Had a very slow sail from Surrow to Pago Pago (Pago to the insiders), since the spinnaker
wasn't ready and we had light to no wind most of the way. Fuel was in short supply
so we were "happy" when doing 4 knots consistently. We will be heading
south to Tonga next and I hope the trades will become a little steadier in the higher
latitudes. Pago has the finest natural harbor in the Pacific and was originally used
as a coaling station before the First World War and is now used by the tuna fishing fleets
to unload and process their catch. This is a slightly smaller version of Hong Kong
with the noise, frantic activity and pollution. The water in the harbor is covered
with diesel oil and plastic bags and 55-gallon drums float by in an endless procession
however one can still see the bottom of the rudder, try that in Manhasset Bay. As
Robert Brooke put it "It is shear beauty, so pure it is difficult to breathe
in". The beauty is certainly there as it has lush vegetation on its' striking
mountains which rise to 3000 ft. The problem is the breathing since the
"air" is thick with diesel fumes and the over powering stench of the tuna
processing plants. The noise pollution from the electric generating plant causes one
to shout for normal conversation. The rest of the island of Tutuila is relatively
uninhabited and pristine so we hope to be able to see some of it before leaving.
This was planned as a re-provisioning stop since it is a duty free port with US
goods. Stocked up on diesel since it was 77¢ a gallon, the price just went up from
67¢. Check in was a bit more officious and rude than even French Polynesia. Items
are reasonably priced here but the best bargain is the "buses" which are
basically flat bed trucks with some very narrow seats and a cover. The fare is 25¢
to anywhere in the harbor area and you just pound on the ceiling when you want to get
off. The narrow seats are a mystery since the Tongan people are large stature and to
put it mildly, obese. Always try to find a seat next to an average size person even
if there is a completely vacant seat available since a large Tongan may sit next to you
and a crushed pelvis may result. The people are very friendly and helpful and
probably even nicer away from the harbor area.
The Samoan Islands have been basically divided in half with the eastern islands becoming American Samoa, the only US territory south of the equator and Western Samoa which has gained independence and is now known as Samoa. I know little of Samoa even though it's only 80 miles away but have experienced American Samoa. This should be a classic study on how an occupying power can totally corrupt and destroy a functioning civilization while trying to improve their situation.
The only good news is that the US has not interfered much with island tradition and political structure which is based on village chiefs and councils. Prior to US involvement the islanders fished the sea, farmed bananas, breadfruit, melons and produced copra. Now they no longer fish and have leased out all the fishing rights to others, mainly the Japanese and Chinese. Farming, raising livestock and copra production no longer exist.
The soda dispensing machine and its' product, mainly Coke products, are the soma of the Samoans. The machines are everywhere with several people always gathered around. The next problem is what to do with the empty cans, it's easy, just dropping them wherever you are and not worry about it. Litter is a major problem not just limited to cans, it's everything and it's everywhere. The government is trying with billboards messages, numerous trash cans and frequent and free garbage pickup. I suppose it could stem from the days when the islands ate food which come from the land and when they dropped the remains it just decomposed naturally, not so with plastics and cans.
Had occasion to use the LBJ Hospital in Pago when I developed a tropical sore on my ankle. It's a 25¢ bus ride and $2.00 to see the doctor so at least I could afford this health care. I don't know why they collect the $2.00 since with the number of people it takes to take it in and keep track of it, it probably costs $10.00, but we do have several people working. The sore started as a small No No bite like a pimple and might have been OK if I hadn't done the one thing you shouldn't do, scratch it. Well I did and did a good job since by that evening it was quite red and nasty looking. The next day it looked like a 10¢ size blood blister and was painful but the third day it was 25¢ size and I had a very difficult time walking. Off to the hospital as there are no private practitioners, the doctor didn't seem to know what she was looking at but what do you want for $2.00. Started on some antibiotics and for the next two days it was larger with a growing inflammatory zone covering my ankle, walking was done only in emergencies. Back to the hospital, saw a second doctor since I explained to the admitting nurse my concern over flesh eating bacteria and the possibility of losing my foot. He seemed to realize the importance of the situation and switched antibiotics, cultured (a little late) and dressed the wound. The next day it wasn't any worse and I could walk a little, 5 days later it was stopped and starting to heal which will take another two weeks since there is a lot of skin to replace.
Did some food re provisioning but boat supplies were nonexistent and prices not much better than French Polynesia, I would skip Samoa next time. On to the Kingdom of Tonga.
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