Pago Pago – American Samoa

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 Pago Pago is pronounced Pango Pango.  I have heard of a silent “e”.  I guess this must be a mystery “n”.  There are only about 60,000 people on this volcanic island. During WWII there were more marines on the island than locals. A tablemate told us Pago Pago was one of the prettiest of the South Pacific Islands. This gave us pause as neither of us had ever heard much about the place. We were just planning to get haircuts and hit the internet café while there.  We decided we needed to listen to the port lecture; maybe we would be missing something. You be the judge, but I am thinking this woman doesn’t work for the local Chamber of Commerce. She started her lecture by telling us about a beautiful government mansion we could see as the ship enters the port. “Look as we pass” she said, “As you aren’t allowed to tour it”.  She continued, “The Island had two terrible cyclones in 1990 and 1991; you still can see some remnants of this at the harbor.  There is also a quite historic building in town, called the Korean House, but the original house burned to the ground. Also interesting to see are the ruins of a cable car. It was quite famous as it had the longest spans of cable but … a navy airplane plowed into the cable car, then crashed into a hotel, killing eight people, including two tourists. They started rebuilding the cable car years later but a hurricane struck and destroyed it again so there are just the vestiges to view now.  On the Island you can still notice the tragic effects of the Tsunami that battered Pago Pago in the 2009, killing 170 of the locals.” Geez, to heck with a tour, after her spiel, now I am just hoping we will get off the island alive!  She continues on with her “sales” pitch, “There is a lovely natural park where you can see one species of Samoan Starling. You might also see a bat. There is a beautiful scenic walk  one might enjoy – but allow 3 hours to go up the hill, as it is quite a climb, and 2 hours to come down (downward trip may be quicker by wheelchair) .  One of the prettiest sites on the whole island is the Nu’uuli Falls.  Be advised however, it is quite a hike past a large pig farm and through the jungle – it is probably best to go with a guide”.  Wow, now we are really hooked, a hot, humid hike past a pig farm. She goes on, “There is a national monument here, Blunts Battery, unfortunately, it is not maintained and is in pretty bad disrepair. We advise you not to swim in the harbor as the water and beaches are a bit polluted by the Tuna canneries adjoining the Harbor. The area is also kind of stinky” she reports.  At this point I am wondering if she has forgotten that her job was to promote this place, not ensure everyone would opt to stay aboard ship.  “Just so you are prepared” she warns, “it will be very hot and humid and at this time of year there is always one or two heavy rainstorms every day - so plan to get wet. In fact, Somerset Maugham’s book/movie with the Sadie Thompson character, called “Rain” was written right here”. She carries on with her lecture, “You may also take a local bus tour around the island. The buses aren’t air-conditioned and the guide doesn’t have a microphone so you might not be able to hear him. The local guides are usually students and aren’t that well informed, but are very friendly and often break into song, which can be quite fun.    Geez, this all sounds so wonderful – do we really only get to stay one day? Maybe a better question is why are we even dropping anchor? This was all just a prelude to our Island visit. If there is anything she didn’t cover, I will report on it tomorrow once we have actually toured this island paradise ourselves