indicates that this is not a rich place. The prices were similar to the UK and considerably cheaper than Bora Bora. The local people are very polite and friendly. We sat on a wall and enjoy the scenery while eating the ice cream.

On the walk we had noticed a restaurant called the Sadie Thompson Inn with disabled access (the main way in was up a flight of stairs) and decide to have lunch there. It was typical American restaurant offers steak, burgers etc but also local fish. So we had wahoo and chips with local beer (i.e. Vailima). The wahoo was a firm white fish not unlike whiting. At first we were the only customers but some local people joined us.

After lunch we returned to the market and systematically looked at every stall and considered every object. The heat was intense and the temperature was around 30c with a degree of humidity. The stall holders were pleasant and relaxed. There was no hard sell here but rather the same courtesy that we had encountered everywhere else on our walk. Again prices were modest compared to the other islands. Everyone spoke American English except the small children who talked to us in Samoan.

Pago Pago is a lovely island with pleasant people and we enjoyed our simple stay. The ship left at about 4 pm and the trip out revealed more of this green and enjoyable island. I liked this island far more than Bora Bora. People lived and worked here while Bora Bora seemed like a hotel complex.