Day 143 Coincidences

Polynesian canoes
American Samoa is different than any other island that we have visited. First of all, it is the U.S. so the same laws (more or less) apply. There is a U.S. post office with the same postal rates to send packages and letters. The police cars look like a typical American police car. And finally, when you ask a local resident a question, often this friendly, smiling Polynesian answers in the exact same English you would expect to hear at home. Part of the reason is that many residents have lived and worked in mainland U.S. for long periods of time and then returned home to enjoy the pleasures of American Samoa.
Secondly, unlike every other island we have visited, AS (American Samoa) has no significant tourist industry. The major source of revenue is the canneries and the rest of the economy is made up of government employees or service industries. There are no major hotel chains, no over-the-water bungalows, no fancy restaurants and no vendors hawking tours of this and that. In some ways, it is more authentic here. We liked the Marquises because of its traditional Polynesian authenticity. Here the 21st century has arrived but there is no artificial face to please the tourists. What you see is what you get.
Once out of Pago Pago, the view is dominated by the tropical landscape of very steep hills rising up close to the coast and very little development of the virgin rain forest. My initial impression may have been colored by the appearance of some of the buildings of Pago Pago, but clearly there is substantial beauty to be found here.
We talked about leaving today so we ran a bunch of small errands and by the time the afternoon arrived, we decided to stay until Monday since the government offices had closed and we could not complete the departure procedure. As it turns out, this was a very fortuitous decision.
With an afternoon to spare, Andy and Kurt went to the movies and I worked on some Internet chores in the same building complex. As we were walking toward the bus stop to return to the boat, we saw Mark waving to us from the bus window and by some interesting coincidence, we were re-united on the same bus.
The day was over so we decided to stop at the Yacht Club. Next to the club is a public beach and park with several "talas" or covered open-air platforms where families could gather. Andy and Kurt went for a walk along the beach and came back a bit later to tell Mark and I that we had been invited to join a Polynesian family at their barbecue. The moon was up and shining on the water so the beach side tala was a nice spot to enjoy the evening.
Zero and his wife Tupu were celebrating the birthday of a friend Wesa with their family and a visitor from the States. Tupu is the coach of the AS women's canoe racing team and they are busy preparing for the Polynesian Olympic Games to be held in Samoa starting August 27. Zero also coaches young people and would like to re-vitalize the island's interest in the sport. The conversation turned to canoeing and before we knew it, Zero had invited us to a night-time paddle. Tupu was kind enough to let us use one of their practice canoes. These are 6 person outrigger shells that required coordination of the paddlers. Zero gave us some quick lessons in paddling technique and within half an hour we had lifted the canoe from its mounting, tipped it over and placed it in the water. Zero took the rear position so he could steer and give us further instructions and his daughter Christine took the front position where the paddler is responsible for setting the pace. She is obviously very good at this.
After a quick spin around the harbor, we returned exhilarated and full of adrenaline. It was impossible to thank them enough for this wonderful experience.
By the end of the evening, Zero had invited us to church the next day and for a second round of paddling the following afternoon.