Avatar in Pago Pago

Princess screened "Avatar" in their theater on the sea day before we reached American Samoa. The timing, I think, was no coincidence.

Julie and I were among the millions of people who bought tickets and marveled at Avatar on the big screen during its original theatrical release, and even then I knew I wanted to see it again. The incredible special effects blew me away, if the story itself seemed like a thinly-veiled re-telling of Pocahontas. James Cameron is a genius who brings in the best in their fields to realize his vision.

When we were in Wellington, New Zealand, we visited WETA Digital Studios, which I briefly wrote about in a prior post about the Lord of the Rings Tour. While there, we met an actor who played one of the gunners in an airship in Avatar. As such, we were doubly ready to take advantage of the opportunity to see this great movie again.

I am generally one to stand up against claims that the United States and free market capitalism does more harm than good when it has reached out to third world countries since it became a true superpower in the twentieth century, and I still believe that, but it can't be denied that historically western civilization has sometimes brutalized and exploited the regions they conquered.

By virtue of nature, Samoa's Pago Pago happens to have the best deep water port in the South Pacific. Americans first arrived there in 1839 and established it as a coaling station to refuel American ships. In 1899, the U.S. Navy was given authority over the area, and the naval base certainly became useful in confronting the Japanese threat following Pearl Harbor.

Other American industry, including Star-Kist Tuna, arrived, providing jobs and a more "advanced" lifestyle for the natives. The Star-Kist cannery is still a big employer, although the commercial overfishing in the area has diminished sea life, forcing them to go further out to sea for tuna. Other Asian countries with lower labor costs now make it less financially viable for Samoa to compete, but they carry on. The other main employer in American Samoa is the U.S. Government. Washington D.C. sends $110 million per year to American Samoa.

Along with a lot of other tourists, Julie and I hopped aboard one of the public busses for a cheap ride around the island. I'm not sure what guide book originally recommended this, but I came to the conclusion that it should not be recommended. It's a bumpy ride that doesn't give you a good first impression of the island. The only bright spot was encountering the smiling Samoan citizens. However, those locals pay the price for the tourists riding their primary transportation.

Some cruise ship passengers individually hogged full seats while Samoans piled onto each other's laps in order to get to work. It became humorous at one point when three huge Samoan men were literally stacked up, with a 300 pounder in the seat, his 250 pound "cousin" on his lap, and a 200 pound boy on top of him. And they were overflowing into the aisle off the edge of the seat they shared with a local girl who sat by the window. They were laughing about it too, but it wasn't right to put them through that.

It can't be denied that the people in American Samoa must get plenty to eat, if their transportation and homes don't seem too impressive. A year before our visit, the island was hit by a devastating tsunami.

American Samoa is not, however, exclusively a tropical island creeping toward ruin. There are still lovely views to be found, and we found one of the best spots for enjoying the best of the island. Tisa's Barefoot Bar is a fun place on a beautiful beach. The Barefoot Bar had been immediately rebuilt after the tsunami destroyed it by Tisa, her husband Candyman and their extended family, just as they had rebuilt several times before. It is the proto-typical, real life tiki bar on a beautiful tropical beach. It's the kind of place where the men of McHale's Navy would have loved for a little R&R with the nurses.

We snagged one of the best tables, which happened to open just as we arrived, and we were soon joined by a couple from the UK who was about our age and proved to be very pleasant company. By the time we headed back into town, the Avatar-induced cultural guilt had been replaced by a nice Pago Pago glow. Tisa's husband Candyman went with us into town when we headed back, picking up the tab for the whole bus.

As we rode, he told us about the tsunammi that slammed the harbor in 2009 and the good sense and resilience of the islanders in the face of such troubles.