It was raining when we sailed into the harbor of Apia, Samoa on the island of Upolu. Despite the winds of 20.2 mph, the humidity was high at 87%. Once docked, another group of kids performed on the pier like yesterday. However, the Zaandam was docked starboard side to the dock and we could not easily see the dancing or hear the singing very well. One reason for docking this way was to be able to clean verandas on the port side, as well as paint the hull on the other side. The skies were heavily overcast but the sun did peek out for a while.
Breakfast was first at 7:30am, followed by leaving the ship by 10am. The tours went off first which included Apia highlights & Robert Louis Stevenson Museum for 3 ½ hours for $120. Piula Cave Pool & Vailele was 5 hours and $120 with food tastings. Manu Sino beach was 6 hours and $250 and included a buffet lunch. The final excursion was Lolomanu Beach & Feast for 6 hours and $260 with a buffet lunch.
We had a long walk after leaving the gangway to the port gate. One of the largest tents we have seen was set up near the ship with everything you may have forgotten yesterday in Pago Pago. There is a string of taxi drivers that offer cheap tours or a ride to the downtown area. Most everyone was determined to walk instead.
Walking the Main Beach Road on an elevated seawall path, we made our way around the bottom of the harbor to the bridge at Vaisigano River. This is where the famous Sheraton's Samoa Aggie Grey's Restaurant is located. This property is now owned by the Marriott group. It has undergone major updates since pre-Covid days and finally re-opened this last November 2024. We will be back here for lunch a bit later.
There are as many churches as bars, lounges, and cafes we think, because Samoans are very religious. One of the nicest churches is the Immaculate Conception Cathedral, a predominant feature facing the harbor. Another must-visit site, we will go back on our way to lunch. Have we mentioned the heat and humidity we had in the morning? Even with a nice breeze, we were melting within minutes. But that's the price you pay to be in special rainforest paradise.
Along the way, there is a place to cool off for a few minutes. That was the info center where you are greeted by several locals handing out area maps and brochure. These folks had to be the friendliest yet, although we decided most of the help had colds. We collected some nice maps and brochures and continued on our way.
The government buildings loom here facing the harbor and the Town Clock is in the center of a roundabout. Up the road from the clock is the fish market and if you go early, you might see blue and black marlin, yellowfin tuna, giant trevally, sailfish, mahi mahi and mackerel. Most of the daily catch was sold by the time we got there. Smaller fish like parrotfish snappers, or groupers were still available and being fanned by the vendors. Keeps the flies away. One local fellow was snacking on shrimp and feeding the tails to some fish near the old fishing boats. There was so much stuff floating on the water it was hard to see the fish.
Heading up a main street from the clock, we located the Fugalei Market with dozens of tables of produce, handicrafts, and local food. And of course, it was the best place to buy a few more souvenir cuff bracelets. We love these types of markets here you can mix with the locals and most times their little kids.
Across the street was a Home Depot type of store, where we thought we might find another ice or gel block in case the one we have springs a leak. The young fellow working in the store did not have a clue what we were describing. He said no one uses anything like that. We thanked him and gave up looking.
The next stop on the way back was the Immaculate Conception Cathedral with crafted wooden timbers in the interior and the stained glass windows. Most impressive. Drained of energy at this point, one of us stayed outside and decided not to tackle the flight of stairs going inside. This is one of the most visited churches here, so there were a lot of taxi vendors there offering rides back to the ship. Sometimes they drive you nuts, but they did seem to pick up a few customers. They take cash only…no credit cards.
The Sheraton Hotel, now owned by Marriott, could not come fast enough to escape the heavy heat. The poolside Aggie Grey's Restaurant was the perfect place to relax under ceiling fans. Ice cold draft Taula beers were so good, we each had two. Pizza was on the menu, so we ordered the margherita with sauteed mushrooms and onions. The mozzarella cheese used here is the creamiest making this one of the best pizzas on this trip so far. Two resident cats kept us company, looking for crumbs we assume. We knew better than to feed them because they would have been in our laps. The gold tabby climbed onto one of the padded chairs and fell sound asleep. It was nice watching some of the guests swimming in the pool, which we could have done being paid customers at the restaurant. We had read online that the service was slow here, but you cannot rush a perfect pizza. It was worth the wait. We added one slice of a chocolate/white cake with ice cream to share. Then it was time to leave. One thing we discovered was that they did not accept American Express, so we paid cash in US dollars, thus avoiding a 3% fee.
On the way back to the dock, we passed by the Marina where some waterside bars and restaurants were located. Many offered free wifi, so they were busy. We heard later that McDonald's in town was so jammed, the internet was slow or did not work at all.
Ther were no bargains at the pier souvenir tent that we could see, and we were back onboard by 4pm. All aboard was 4:30pm, but there were some guests still missing. The Zaandam left after 5pm with hazy scenic cruising along the northern coastline. It was still hot as ever on our veranda.
Dinner was wrapped around an event which earned tonight a "dressy" evening. Why on a port night, we do not know. It was the great Gatsby Night where people stepped into the Roaring Twenties……well before our time. There was a musical performance starting at 8pm in the World Stage. Each one of the resident bands played until after 10pm. Many did dress for the occasion.
Dinner for us was 2 shrimp cocktails, Caesar salads, and rack of lamb with beans and artichokes. Our meat was tender and tasty, but a fellow sitting across from us complained that they fed him mutton or old lamb. He was the same one that got the smelly lobster. Can't please everyone all of the time. Dessert was on flourless cake and one bowl of sliced bananas. When we got back to our room, our room steward had two end tables for our veranda as we had requested.
Looking forward to a day at sea, especially after turning the clocks back one hour for the last time this cruise. From here on, they will go forward. And we had crossed the international dateline, so the ship's clocks had been turned forward 24 hours. October 19th did not exist, so we moved from October 18th to the 20th. Confusing……
Bill & Mary Ann
