Apia, Samoa - May 23rd

We have left behind the long swells of the Tasman Sea that roll up from the Southern Ocean; and entered the pacific part of the Pacific. We docked at Apia (population 36,000), the capital of Samoa (population 194,000). Samoa was a German colony until 1918; then a British colony; and is now an independent country.

As the ship docked we were greeted by a local dance troupe. They had great costumes though the choreography was a little lax. Whenever someone got tired, he or she just walked off and sat down for a while. Hey, it's the islands.

We went to the Samoan National Tennis Center, located in Apia Park, about a mile from the cruise terminal. We knew from the Internet it had seven courts. There was no one there, but the gate was open, and our Taxi driver said he thought it was OK to play. Hey, it's the islands. Above is center court. Samoa has hosted a regional Davis Cup tie.

This is Court 2, the other show court. Not being presumptuous, Joani and I went out to the back courts to hit.

After 15 minutes, a park employee came and said we needed the permission of the president of the Samoan Tennis Association to play. We said we didn't know him, but would be happy to pay court fees. He said keep playing and he would go see his boss and find out what to do.

After another 30 minutes, a tennis instructor came for a clinic. She said the fee was $5 Samoan dollars each and just pay when finished.

After 20 more minutes the park employee's boss arrived, and he had a long discussion with the tennis instructor about how much to charge us. Since they couldn't agree, they let us play for free. Hey, it's the islands.

Everyone was very nice; they just didn't know what to do. Seems most tourists do not come to Samoa to play tennis. We enjoyed our time on the court and then our Taxi driver returned to pick us up and take us to a local bar.


Tomorrow: American Samoa


Below, some bonus videos from the Antarctic Aquarium in Auckland that didn't make the cut because I had so much good material. Skip them if you're not interested.

Jellyfish have been around for 500 million years; they have survived longer than almost any other member of the animal kingdom. But they're worried about Keith Richards as he can survive anything.