A Day in the Life (Commuting in Paradise)

      American Samoa is a polyglot mixture of strange, wonderful, odd and beautiful sights. But the highlight of any day is, yes, of all things the commute to work. Let me show you why.

Daylight begins by 6:00 a.m. The roosters have been crowing for a couple hours by now, but after the first couple days they fade into background noise. With the warmth and the sun, getting up is easy. I usually leave for work well before 7:00 a.m. Here's the Batmobile, looking toward the sea, my trusty steed ready to take me away to work:

Ready to go to work.

Up the bumpy driveway, I come out to a suburban road and turn left at the Sogi store:

Left onto the street.

Leone, my village, lies toward the west end of the island, on the coast. It's not the end of the road, for that goes on for another 15 miles, winding around small villages which cling to the shore. Beautiful, but very small and isolated. Aside from a few small stores (similar to the Sogi store) there is absolutely nothing commercial either in Leone or west of here. Here's a couple photos, just for getting the flavor:

Welcome to Leone

Leone street

Main road, heading north/east

Main road again; note tires as lawn decor.

North & east, past Pago Pago, is similar to the west side. Only small villages and nothing commercial at all (but Tisa's is up this way). Even more beautiful, as the beaches look better, but very few people live up there. I haven't explored that end much yet; it is coming up later on.

     The bulk of the island's population, and virtually all its commercial areas, are between Leone and Pago Pago, actually between Leone and Nu'uuli south of Pago. That is a relatively level plain, no more than 8 miles long and at maximum not even 2 miles wide. There are stores, shopping, auto dealers, the airport, all in that small area, as well as the vast bulk of the population. Leone is a pretty well-to-do suburb occupying the western part of this plain. Here are a few photos from this area, you can get the rather open feel here. My morning drive runs through this kind of neighborhood for about 4 miles. Remember, at a speed no more than 25 mph, that's at least 10 minutes. One feature of Samoa is that you always are driving behind some Samoan for whom 25 mph is way too exciting, so they must go far slower to maintain their sanity. When that person turns off, invariably another just as slow turns on right in front of you:

Ubiquitous pickup truck in front.

The next 4 miles or so is through the commercial area. Traffic is heavier and if possible slower here, with many stops and starts. It's also neither pretty nor very interesting. One exception is Zeek's Treats in Nu'uuli. Here's a photo of Zeek's:

Zeek's

I found Zeek's in about my second week, searching for a cup of coffee for the morning. Here's typical coffee in a Samoan convenience type store (pretty much all there is here): there's a pot of hot water, with which you fill your cup. Next to it is a jar of Maxwell House Instant and a spoon in a cup of water. Yes, the spoon you use for getting the instant into your cup and stirring to get – viola – coffee. Then the spoon goes back into the cup of water for the next guy. That'll be $1, please.

Zeek's has real coffee, brewed, and also real rolls and pastries. It ain't Margo's, but its a sure sight better than instant. So now I've developed a friendship with the people at Zeek's (maybe one of them is Zeek?) and stop in every day to fill my insulated mug. Sometimes a cinnamon roll too. OK, often.

UPDATE:  Zeek is the son (about 3 years old) of the woman who owns the establishment.  He's cute as can be.

This rather ugly area ends shortly after Zeek's, and that's where heaven begins. Coming around a corner, the land drops away and you see nothing but open sea, waves on the reef, views all the way up island, and a road that winds around the shore for the last 4 miles into work.  The shoreline is scalloped all the way in.  Here are photos, none of which compare at all to the real thing but might give you an idea:

Breakout from Nu'uuli to coast.

First curve

Looking back.

View up the island coast; reef & waves breaking.

More up the coast, reef with breakers.

Wave action; pure, aquamarine.

The Brother, or the Flowerpot.

Freighter into port & the Flowerpot.

View up north/east coast; lagoon & Pago Pago Harbor

Tanker again & coastal view.

The island here has steep hills that drop straight down into the ocean, interspersed with some small bays where a few tiny villages cling. The road runs right against the ocean with cliffs on one side and waves on the other. It winds in and out, in a kind of scalloped pattern. Along the way are the two Flowerpots. You drive right past them too. Sometimes you see people swimming along the shore, or fishing. Sometimes you may see a big ocean freighter or tanker coming in to Pago Pago Harbor. Or maybe a sea turtle. The water is pure, clean, aquamarine. The road eventually runs into that harbor before my turn off into the Executive Office Building. More photos:

Freighter steaming past the Brother

The Second Brother (Little Flowerpot), looking back.

Tanker coming into Pago Pago, tugboat coming to help.

Curve and vista

Freighter about to enter Pago Pago harbor

See the later posting for commute videos.

