American Samoa

 Pago Pago, American Samos  April 11, 2025

 Westerdam arrived on time in Pagopago and we walked right off the ship into a bustling market area.

This is our third visit to American Samoa and tourism had been updated with the many local vendors on hand.

What a wonderful greeting!

Larry wanted to visit the National Park again so he spoke to the local Ranger 

The locals decorated many of the posts and signs lavishly with tropical plants.

Samoan Police Officers wearing lavalavas, a fabric wrapped around the waist. I have become a believer that wearing a skirt is much cooler in a hot, humid climate than wearing pants.

Bundles of leaves for wrapping food to cook on hot coals 

The market had lots of local fruits and veggies.... especially coconuts and bananas.

I enjoyed the fresh green woven baskets that the coconuts were in.

 

The ship had warned us about staying away from the local dogs on all the islands, but these two were so laid back....I'm sure it was due to the heat.

Just a mile outside of Pagopago,  we found the National Park, the most southern national park in the United States.

Birds of Samoa

Wish we could have spotted one of these,

Colored Fruit Dove

 

We did see the large Samoan Bats the last time we visited.

 After cooling off in the National Park Headquarters,  we walked across the street to catch a local bus. There was a bit of a problem getting the local buses to stop.

Larry had a conversation with this gentleman and he flagged one of his buddy bus drivers over to pick us up.

 He ended up staying with us the whole day. It was like having a personal guide.

Samoans show their American spirit by showing a lot of red, white, and blue.

        One lone palm tree....very unusual.

Our driver, Paco, gave us a personalized tour of American Samoa. We have two international friends  for life. 

             Chickens are also all over Samoa.

                  Blue skies smiling at me.

The Westerdam docked in warm blue waters 

          It is strange how the water color   

 changes with the direction the sun is shining.

More red, white, and blue

Palapas are great spots for locals to gather to have  a little social time.

What a lovely spot to kick back and catch the ocean breezes.

The mountains in Samoa are so scenic.

These hammocks are a perfect spot to relax.

Our new friend, Sam, was a great tour guide.

That afternoon we jammed with a crew member and our Nova Scotia friend, Mike.

The end of an exciting day in American Samoa