Even though land was in sight early this morning, it would not be until close to 9am before the ship was docked. Then it wasn't until well after 9am before the ship was cleared for our port today of Apia, Upolu, Samoa. Remember when we were in Alaska complaining about the cold weather? Wish we had some of that now, as it is going to be a most hot and humid day here. In giving his instructions for this port, Ian mentioned that it would be sunny, and if it rained, it would not be until late afternoon. OK, with that we left the umbrellas home. One thing for sure, we had to wear our masks off of the ship as well as in town or on the tour buses, etc. Now the strange thing we noticed was that not a single local had a mask on today. No one. Oh well, they must assume we are bringing the virus onshore, and they have to be protected. And maybe, some of us are, who knows.
We left the ship around 10am, and can say we never saw so many taxis and vans outside the Apia Wharf & Cruise Ship Terminal. We had to say "no thanks" at least 100 times as we made our way towards town. Once we reached the seawall, we were free to walk without any problems. There was a breeze blowing, but at our backs.
Looking across the road after we crossed the bridge over the Vaisigano River, we noticed that the Aggie Grey's Hotel (run by Sheraton) appeared to be closed. We would find out later that it was. Oh well, so much for enjoying their great pizza and beers for lunch. As we rounded the end of the harbor, we saw the imposing Immaculate Conception Cathedral. Kainoa must have really talked it up, because that was where everyone was headed. We decided to go inside the church on our way back when the crowd thinned.
Right across from the church was a very nice information hut complete with some maps and tour info. Just as we arrived, there was a "free" show about to begin in the backyard. Free doesn't always mean free, as we found out the first time we visited Apia. Our first destination was the fish market, a few blocks further up the road. The fishing fleet is moored there, and the vendors display their catch on stainless steel or tile counters. One can meet some of the nicest people here, and that occurred today. The vendors were fanning their catch with large palms trying to keep the flies away. No one objected to having their pictures taken with their catch for sale. One fellow was wearing a baseball cap with the American flag on it. He asked where we were from and we said San Francisco. With that, he told us he was from Utah, but recently returned here as he was Samoan. Among other things, we asked him what happened with Aggie Grey's Hotel, and he said it had closed this last summer. Covid, then bankruptcy he said. Then he added that there have only been two ships here recently…the Westerdam a few days ago, and now today, the Zuiderdam. Now that explains the long line of taxis we saw.
Continuing on, we walked back to the Town Clock, then up the street passing McDonald's. Yes, they have one, and it appears to be the busiest eatery in town. Looking for the Fugalei Market, we had missed the street and were heading up the wrong one. Knowing our mistake, we could not find a side street to cut over, so we ended up going a lot further than we expected. However, we did find a nicer small fruit and veggie market and an open-air hall where the local fellows were playing billiards.
Going into the Fugalei Market, we found that several tour buses had stopped here, letting their guests flood the marketplace. They sell produce here, but they also have row after row of souvenirs like wood carvings, clothing, and jewelry. We did not stay long, since it was hot and crowded, and really, there was nothing we needed.
Heading back, we made a stop at McDonald's but found that you had to have their money to buy it, or credit cards. No pizza or beer here, so no lunch. By the way, we had received the exchange rate for the Samoan Tala which was 1 tala to the USD $.35. We do recall that the vendors at the Fugalei Market were happy to take the US dollars.
The final stop was at the cathedral where the noontime mass was in session. Taking a few photos from the entrance of the church, we headed back towards the ship. By now, it was unbearably hot and sticky, and without the lunch stop at the hotel, we were in dire need of something wet. On the plus side, we did have the breeze in our faces on the walk back.
Once back on the ship, we headed for the Ocean Bar, and enjoyed two Heineken's in bottles, followed by 2 Coronas also in bottles. Even though we had brought water with us in town, it was barely enough. Back in our room, we ordered room service lunch and worked on the computer and enjoyed somewhat of a breeze on the veranda.
The ropes were dropped by 5:45pm, and we were on our way for two days at sea, then the Fijian Islands.
Dinner would be somewhat of a test, as we returned to the Pinnacle Grill. If you recall, the our last meal was lukewarm and disappointing. Would they remember we liked hot food? Well, we both ordered the filet mignon with French fries, and guess what? All of it was served on a very hot plate, and the food was as hot as could be. It tasted so much better, and we let them know it was most appreciated.
Bill & Mary Ann
