American Samoa (South Pacific Islands)

This review is from a trip I took to Samoa in January this year.

About Samoa
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Well Samoa is situated a few hours away from Australia and the two islands which are part of Samoa are very small and can sometimes be difficult to find on a world atlas.
The first island is named Upolu which has the capital city of Apia there. The other is named Savaii and although there are about 5 other islands which are not inhabited these are the two which are.

Each island is basically coastal because there is ocean everywhere you go visible in Samoa which is a nice thought and can be a breathtaking experience. Nearby islands you can see sometimes in the open air are Fiji and Tonga.
Overall it is a very small place to visit but has advantages.

Weather
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The weather in Samoa can be unpredictable, they have a dry season which is May to October and then they have the tropical season which is from November to April.

The entire year the weather is humid and extremely dry but even during the dry season you get torrential downpours of rain which can actually flood areas of Samoa, and when the tropical season is around the storms and weather are some of the fiercest in the world. During the day the weather hits temperatures of 30c and at night 28c so the temperature throughout is amazingly warm this was the temperature in January during the tropical season.

My Adventure
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I went to Samoa in January 2009 and first off all I had to figure out how to return to my place of birth and where I had lived for 2 years.

I had to get a flight to New Zealand and then from New Zealand a further flight on to Apia in Samoa which overall took over 27 hours in total so the time in getting there was just over the top.
The good thing about Samoa is the time is 11 hours behind ourselves which is really helpful in many ways. When you arrive you will have to make sure you have already converted your pounds in to dollars which they use in Samoa and some into Tala which is the other currency they like to use as well.

You then take a taxi to your destination and I was staying on the beach as the hotels in Samoa were all filled up with people and I never knew about the beaches before because it was not something I was accustomed to visiting or ever recall hearing about.

I arrived on the beach to this little tent which was sweet in a way and my friend who accompanied me she was in another tent and you basically get to sleep on the beach in the fantastic hot weather and have the sea breeze go over you ever night which is great and scenery was sensational.

My first port of call was to try and get an idea of where I was and transport. Apia has 40,000 inhabitants so it is a busy place and your best mode of transport is the taxi. I had to get a taxi to everywhere I went, and they are not the best taxi's at all and very old fashioned and usually smell. For 8 Dollars you could get taken from one side of Apia to another without a fuss, which is very cheap in my view.

The first place I visited was the flea market which is this market which sells very odd items of jewellery but also has the worst conditions you can imagine. It is very humid in there and constantly your being bitten by the bugs which I am led to believe are named mossie's. Now they bite you and they hurt like a bee sting in some cases so you have to put some kind of protection on otherwise you're going to suffer seriously bad.
I visit there and brought some amazing items of jewellery for friends and family as presents and one item I got was a gold plated Samoa flag with the colours done with different gems and it was just 10 dollars and when I brought it back to the UK it was valued at over 200 pounds so you can see the money in terms of presents and what you get is fantastic.

I took time to visit the beach which isn't a beach as you might want. There is some sand but not much there mainly the beach is gravel which is extremely solid and usually very warm so if you're going out there with bare feet be warned as you will burn as I found out.
During the time I was in Apia I did start to visit other islands and even Fiji which wasn't that far to get to.

I did find after my 6th day there time stood still and it was getting boring because once you had been to some of the main attractions there was little else to do there.

Every night I was there I was greeted and treated so friendly and I was given a leaving present which was this little dress worn by the people out there and I got to see the sensational haka performed each evening and it was just fantastic to witness those events because of the background heritage you associate with them.
The one place which was funny to see for me was a McDonalds which did not look right there at all and seemed very out of place.

Attractions
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One of the best places to visit without a doubt is this place named the Papase'ea Sliding Rocks. You have basically got this tremendous rock which has three slides one after the other there. You begin by going down this first slide which is water leading off one rock into this pool of water and it is very deep but fun at the same time. You do this again for a further two slides and then you can make your way back up to the top again. The good part is the sliding rocks cost about 10 Tala which is about £2.50 in our currency and that is for a good amount of slides.

During the dry season there is no water so you're advised to go when a deep amount of water is there for sliding off the rocks. You do have one problem when you pay to go to the rocks you have to climb down about 150 steps just to get there so you end up tired before you arrive. This is situated 10 minutes away from Apia.

The police band is this attraction which is just fantastic, and in Apia in the mornings around 8am you see the local police going down the main street playing a band really loud and it is just brilliant, it is a wakeup call each morning for you to listen to and it is free of course but they look nicely dressed and extremely talented in what they do and definitely a big attraction in my eyes.

Another sensational place to visit is named Palolo Deep Marine. This is a snorkelling experience which you will love. It is about 200m in diameter and 10m deep and this hole is surrounded by many forms of coral and with some unbelievable fish to admire. I was down there for an hour looking around and I saw such a range of fish from orange colours to yellow and they are so fantastic and something which you may never experience in your life. There was a shark which I saw and even touched and to this day no idea of the full name of this shark was but it came past many times to watch us there. This cost me 5 dollars to experience.

The next place is the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum and this is a museum with different pieces of items which were worn by this man who was famous because he was Scottish and a famous poet and years before he had brought up to 400 acres of land and this was his home and this was his garden which was in fantastic condition and if you go with the tour guide you get to see the grave if you wish for where he is which is sadly a good 30 minute walk from the home. This was priced for around 40 Tala for two people so around £10 for us both to visit.

