Pago Pago an interesting place..
You arrive around 9:45pm on a Monday or Friday night, as there are only two international flights a week scheduled for American Samoa. To add to the challenge of getting there, both flights are from one location – Honolulu. American Samoa is located half way between Hawaii and New Zealand and consists of five main islands and two coral atolls. The largest and most populous island is Tutuila and the Manu’a Islands of Ta’u, Olosega and Ofu are about 100kms/60miles to the east. The capital and largest city is Pago Pago (pronounced Paango Paango) and is located on Tutuila Island. Because of its mass of sharp edges and pointy peaks it is know by the locals as “The Rock”. The 55,000 residents are American Nationals (not citizens), as American Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the United Sates. Located 1,600kms/1,000miles south of the equator, these islands enjoy a hot and humid climate year round. Fortunately there always seems to be a steady breeze. The difference between temperature highs and lows is minimal - highs of 31/88 to lows of 26/79, basically pretty warm day and night.
Island Buses and the Samoan Way of Life..
Because of the very limited opportunities to get to the Manu’a Islands, I had three days to lay over in Pago Pago. The Island Buses are the sure way to see and experience the Samoan Way of Life. In three days I did not see one other touristy kind of person on the bus. These buses are colourfully painted on the outside and have very simple interiors (plywood seats). The area over and around the driver’s seats are where the bus divers display their own artistic expression. This runs from pretty sketchy to very tacky. No worries about distracted drivers here. On one of my rides, the driver (while driving) was playing music videos through the music system (loud, it was always loud) and watching the video at the same time on his cell phone, all on a winding coastal road. No scary moments, he was actually pretty skilled at driving distracted.
The buses provided a great way to get introduced to the Samoan Way of Life. For one dollar you could ride anywhere on the island. People on the bus where always friendly and offering me advice on when to get off and where to go. Once close to lunch time, someone told me to try a BBQ Chicken Shack. I got off and had a lunch that proved more food than I had bargained for. The buses provided a great way to get introduced to the Samoan Way of Life. For one dollar you could ride anywhere on the island.
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