August 5 - 11, 2008 South Pacific

Apia, Western Samoa (S 13 51’ W 171 23’) http://maps.google.com/maps

The trip to Apia, Western Samoa’s capital would take less than 24 hours being only 70 miles from Pago Pago. To arrive in the morning so we could clear customs and not arrive at a new port at night we left Pago Pago in Tuesday August 5 at 1545 hours. There were light winds and calms seas on this leg so the weather gods continued to bless our passage.

Western Samoa had the reputation of being a yachties paradise. According to the yachting guides there was a pristine harbor at the western end of Savaii Island called Asau that was suppose to be the best harbor in the Pacific. We aimed to find out but before heading there, we had to check in at Apia and get permission to travel to Asau.

We arrived in Apia as scheduled at 0900 without incident after a pleasant overnite passage. It was a nice un-crowded harbor and even nicer marina to surprise.

Apia was even more efficient than Rarotonga as far as checking in was concerned. Customs, immigration and health all came right to the boat within about 15 minutes of our arrival. The marina was up to date with great facilities all within walking distance to the town. We were all eager to explore and explore we did.

The town was a mixture of the old and new. As you can see it was much cleaner than American Samoa and it had much less traffic. You could easily tell the people were not as affluent but in much better shape.

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We all really like to go into local markets such as grocery stores, produce markets and fish markets to get another glimpse into the local life. Apia did not disappoint. The indoor flea-market was packed with trinkets, produce vendors and a large prepared-food court all an ordered chaos. We must’ve been here at a peak time as it was packed. The produce market several blocks away was something else all together. Immediately after you enter and on the left is a small gathering of men sitting around the Ava bowl. Dave Berke was enlightened as to the water quality and after a second thought did not partake. In his own way he beat that game though in buying a small dry bag of the prepared pepper plant and now he can make 5-gallons of the brew when he gets home. No one acquired an Kava bowl because they are quite large and heavy. The bowl costs about $80 USD and the DHL shipping costs over $200 USD. There is a particular design that is fairly basic with many thin legs holding it up. We saw it and drank from it in Pago Pago and here in Apia they use the same style. Although, there are many other versions with beautiful intricate carvings and leg styles that are very tempting souvenirs.

This particular internet/gaming, uhm, place was different than all others I have seen. Unfortunately it was upstairs and a little warm. The internet, yah it’s still around, seems to be everywhere, almost. These places are usually pretty busy, too. It’s nice to be able to get weather information and just general stuff to allay the feeling of being out of the loop.