The EOB has this mural by a guy named Wyland, it's supposed to be famous, it's called Year of the Reef:

Wyland mural on EOB

EOB front

I park in the back. If early I get a spot under a big shady banyan tree near the door; nice on sunny hot days. Here's what the back looks like:

EOB rear employees entrance

A close-up of the last photo:

Chickens!

     My favorite lunch spot is directly across the road, right in the park along the shore of Pago Pago Harbor. I can sit there under a fale, see the ships come & go, watch the Rainmaker mountain, just hang out awhile as I lunch. Not the Skyway, perhaps, but a pretty nice substitute. Here's photos:

My favorite lunch spot.

Here's why - looking out from Pago Pago Harbor

When I tear myself away from work to go home, the reward is that amazing stretch of road right away. It takes at least a half hour to drive, more if traffic is heavier. At home I am greeted by my adopted local puppy, “Little Guy” or simply “Pup” or "Dude". I started to feed him, and now he follows me everywhere. Here he is:

Pup - aka Little Guy aka Dude

And, last but certainly not least, the daily sunset celestial show, best enjoyed with a glass of wine and soon with Cyndi:

I'm off to Western Samoa for the weekend, will post about that upon my return. Happy New Year, talk to you all again in 2011.

Police Stop My Car (Feliz Navidad)

      Ah, Christmas in Samoa, or Police Road-e-Block (for fans of Twisted Christmas songs); thereby hang some tales. Not particularly photogenic, but it has to have been the oddest Christmas in memory. 

     Begin, of all things, with the Vikings last Monday night; the game played in the U Stadium in consequence of the Dome's collapse due to excessive snow. My plan to find a bar with a TV and catch the game was frustrated. The Batmobile had developed a bad battery. I learned that this is far from uncommon. The lives of car batteries here are measured in months, rarely years. The humidity, salt air and heat just kill them. A kindly man and utter stranger - Richard, by name - helped me get my car going by ingeniously taking the battery from another car, putting it in mine, starting my car, then removing the borrowed battery while keeping the Batmobile running. That battery got replaced into its true home, while my old one replaced in my car as it ran merrily on, hopefully to charge on my drive home. By this time, watching the Vikings lose (they did lose) was off my radar, I just wanted home. One stop - to buy that old Minnesota standby, jumper cables - on the way. Good thing; next day my battery was again deader than the proverbial doornail. So my new purchase was put to use; I got the Batmobile to a shop; I ran to get a battery; they put it in; and a chunk of Tuesday thus spent. But the Batmobile lives on! And so my Christmas present to myself was a brand new battery, hopefully the last I need to buy here, and a new set of jumper cables just in case it isn't.

Batmobile, at home, in happier times

      I ran into Richard again on Tuesday; the beer money I had advanced him Monday being but a memory, he hit me up for another session. Oh well, he took over an hour of his time to help me get going, asking nothing, so I enabled him to imbibe a second night too.

      Work intervened for a couple days, as it is wont to do, bringing us to Friday, Christmas Eve day. Whilst those of you in Minnesota were digging out yet again, and those elsewhere making last minute shopping trips, I played golf. It was a beautiful day, warm, breezy, views of the ocean to die for:

Iliili Golf Club, the range

Iliili,Golf Club, from the Clubhouse

Never before have I played golf Christmas Eve, but I can assure everyone it is a habit well worth developing. Especially as I had no responsibilities to anyone but myself here, except to call home and talk with my wonderful family on Christmas Eve. Rick & Barb Swanson were over for dinner, and thanks to Skype we had a delightful Christmas Eve chat. I make light, but absence of family on Christmas is a trial. It was great to talk; Cyndi, Lisa and Tom – love you all!

      Christmas Day dawned warm and sunny. I walked down to the nearby Catholic Church, where they were starting Mass. So I went in, was seated, and thus attended a very beautiful Samoan Christmas Mass celebration. Someone gave me a loop of flowers for around the neck (the Hawaiians call it a lei, here, some name I don't know, but they are gorgeous). Here's the Church; you may recognize it from my Christmas e-card:

Holy Cross Catholic Church, Leone

It's essentially a Samoan fale style, but with enclosed sides that are all windows. Opened, they allow in a nice breeze, making this essentially an open-air Mass. In Samoan, mostly, but I was able to follow the course of the Mass quite easily. The priest sang “It's Now or Never” solo during his sermon – enjoyed by the congregation – which morphed into his theme for the day. Much singing throughout; and in the Samoan way, the singing was strong and natural. The interior decorations made much use of that great Samoan resource, flowers – flowers of all kinds, everywhere. I didn't take a photo of the interior, though I wanted to very much, but that would not have been proper. Some day, maybe, when no ceremony is taking place.

