Apia

Apia turned out to be the right place at the right time for us. After the much more remote cruising we did in Tuvalu, Kiribati, and Marshalls, Apia was a wonderful change of pace. It is a large enough town to have the best amenities since New Zealand but not so big to be industrial and dirty. It’s bigger than Savusavu, but smaller than Suva. Bigger than Neiafu but smaller than Nuku’alofa. The people are very friendly, which made it fun to just walk around town and explore.

The marina is on the opposite side of the harbor from the downtown area, and it was a good mile walk around the edge. Usually when running errands, I would walk down there and then take a taxi back, especially if I was loaded down with provisions. Taxis were plentiful and reasonably cheap, although there was a standard fare and you had to be careful not to get overcharged by making sure you had an agreed to price before taking the ride. Provisioning was excellent. Here are my notes from the small notebook I carried about with me: “Red mall (Chan Mow) – good cheese, coffee beans. Frankie – tortillas, roti, old-fashioned oats, chocolate. Lucky Foodtown – best meat and produce. Farmer Joe – Capt morgan, good wine selection.” It was rare to be in a place where there was a single store that met all your needs, and Samoa was no different. There was also a fish market near the water and a huge open-air market for fresh produce in and handicrafts in the middle of town. I bought the boys their own woven fans here, because they kept taking mine that I bought in Tarawa. There was a hardware store, a library, and even a movie theater where Tim took the boys to see Allegiant one evening. A real treat was not having to handwash all the clothes! There was a laundry place within walking distance of the marina, a little far to carry a bunch of bags, but I would usually take one of my big strong pack mules with me.

One of my favorite parts about being in Apia was running. It is easily my favorite place for a run in the whole South Pacific (excepting obviously New Zealand, since it’s not so hot there). The walkway around the edge of the harbor is perfect for running, and the best part was that there were always locals out running too, both men and women. So, instead of the strange looks I usually get when I’m out for a run, I’m getting smiles and greetings from all my fellow Samoan runners.

Walking to town along the edge of the harbor

The Catholic Cathedral in Apia.

Italiano’s is neither an internet cafe nor a coffee bar, but the pizza and beer were good

A shot of the open air market in the rain

The Fish Market. They are keeping the flies off the fish.