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The finale to the day in Pago Pago was better than most of the day itself as we saw 6 teams of longboat rowers training right behind our ship and then were entertained by a dance group on the pier. We departed port at 8pm, while we were in Jacques having a great French red selected by Loredana for our shopping trip and a really good beef bourguignon. We had to put our clocks ahead another hour, so headed for bed after dinner as we had an 8:30am start for a 6 hour excursion in Western Samoa. We had no idea what to expect after the somewhat disappointing time in American Samoa.

We docked in Apia around 7:45am – another industrial port as the cruise ship frequency does not seem to warrant a cruise ship only set up. Our excursion was a tour of the western side of the island, one of two which make up Western Samoa, with a long stop at a beach for swimming and a beach barbecue lunch. Obviously, this was a popular selection as we were assigned to bus #7 and there were more takers after us. Again, we had buses without air conditioning, but they were light years ahead of the wooden buses of American Samoa (although they use those for local transport.) Our guide, Hessed, was a local Samoan and also news editor for Radio 2 (the main radio station.) He and others like him guide tours when the cruise ships appear. He taught us some additional words throughout the day, but there was no singing. The buses were smaller than normal, so we only had 16 people and you could sit together, alone, or whatever you wanted. The windows were wide open and the breeze offset any heat and humidity. Hessed gave us some background and there were a lot of similarities in the culture and lifestyle of Western Samoa vs American Samoa. However, there were much larger differences. Apia/Western Samoa has an infrastructure, with government and corporate buildings and embassies from the USA, Australia, New Zealand and China that we passed. The homes were similar with the older style family compounds and buildings, but everything was generally cleaner, tidier, newly painted and with gardens and lawns surrounding them. The amount of trash visible was negligible. People waved and honked constantly and seemed happy with themselves and to see us. Hessed said that families are large. He has 2 children and wants 8 more. His mother is one of 12 and his father one of 8. They don't all seem to live in the family village as he showed us which street he lived on in a nice neighborhood close to the foreign government officials' compounds and he also showed us where his office with Radio 2 is.

Our route took us out of Apia and up into the hills to view one set of waterfalls and then a second with gardens showing all the lush vegetation. We had a demonstration on the various uses of the coconut and how to dismantle one. Hessed is a large Samoan and has the tribal tattoos over much of his body. At the garden, he took of his shirt and they fashioned a native "breastplate" of coconut fronds which they tied around his neck. Our next stop was way off the beaten track and the track there was barely that, a narrow gravel road for a number of kilometers, which ended up at a gorgeous sandy beach with a number of shelters along the edge for us to put our bags and selves and some restrooms so we could change into our swimsuits. We spent an hour or so in the very pleasant water, although it was not clear enough for snorkeling. You had to walk out over a very rocky ledge before you got to the sandy bottom area and then you had to keep yourself from being moved back to the rocks by the surf. All in all, it was everyone's first real South Pacific Beach due to the cancellation of the day in Lautoka, so everyone seemed to enjoy it even more. Then we were called to lunch at a big open building where they served grilled tuna, grilled chicken, grilled sausages, various salads and lovely ripe papaya, pineapple and local banana, with a "lemon juice" drink. After lunch, more swimming for those who wanted and time to change back into dry clothes we headed uphill and to the largest waterfall on the island. Of course, by then it had started to pour, which is the story of our lives on this cruise. We quickly closed the bus windows although most of were damp again by then, so we all got out in the rain to see the Papapapaita Falls. We then headed back downhill toward the city, with a drive-by viewing of the estate of Robert Louis Stevenson (the author of "Treasure Island", etc.) who with his wife fell in love with Samoa, built a gorgeous home on spectacular grounds (now a museum) and when he died was buried on a nearby mountain top. His gravesite is a popular hiking destination. We also took in all the sights through the city. Hessed pointed out the new hospital and other buildings that the Chinese "were gracious enough to build" for the Samoan people. We saw the Parliament Building which the Samoans are repairing and the new Chinese-built courthouse – a huge contrast in size and style.

Well, the engines have just started up and we are slowly pulling out of Apia with two days at sea on our way to Bora Bora for 2 days and then to Papeete for the end of the cruise. Western Samoa is much higher on our list than American Samoa unfortunately – much nicer place to be.

This afternoon is the Oceania Club cocktail party and we are supposed to be honored for our Silver Status, so we will have to go. One of our crew friends, Marie, who works the reservation desk worked miracles and got our dinner "dance card" filled for the remaining nights where we had blanks. We think knowing all the maitre-d's and the restaurant manager, general manager, assistant restaurant manager, and executive cellar master as well as we do may have something to do with our ability to eat where we want when we want as they have said we are family or there are no doors for us. It sure makes things pleasant.