Little Lolly's Small Adventures: Pago Pago, Tutuila, American Samoa. Excursion: Village Ava Ceremony & Island Entertainment.

Dancers on the pier

It was good to see land again after 5 days at sea. There was a bit of a delay when docking due to another ship coming out of the harbour but everything went smoothly. On the pier the ship's guests were warmly greeted by the Samoans who performed a series of dances as we tied up. The ship was soon cleared by customs and immigration. Heat, humidity and the promised rain didn't deter guests from leaving the ship - they wanted to get off for a while!

Our aga bus

I was assigned to a tour - 'Village Ava Ceremony & Island Entertainment' - and was soon seated in an open air local family (aiga) bus that had bench-style seating. I was with a group of 11 guests, and there was another bus-full of which had almost an equal amount of guests too. We soon set off, the other bus' driver leading the way. Our guide, Niga (I'm not sure how her name is spelt so I've spelt it as it was pronounced) was lovely with a brilliant sense of humour. She had the guests in fits of laughter. Underneath her bubbly exterior, though, was a sad person - she had got married in March last year but her husband died 2 weeks ago in a car crash. Being amongst people was her way of coping and putting aside her grief for a few hours. The busload of guests were a friendly, jolly bunch, who added to Niga's infectious atmosphere of happiness.

Our first stop was the 'Flower Pots' but our driver drove past it. Ahh... there were other tourist busses there so it would be best to visit on the way back when it was quieter; and ditto the second stop.

One of the elected 'chiefs' from our busses

After a pit-stop at 'sliding rocks' to see the beautiful coastline we arrived at a Samoan village and stopped at Tsasele (I'm not sure how it is spelt so have spelt it as it was pronounced) guest house for our next bit of the tour. One of the male guests had been 'elected' by the guests to act as a 'chief' on our behalf for a ceremony. The poor guy was embarrassed to learn from Niga that he would have to strip off down to his underpants and put on a sarong. Needless to say he was being teased and only had to take his shirt off and have a sarong wrapped around him. He and the other bus' elected 'chief' were invited to take a seat in a nice chair and then the ava ceremony began, a ritual of drinking a ceremonial beverage. The beverage is made from the dried roots of a plant, mixed with water and strained through a muslin or silk bag before drinking. The village Chief gave a speech and offered some prepared ava (also known as kava) liquid in a coconut shell cup to our elected 'chiefs' who acknowledged the offering and sipped from the bowl. After that other guests were invited to have some of the beverage. After the village Chief said a few words, the ladies performed some dances for us. During the dancing performance we were given coconuts that had their tops lopped off and a straw put in the top for us to drink the coconut milk.

Leone Missionary Monument

Our next stop was to see the Leone Missionary Monument where the first missionaries landed and, nearby, the Latter Day Saint's Church. The original church had been destroyed by a tsunami and had been rebuilt. It looked lovely. One or two properties nearby were in ruins - a harsh reminder of the power of a tsunami.

Next stop was at the Lili'ili golf course, the only golf course in American Samoa (why, I'm not sure but it was part of the tour) and some of the guests bought themselves some island beer to drink whilst relaxing and taking in the view of the island's golf course. Our next stop was Lions Park, looking across Pala Lagoon toward Coconut Point, and then our final stop was to see the Flower Pots - two rocky outcrops (named Fatu and Fatui respectively) standing tall out of the sea, covered in foliage and a micro-habitat for birds, bats and insects. Legend has it that Fatu and Futi were lovers who tried to sail to Tutuila (modern day American Samoa) from Upolu (modern day Western Samoa). They almost made it, but their boat floundered and they died in the waves just before making it ashore. They then turned into rocks, with Fatu overlooking Fatui to keep her safe.

Tonight we are going to a concert by Naomi Edemariam, a concert pianist. It should make for a nice evening.

The Maasdam's next port will be in Suva, Vitu Levu, Fiji.