On the Crown: 28 Days in the S. Pacific and it Wasn't Bora Boraing

[hpeabody]

I am loving your pics. Just curious, What happened to Pago Pago?

[jagsfan]

Enjoying your pix and try to see them while they're hot. Might not be there when I look again!

[SailorJack]

I am loving your pics. Just curious, What happened to Pago Pago?

 

Did the Pago Pago pictures not show up? They are showing up on my screen.

[SailorJack]

The photo situation is getting more and more bizarre. The photos still show up as "Unavailable" here in this thread. But if you click on it, it now goes to the proper photo you're describing. Yesterday, it went to a Flickr page that said the photo is private. So at least now, if you click on the "Unavailable" photo, you can at least see it on Flickr. And the photo does say it's public. So I'm at a loss to explain what's going on there. Your newest photos of Halloween onboard the ship are fine. They're showing up on the thread.

 

I am using photobucket again until I can figure out this whole flickr thing. Thanks for letting me know what is showing up and what is not.

[SailorJack]

I am loving your pics. Just curious, What happened to Pago Pago?

 

Ooops! I see what you mean.:eek: The pictures are from Pago Pago, not Bora Bora -we haven't got there yet.

[hpeabody]

Hi, It was Bora Bora where we were rained out ALL DAY! Can you check your photos by date? Bora Bora was several days (Maybe 4) after Apia and I think Pago Pago was on Nov 1st. Int'l date line was a factor right at that time, though.

 

PS, still loving the pics :)

[SailorJack]

We are entering the harbor at PAGO PAGO - this is a very lush island - forest comes right down to water's edge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is flowerpot rock - with palm trees growing out of the top. I think every tour bus stops here for a photo op.

 

 

 

 

[jagsfan]

What a gorgeous place! I'll never get there, so it's a joy to see it through your camera lens.

[SailorJack]

The sun pokes through the clouds. We had some rain this day, but only in patches throughout the day.

 

 

 

 

We get some help being pushed up against the pier.

 

 

 

 

Harbor entrance - that is the Governor's white house midway up the hill.

 

 

 

I guess not all ventures are successful in Paradise - that is the former Rainmaker Hotel - which has been abandoned for years.

 

[SailorJack]

What a gorgeous place! I'll never get there, so it's a joy to see it through your camera lens.

 

Never say never! You don't know what the future may hold. Put it on your bucket list and wait for the day.:) Glad you are enjoying the photos. Here's hoping that someday you will be taking the same shots!

[SailorJack]

Fishing is the biggest industry on the island and the harbor was filled with fishing vessels. Notice the helicopter on the front deck of the ship. The helicopters served a number of services, but the primary one was to scout ahead of the ship to look for schools of fish - primarily tuna. More on that later.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In this picture you can see the entrance to the harbor, the Rainmaker Hotel and a better shot of a typical fishing boat.

 

 

[SailorJack]

This is, basically, is the town of Pago Pago. It is not large and is mostly spread out on the road that runs along the shoreline. I don't remember seeing a single structure more than two stories (except for church steeples). Again, as you can see from the photos the island of Tutuila is extremely lush and the forest comes right down to the coast.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In this photo you can barely make out the superstructure on a sunken fishing boat - that is the ship's mast sticking up out of the water. The town's soccer field can be seen in the background.

 

 

Edited March 7, 2015 by SailorJack

[jagsfan]

This is wonderful! I could never have pictured it.

[SailorJack]

As in Samoa, we were greeted by a dancing troupe. They put on several different routines and it was a pleasure to watch them. After their dances they gladly posed with passengers for pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The bustling port of Pago Pago. The group of people standing closest to the camera are tour vendors. As soon as you step off the ship, you are offered a host of tours - most of which went to the same places as we passed the same busses at all of the stops. As I recall, we paid $20 for a five hour tour of the island.

 

[Julia’s Journey’s]

We stopped in Pago Pago on our TP cruise, it was raining but we found the people very friendly and the school kids were excited to have visitors and wanted pictures and to chat when they got out of school, maybe cause we had our kids with us who were 8 and 11 at the time.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[SailorJack]

This is wonderful! I could never have pictured it.

