Author: richwest3

September 17/18, 2012

It’s Sunday in American Samoa but Monday in Western Samoa. Our return flight to Apia is on the 18^th in Western Samoa… no, in American Samoa. That’s Sunday here, but Monday there. Western Samoa decided they didn’t like the placement of the international date line and last year they moved it so they could be on the same day as New Zealand.

Where are the ticket agents? Where do we check in? Knock, knock. No answer. Next door. Knock knock. No answer. We hear the 10:30 AM flight’s been canceled. The next flight is 2:30 PM. Are we on it?

Finally, we find someone. He takes our confirmation number and goes away for a long time. When he comes back, he’s reluctant to point out that I booked our flight for tomorrow, not today. That would be Monday here, Tuesday in Apia. Oh well, I guess we’ll have to stay in this paradise another day. Darn.

When we get back to our boat in Apia tomorrow, we’ll have to hustle. We need to get laundry done, grocery shop for the three day passage to Tonga, check out of the port, change the engine oil and probably do 20 other things I can’t think of right now. Oh, the relaxing cruising life! -Rich

September 16, 2012

One reason cruisers like to go to American Samoa is the shopping. There is a Costco-like store and a supermarket that sell American goods. Both of these were right by our hotel, and we had come prepared with a giant shopping bag to fill and bring back with us to Western Samoa (we hoped they’d let us carry it on the plane).

We went to the Cost-U-Less first (the Costco-like store) and bought some wonderful things: a big bag of Famous Amos cookies, 3 large bags of plain and peanut M & Ms, a bag of mini Hershey bars, several boxes of Kraft Mac n Cheese, and six large cans of chicken. Unfortunately, the only good-quality (not instant or Folgers) coffee they sold was whole-bean coffee, and we don’t have a grinder. We had found treasure, but not the Holy Grail.

We then headed to the supermarket and made a beeline for the coffee section. And there it was, the holiest of Holy Grails: Starbucks coffee! We excitedly loaded up, taking 5 packages and leaving one. (I am now kicking myself for not taking that last one, but we only had so much room in our bag).

Fitting everything into the shopping bag was a challenge, but we did it. And in the end, they did let us bring everything on the plane. I wish I’d gotten that last bag of coffee, though, even if I had to tie it on my head and call it a hat. -Cyndi

September 16, 2012

Moana O Sina is a small but beautiful little hotel we went to check out for some friends who were coming over. It was a wonderful place, but I am including it here because of one extraordinary feature: the pool. It sits right on top of a lava-rock shoreline which gets pounded with waves. The feeling of the hotel and grounds is so peaceful and quiet, like a Japanese garden, with a very quiet pool area except for the waves crashing just beyond it. The two things just don’t seem to go together and it makes for a stunning setting.

There was a famous site a few miles away called “Turtle and Shark.” It was lovely and dramatic with waves breaking over the rocks, but I think the Moana O Sina takes the prize. -Cyndi

September 16, 2012

The National Park of Samoa looks over the north side of the island and has a scenic drive with beautiful coastal views. -Cyndi

September 16, 2012

I’m not sure when my infatuation started, but for as long as I can remember I have loved fruit bats. The big leathery wings, the furry bodies, the pointy snouts, and the beady eyes . . . what’s not to love about that?

The National Park in American Samoa has fruit bats, and I was on a mission to see at least one. As we drove through the park, I kept my eyes fixed on the treetops. Finally, I saw a shape that could be a fruit bat. I made Rich pull over immediately, and we walked back to the tree to examine the brown shape near the top. After some time, we saw it move: it was indeed a bat!

Rich will never understand how I managed to spot that bat from the road, but true love always finds a way. -Cyndi

(Rich… If only she felt this strongly about me!)