Samoa Heart Of Polynesia

T he islands of Samoa are          ecotourism paradise still          emerging as an exciting new     unspoiled by mass tourism.         South Pacific travel            Visitors often stay in open        destination between Hawaii and        Samoan beach houses called fale    New Zealand. This "Heart of           (pronounced FAH-lay) and adopt     Polynesia" is politically split       the laidback local lifestyle.      into two distinct entities 80         Swimming, snorkeling, scuba        miles apart. The country Samoa is     diving, kayaking, surfing, deep    a former German colony, captured      sea fishing, and hiking            by New Zealand in 1914 and            opportunities are all close at     granted independence in 1962. In      hand.                              1997 the name was changed from                                           Western Samoa to Samoa.               Samoan culture is alive and                                              strong, and local traditions can   American Samoa is the only U.S.       add another fascinating layer to   territory south of the equator.       your travel experience. Most       Annexed by the United States for      Samoans are subsistence farmers    use as a naval base in 1900, the      who reside in small villages       territory no longer has any           governed by chiefs (matai). The    military significance. Instead,       egalitarian ideals of this         Pago Pago currently hosts the         communal society place loyalty to  StarKist and "Chicken of the Sea"     family and religion above all.     tuna canneries, making it the         Visitors can sample this culture   most important commercial fishing     at the weekly "fiafia" island      port under the American flag.         night dance shows staged at most                                         of the larger hotels and beach     The Samoan environment is             resorts. Buffets of authentic      tropically lush, with green           Samoan dishes are an essential     volcanic peaks plunging to            part of these events.              brilliant coral reefs, an                                                Samoa's climate is sultry,            National Park. There's great       alternately sunny and rainy, but      hiking on Tutuila and wonderful    always hot and humid. Cooling sea     snorkeling on Ofu in the seldom    breezes make the shoreline the        visited Manua Group.               best place to be yearround. The                                          nicest months weatherwise are May     Traditional Samoan culture is      to September, "winter" south of       largely based on oratory, and      the equator. The rainy season         it's no accident that several      runs from November to April, with     literary legends originated here.  increasingly intense hurricanes       Robert Louis Stevenson spent the   sweeping in due to global             last five years of his life in     warming. Yet you can get long         Samoa and is buried on a hilltop   spells of bright sunny weather        above Apia, the capital. His       even during the "rainy" season,       mansion is now a museum dedicated  and Samoa's excellent Vailima         to the author. Somerset Maugham's  beer (created by German               short story "Rain" about Sadie     brewmasters) tastes best at this      Thompson and the repressed         time of year.                         missionary thrown together in a                                          guesthouse at Pago Pago, American  Most visitors spend their time in     Samoa, has been adapted by         independent Samoa, which is           Hollywood several times. The       considerably bigger and less          original guesthouse still exists,  expensive than American Samoa.        now an upscale restaurant and      However the rugged scenic beauty      inn. In "Tales of the South        of Tutuila, the main island of        Pacific," James A. Michener based  American Samoa, should not be         the prototype of his character     missed. In recent years some of       Bloody Mary on an Apia             the most strikingly beautiful         hotelkeeper named Aggie Grey,      parts of the territory have been      whose family still operates        incorporated into American Samoa      Samoa's largest resorts.           Michener's book was later made        between the islands, and getting   into the musical "South Pacific."     around by public bus or rental                                           car is no challenge. Visas are                                           not required by most visitors for  Getting to Samoa is easy with         entry to either Samoa, although a  direct flights from Hawaii and        passport and onward plane ticket   Los Angeles on Hawaiian Airlines,     are mandatory. For a selection of  Polynesian Airlines, and Air New      travel photos of the Samoas visit  Zealand. Local ferries and small      http://www.pacific-pictures.com    commuter planes ply frequently         About the Author: David Stanley is the author of Moon Handbooks South Pacific http://www.southpacific.org/pacific.html which has a chapter on Samoa. His online guide to Samoa may be perused at http://www.southpacific.org/text/upolu.html You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge, so long as the byline and resource box are included. Source: www.isnare.com