Culture
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One of the biggest problems with visiting Samoa is if you're not from Samoa or seem as if you are not with them in what you wearing you will be looked at extremely funny. They tend to look at you as an outsider if you're not one of them and I guess that is them being protective of their country from outsiders but also they want to let it be known they have their own standards and routines and you need to adhere to them.

I was safe because I can speak some of the Polynesian and I speak English the two main languages spoke there. If you are like me and have a background there you tend to get more polite behaved people to assist you but if you're not from there be prepared to be looked at in a completely different way.

They all have tattoos no matter of age even the younger children and this is part of their culture to have tattoos to show the life of each person and if you stare at the tattoos you can see they are all different and unique.

Food
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Well the food is very much different to food you have here and there main dish I saw everywhere we went to eat was named Palusami and this is basically corned beef with spinach and is mixed with coconut milk and it does sound pretty nasty but it had this really rich flavour and was extremely tasty.

There are places which sell burgers and other items you associate with home but they come more expensive and do not look appealing in any way at all.

The only other food this country has is fruit fish and that is about it, in terms of food they are not the best at all.
You do find the fish they have which is sold everywhere and for various prices very appealing indeed. The smells lure you in to try some of their fantastic produce and that is an excellent part to the food there but the prices can be very high.

Markets
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They have two markets and one is the flea market and the other is the crafts market. With the flea market you find it to have the odd vegetables and jewellery and just general mats and rugs the usual sort of stuff but extremely warm and humid. You can feel yourself suffocating in there because so overcrowded with people.

The crafts market is much more friendly to people and has some of the most sensational items I have ever witnessed in my life. They have handcraft bowls and they are about 20 dollars each but are handmade and they look cheap and could easily break but they are solid and have been designed by people who are definitely skilled at what they do.

If you are in the markets and you ask for a pile of coconuts you end up with over 20 coconuts given to you for just a small sum of 2 dollars and these are big coconuts and with milk inside and they give them to you as if they are cheap and not needed. They have so many ripe bananas that your mouth waters over them. There fruit is superb and without doubt there big selling point when it comes to the markets.

Nightlife
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If you're going to Samoa and assume that you can enjoy the nightlife you are wrong. The night life is extremely dangerous and during the nights I did go out for a wonder you did see crime being committed. I saw several occasions' people having their handbags stolen and other items without them even knowing until it was too late. The idea at night time is to stay safe and always be with someone, there are some bars and the beer out there is very cheap as well.

Every store on a corner of street can legally sell beer out there so you're going to find many people alright drunk before you even go out for a drink in the evening.

How to travel
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You can get a taxi and they range from prices but they are usually very cheap but poor in how they look. They have marks of previous accidents and they have smelly insides so you have to make sure you do pick the right sort of taxi to use.

You can use a car rental system but you cannot just pick up a because car your driving license out there is not allowed you need to ask the local police for a certificate to drive and they do that for you but it can take time to do. The cars you get to choose are not the best either.

Buses are there but few and far between and seem very tired and dated and need a total refurbishment. They are more expensive then the taxis are to travel around on. They have no windows and very vibrant in their colours, the one good part is although they are crowded people tend to get up and move for you because they class you as Westerners which is appreciated.

Good Points
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Well you get to spend a maximum I feel of 30 dollars a day there to survive this would include food and other items you might need. That to me is not too bad and although the food isn't the best you still need to eat regardless.

The sensational light you see each night in the ocean you get to see the sunrise and sunset on the beach and you are constantly surrounded by this very peaceful breeze which is just really beautiful and feels superb against the skin.

I think although the island is small there is a few good places to visit and the sliding rocks is just something I wish I could go on daily because it was the biggest amount of fun I have had in ages and it was just total nonstop adrenaline rush when on there and it was just always fun to take part in.

When the tide comes in on the beach you can see the tropical fish swimming around enjoying their time and they look so happy and you can sit back and relax and enjoy the peace and comfort you feel out there.

Bad Points
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Well the big one is accommodation there is not much there and when you are there the best places are very expensive and the much cheaper alternatives are risky because of crime and just general hygiene. I would suggest the best idea is book a hotel when doing a holiday otherwise you will not get a good night's sleep for sure.

I think the variation on food is poor and this would be a terrible place to bring children because the food they offer is items they make up over there and I found it nice because I am usually cooking similar items myself but to people who do not experience the flavours it can be vulgar.

I think the way the people can treat you there can be very hard to accept indeed. You want a holiday which is going to bring you happiness and joy and yet this holiday can make you feel like an intruder and not wanted and it is a similar theme to wherever you go in Samoa and sadly that is how it is. You have to try and grit your teeth and get on with it otherwise it will drag you down.

Last off all I think the last issue would be the overall hygiene of the place. Everywhere you go from toilets to taxis and other places there is such a large amount of hygiene issues it worries you incase you catch something. I think the place needs a very good tidy up and although they are not a rich country they could at least make an effort with the tourism trade they receive.

Summary
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I would not book a honeymoon here that is for sure. It is my homeland and I will be biased towards it of course but my belief is if you do not like the idea of sitting on a beach all day and like to explore a country and the surroundings this place is not for you.
This place I would guess is for backpackers who want to experience different cultures and lifestyles and to me that is why people would want to be here for in the first place.

My trip for 10 days cost me there and back and overall spending just over £1,500 pounds and I didn't have a hotel I got a free tent on the beach. I would recommend staying somewhere else such as Fiji and Tonga with bigger countries and better facilities.
One sound piece of advice if anyone says the words Talofa to you it means 'hello' not a swear word.