      Later, another call home for Christmas, and on to the palagi party. Many of the non-Samoan community are, like me, here for contracts of varying length, but all are away from home at Christmas. A doctor up at the only hospital on the island hosted. Lots of food, some drink, and merriment. There was a gift exchange, with the twist that you could either pick a gift, or “steal” one already picked and that person would then have to pick again. A certain bottle of wine went around and around until it finally came to roost with one lucky soul. Not me. I ended up with a super soaker. :( The activity in the latter stages became quite interesting, with the nicer gifts stolen and re-stolen, ad nauseum. As it later turned out, good thing I didn't end up with the wine.

    Thus we come to the drive home, Christmas Day evening. As you all know, there is but one road through the island. Gotta take it, can't go round it. So the local gendarmes in their zeal to make sure everyone has a not-too-merry Christmas, set up a sobriety road block. It sat between the palagi party and my nice, comfortable bed at home. The opening dialogue went something like this:

Cop: Good evening sir. Have you been at a party?

Me: Yes, sir.

Cop: Had anything alcoholic to drink at the party?

Me: Yes I did, sir.

Cop: What did you have to drink?

Me: A couple glasses of wine, at dinner, about 4 hours ago (true!), sir.

Cop: Please pull your car over there.

Me: Yes, sir.

So for the first and hopefully last time ever, I had the privilege of following a moving pen with my eyes, walking heel to toe, and standing on one foot far too long for comfort. I can't do that stuff even without some wine several hours ago. Then I get the standard implied consent warning, and being no fool say “No, I'm not going to waive my rights and talk to you” and “Yes, please, give me that test.” It's pretty odd, spending much of my career complaining about how these tests aren't accurate, or the cops foul them up, etc. - now my evening's lodging depends on (a) the test being accurate, and (b) the cop not fouling it up either deliberately or by accident. I must confess to a few nervous moments around this time.

      But, whew, my PBT reading (whatever it was) was far below what they certainly wanted to see, so I was sent on my way home. By the way, in case anyone is wondering whatever happened to the old Breathalyzer machines once they became outmoded about 20 years ago back in the States, I can now tell you: they came here. Cutting edge stuff has American Samoa.

Cop: Have a safe drive home. Merry Christmas to you, sir.

Me: Thank you for your courtesy, sir. Merry Christmas, sir, from the bottom of my heart.

They didn't even yap at me about the rather eccentric set of lights on the Batmobile, some of which work once in a while but most of which, including those in the back, don't work often. I showed them whatever in the back of the car happened to be working right then as I moseyed away at the maximum island speed limit, a big 25 mph, all the way home.

      God must have been pleased by my attendance at mass that morning, for He kept me from drinking any more wine the last 4 hours at the palagi party! And He found me a golf course, and golf clubs too! He put flowers all over, and it is perpetually warm here. Fruit hangs from trees and sunsets light the sky every night. It's better then Eden, there are no snakes. Never has a flake of snow touched this land. Is this heaven, or what? That's what Samoan license plates say - Motu O Fiafiega – our paradise.  So, as a special photo bonus, here are flowers direct from American Samoa to you:

Along a driveway

Flowering tree

Don't know what, but Wow!

Spectacular display

      I depart Thursday on the short air hop to Western Samoa, to live in a beach fale for a couple days over New Years weekend. Good snorkeling, I'm told. No computers there, so will post that experience after my return. In the meantime, I hope to show my fa'a Samoa – my life here, starting with the most beautiful commute ever created. Keep checking in, faithful readers.

Merry Christmas Card

Manuia le Kerisimasi  from American Samoa!

                             Ma le Tausaga Fou

                                                      from Rick and Cyndi Trachy

                                                          and our children Tom and Lisa

Clockwise from top left:  American Samoa Public Defenders (Kelly, Rick, Steph, Joe, Ruth, Flo); Catholic Church in Leone; Pese Choir concert with National Tree; Missionary monument decked out for the season; Cyndi & Rick's Samoa home in Christmas decor; Pese singers 12/15/10 (ASPD and Commerce Dept.)

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all my readers and families.

Mt. Alava

     Rising high above Pago Pago Harbor are a couple of mountains both listed on the map at 1610 feet high. Mt. Pioa is called The Rainmaker, since it is reputed to catch the trade winds and make them rise, thus causing much precipitation. I don't know how true that is; it seems to rain pretty much the same all over. Something every day, usually a heavy shower followed by sunshine; often several of such each day. This weekend was rainy straight through all over, the only difference being it was heavy at times, but dripping the rest. I nonetheless got out to see a few things, and to climb the other of the two, Mt. Alava. That one has the virtue of a trail up to it. No trail to Pioa.

Mt. Alava from the harbor.  Cloudy today, can't see tower.

