Travel Day

Sara graciously dropped me off at Sacramento Airport early on Monday morning. That was easily the most awkward baggage arrangement I have ever traveled with. Luckily, I only had to handle it to the ticket counter (where I had a missing passport scare) and through customs in Pago Pago. But 3 pieces of luggage hanging from your shoulders is tough work and I walked away from that trip with a few bruises and sore spots.

The plane flight to Honolulu went smoothly, I met a Hawaiian grandmother of Japanese ancestry returning to her home on Oahu after attending a grandson's graduation from pharmacology school. She had some interesting stories from Hawaii prior to statehood and how there was a big shift from the traditional tribal culture that predominated prior to the 1960s and how it changed after statehood. This little bit of information was a bit of foreshadowing to my experiences once I arrived in AS.

I had a 6 hour lay over in Honolulu, so I grabbed a city bus and went into town for lunch and some exploration. Might as well fit a 6 hour Hawaiian vacation into my transit out to AmSam. I had a nice lunch and a few beers at a pub downtown. Managed to meet a developer who has been living in Hawaii since 1989 and had a few boat trips to outlying Pacific islands (mostly the Marshalls, which apparently are known for their amorous women). Another bus trip let me get to the Royal Hawaiian (at my Dad's recommendation) to explore for a little and get to walk a little on Waikiki Beach. Then it was a bus ride back to the airport and catching my flight to Pago Pago.

The Hawaiian Air Flight from Honolulu to Pago Pago only runs on Monday and Thursday evenings. The flight was delayed by a few hours as there was a discrepancy in the number of passengers that boarded and the tickets recorded that took the flight staff awhile to reconcile. Which is one way to turn a 17 hour travel day into a 20 hour travel day. I avoided sleeping on the plane to attempt to start my internal clock on Samoan time.

Walking off the plane into the Pago Pago evening was steam bath. It was 11pm at night and it was close to 80 degrees and 100% humidity on the tarmac. Thankfully I dressed for hot and wasn't disappointed. Then came the joy of waiting in line at customs.

Walking out of customs (carrying that ridiculous load of luggage) I walked past my ride to the government housing complex. They didn't think I was the person they were looking for since I was dressed to much like a local in flip-flops and lightweight clothes. It wasn't until they looped back around 45 minutes later and checked the designated meeting spot, the Fale hut near the front of the airport, and we were able to connect. But I did get to chat with Rome, a local 25-year-old who likes the Oakland Raiders. I guess I may have something in common with people here after all.

So after a long travel day I was finally able to settle into my house for the next few years. I wasn't quite able to make a smooth transition to Samoan time, since I was up at 3am, but I did get to see a pretty great sunrise from my bedroom deck.