American Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the United States located just southeast of Samoa (the island country). The capital of American Samoa is Pago Pago – pronounced Pango Pango. This is where we spent our time, located on Tutuila, which is American Samoa’s main island.

The first thing you notice about being in Pago Pago from a cruise ship is the harbor itself. It is one of the deepest natural deepwater harbors in the South Pacific Ocean, sheltered from wind and rough seas, with an amazing view of the land around it. On one side, we saw what literally looked like a wall of trees, impressive in its beauty.

Being on the water, it’s not surprising that fish is a large part of life. And the main fish for them is tuna (mmm…). I read that the total value of fish landed in Pago Pago — about $200,000,000 annually — is higher than in any other port in any U.S. state or territory.

Fishing isn’t the only big ‘industry’ here though. I know you want to guess that tourism is big as well, but it’s actually not given it’s so secluded and hard to reach – it just doesn’t have as big of a draw as some other island countries. Rather, due to its strategic location, the U.S. military has a significant presence in American Samoa and plays a major role in its economy and society. In fact, American Samoa has the highest rate of military enlistment of any U.S. state or territory. According to Wikipedia, as of 2021, the U.S. Army recruiting station in Pago Pago ranked first in recruitment.

When we first arrived into Pago Pago it was raining. In fact, there was a huge storm there the previous night – which we encountered on the water (and wow, that rocked the boat! Kinda scary for some of us.) When it stopped rainy, it created a very muggy feeling. Think: instant sweat and thick breathing. There wasn’t much to go see – just a “wander around” port and given it was Sunday everything was going to be closed. (The vast majority of people here go to church on Sundays and everything shuts down, including the museum, shops, and most other tourist venues.) Given this, the boys opted to stay on the ship and do their own thing. John and I got off to at least walk on land and see Pago Pago for ourselves.

We first walked to the right of the cruise terminal. That took us along the harbor where we encountered the Jean P. Haydon Museum – closed of course, as I mentioned. However, we did get to see a fun mural out front that told the story of the Samoan legend of Tagaloa and Pava. I’m just going to put the images below for you if you’re interested.

Also at the museum was a ‘guest house’ of sorts, something like what you would see in the surrounding villages for special events or get-togethers.

Walking further along took us to a market where there were some shops open (and I got a swimsuit coverup). There was one other shop open so we ventured inside and felt exquisite air conditioning (ha) and saw a huge array of cloth that the local people use to make the clothing we saw for sale in the market.

Along our walk, we saw many people getting out of church. Some were dressed in all white, while others were dressed in a traditional lavalava (wraparound skirts worn by men and women) with a nice shirt. We also saw two dogs getting it on. (Yes, I’m including this because John got a huge kick out of it and even wanted me to take a picture. You’re welcome.)

The houses we saw, like anywhere, varied considerably in terms of how nice they were. What seemed to be constant was how lush the surroundings were. Some were better landscaped than others, but all had a charm and connection with the natural environment that you don’t always see elsewhere. Here’s a photo of a particularly well-landscaped lush home.

A random ‘like’ of mine was a sign above a bus stop that reminded people that some disabilities are invisible. I love awareness like that – and if there can be such awareness in a small island country as this, there should be more awareness everywhere.

At some point we turned around and headed back, passing the cruise terminal to explore what was left of the ship. There we came across the government house, the mansion where visiting dignitaries go and where the local governor lives. It has an amazing elevated view and is reinforced to protect from hurricane-strength winds.

A little more walking and exploring, a lot of “no thank you’s” to passing motorists asking if we needed a taxi for a tour, and a lot of sweat later we went back to the ship to jump in the pool and cool off. And that, friends, was our visit to American Samoa. 😊