     Friday night I had sashimi.  Not by choice; I had dinner at a nice restaurant, got to talking with the waitress and the owner, and then he brought out samples of their other items, which included a small plate of raw tuna and some dips, mainly soy sauce based but all different.  Of course, one cannot ignore such generosity so I steeled myself and ate one.  It was actually very good; firm, not squishy; I finished the plate and remain alive today.  But it's unlikely I will order it as a main course!

     Saturday, in between rain squalls, I went to see Leone Falls, right near my home village. It's in the guidebooks, and marked on maps. They show a trail. But don't believe everything you read about Samoa. THEY LIE! There is indeed a Leone Falls, and I saw it, but very few others will. It's on private property (almost everything here is private family property). Turns out that the family owning it has a branch living right next door to me, so I got some instructions from young Spikey about how to get there and also see the place. It's at the end of a road that runs up into a valley. Way at the end is a house, and at the house are a half dozen Samoan dogs. These aren't cute little Fluffy pets, they're big and vicious, and came out snarling and barking when I parked & got out. So I stayed put until a resident came out; I explained why I was there, he recognized me from the neighborhood (he plays football outside my place) and was happy to show me. Not a long hike, but a trail that was rough, muddy, rocky, and hard to hike even with a guide who called off the dogs. He says they keep the dogs around just to keep tourists away. Seems to work; I wasn't going up there without him. Long ago the Navy cemented up the pool and ran pipes down to the village for water. The remnants of that work are still here, spoiling what would otherwise be a beautiful jungle sight. My guide says that kids still do come here to swim in the fresh water. Anyway, without further ado, here's a couple photos of Leone Falls; it's a sheer drop, maybe 30 – 40 feet, into a small pool:

Leone Falls, with pool below

Path up to Leone Falls

Leone Falls, wide view

Later I drove down the coast again retracing my steps of the first weekend. But since everything is private, and it started raining heavily again, I backed up.

     Sunday I went to climb the other mountain over Pago Pago harbor, Mt. Alava. It rained, lightly, most of the way. Except when it rained heavily, which it did all the way back down. I was the only person anywhere around. The trail up is run as part of the National Park here. It's a 4wd road, very rough, often very muddy and when not muddy it was steep & rocky. It runs, per the map, along the main ridge in the middle of this island through a tropical rain forest. Again, don't trust maps, THEY LIE! It does run near the ridge, but the jungle is so thick that it is little more than a passage blasted through; except for a few openings, you can't see out or down to either side. You can see jungle, lots of it, and there are birds of many kinds. My favorite was the Tropic bird, which is a pure white soaring bird with a long tail, looking much like a frigate bird but all white. They soar along, often below you back dropped by jungle canyons and ridges. Much too far away to get a good photo. After almost 2 hours climb, up & down & up & down I reached the summit and got some photos; here are a few:

Matafou, highest on island.  A very difficult climb.

Matalia Point, north side of the island.

Pago Pago Harbor; Utulei (on right) where I work.

Pago Pago village; tsunami blasted it last year.

Mt Pioa (the Rainmaker) from Mt. Alava summit.

Looking SW down the Tutuila coastline.

     At the summit are the remains of an old cable car tower and the local TV antenna. Years ago someone got the brilliant idea to run a cable up from the harbor area below, then use a cable car to haul tourists up the mountain. So they built it, and it didn't work well. Between breakdowns and few tourists, the thing just failed years ago. Whats left are the towers and pulleys, rusting away. Much like the Rainmaker Hotel, which was a big development a few decades back, down on the harbor near Pago Pago. They built this big modern hotel which slowly deteriorated over the years, and was then mismanaged into oblivion. It sits there still, holes in the roof, falling apart, unused. It's right near where I work, prime location on the waterfront. The tsunami last year did its share too, making it even worse. More pictures from Mt Alava:

Trail up to Mt. Alava.

Trail down from Mt. Alava; note bamboo grove.

National Park Service sign; my route.

Made it! Arrival at the summit.

Old, rusty cable car apparatus at the top.

NPS sign about this island of Tutuila.

Click the maps to open in a new tab, then enlarge it to read.

     You can see much damage from the tsunami all around Pago Pago and the harbor. Everything in Pago itself that was near the harbor was wrecked, much of it still there, rotting away. Up the road it also wrecked among other things the old-style High Court building (they hold court now in a temporary building nearby), the Governor's offices and the National Park Info Center. We the American taxpayer have sent much money, millions, over here to Am Sam as tsunami relief. Lots of it just isn't there anymore. No one seems to know where it went, but everyone knows they need more of it.

     Last item: here's a short video of a small waterfall en route up to Mt. Alava. Perhaps the water and jungle sounds will be soothing:

Next up: Christmas, American Samoan style.

Welcome home Lisa!!!