September 15, 2012
The first place we wanted to see was Pago Pago, the famous deep-water harbor that many cruisers (including us) dream about seeing but often don’t because of its mixed reputation. It’s beautiful, but it has a few downsides including a bottom so littered with debris that anchors can get hopelessly caught or end up dragging, a tuna processing plant which produces pungent aromas, some unattractive old buildings scattered along the shore, a tendency for litter to wash into the bay, and of course the gray skies and rain.
Pago Pago has all these things, but it is still magical. The harbor is big and deep, nearly cutting the island in half. Mountains tower above the blue green water in the bay, and while much of the style of the place seems stuck in 1949, that is part of its charm. -Cyndi