 

Exactly. Until I actually got there I had a completely different picture of the island - long beaches with some palm trees and lots of blue water - sort of a picturesque- like Caribbean Island. I was not expecting the lush tropical forest that we found. Certainly lots of blue water and lovely beaches - but so much more!

Edited March 8, 2015 by SailorJack

[jagsfan]

By the way, I often describe your camel trip to the pyramids, and what was even more important, your discovery of why the Egyptians are pictured walking the way they are.

I get the giggles as soon as I start talking, and wind up with everybody in stitches.

I can't recall any particular Bob Hope or Johnny Carson sketches, but I sure recall that one!

Thank you for enriching my life.

Mimi

[SailorJack]

Our first stop on our tour is the iconic flower pot (as well as some smaller little islands). As every bus stopped here it was a good place to meet friends who were on other busses.:D Note how clear the water is.

 

 

 

 

 

The traditional picture of people taking pictures of people taking pictures. As in Samoa, the busses here all have names. Wait till you see the name of our bus!

 

 

A final shot of Flower Pot before we move on to the next stop.

 

 

 

[SailorJack]

We stopped in Pago Pago on our TP cruise, it was raining but we found the people very friendly and the school kids were excited to have visitors and wanted pictures and to chat when they got out of school, maybe cause we had our kids with us who were 8 and 11 at the time.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

We had a little bit of the same experience - but we did not have kids with us. At one of our stops we were able to watch some children doing choir practice. They were extremely happy and excited to see visitors to their practice. It was a real pleasure to listen to them.

[SailorJack]

By the way, I often describe your camel trip to the pyramids, and what was even more important, your discovery of why the Egyptians are pictured walking the way they are.

I get the giggles as soon as I start talking, and wind up with everybody in stitches.

I can't recall any particular Bob Hope or Johnny Carson sketches, but I sure recall that one!

Thank you for enriching my life.

Mimi

 

Mimi, you are being way to kind, but thank you. Our trip to Egypt was one of the highlights on our Med cruise on the Star and the two days in Egypt were certainly interesting. Our experience inside the pyramid was exactly as described and was clearly the evolution of "walk like an Egyptian"!:D Of course, our experience with Gamal the camel was also a highlight (lowlight?) of that trip. I had not thought about that cruise for a while - thanks for the memory trip!:)

 

And again, thank you for that wonderful thought!

 

Jack

[SailorJack]

These next series of pictures were taken out of our bus window as we drove around the island, so they may be a little blurry in spots.

 

The American Samoa College.

 

 

 

 

 

A small cemetery located aside one of the main roads around the island.

 

 

 

 

The newer buildings on the island were quite ornate.

 

 

 

While many of the older structures showed their age. This is a Fale, and almost every home has one. It is an outdoor gathering spot for the extended family.

 

 

[SailorJack]

Our transportation - the Titanic! Meant to post this picture earlier - we visited Pago Pago on the Titanic.:D

 

 

[SailorJack]

There were family Fales everywhere. Living in a tropical area with no air conditioning, the Fales provided shelter from the rain and with no walls, the air breeze could flow through the structure. We saw only a few new Fales and most seemed to be on the older side.

 

 

 

 

 

Of course, there are a lot of newer structures on the island as well.

 

 

 

 

[7leagueboots]

Enjoying the pictures. Interesting to see the "real" island outside of the glitzy resorts that one sees in the travel brochures.

[SailorJack]

We stopped at the village of Leone and saw some wonderful old churches.

 

 

 

 

 

On September 29, 2009 a great submarine earthquake occurred in the Samoan Islands region. It was estimated that the waves created by the undersea earthquake reached 46 feet in height. The waves that hit the village of Leone were as much as 20 feet high and resulted in great loss of life. Nearly every family in Leone was affected. The Leone Healing Garden was created to bring together the families devastated by the effects of the tsunami.

 

 

 

 

The coast line here was very scenic and held little reminder of the September 29, 2009 tsunami. Here a single surviving palm tree stands sentinel over the small harbor.

 

 

 

Across the street from the Healing Garden we found a church choir that was rehearsing outdoors. We were invited to listen in and we enjoyed their performance very much.