Thursday, January 15 – Apia

I’ll lead off with a correction: In my last entry, I stated that the big island we were flying over is called Samoa. Wrong! The big island is called Savai’l. Sorry about that. (I was politely corrected while speaking to one of the locals.)

Breakfast is included in my hotel room rate, and is served in the adjacent restaurant.

I was impressed. There was a wide variety of choices and it was very good. I’m ready to get after it!

Let’s explore Apia! I’ve scoped out some places I’d like to see, but otherwise I’ll just do some roaming around.

The fire station is located just down the road from my hotel. It looks like the vehicles are second hand from Japan, as I noticed the truck on the right has Japanese writing and the Japanese flag affixed to the exterior (you can see the Japanese flag on the front of the truck).

The Immaculate Conception Cathedral, located next door to my hotel. The original cathedral dates to 1857; however, it was damaged in a 2009 earthquake. This restored version opened in 2014.

Located outside the Samoa Cultural Village. The village is a recommended place to visit in Apia. Unfortunately, it is closed during my visit (low season causality…).

This pedestrian walkway runs along the seawall of Apia Harbor and Apia Bay. It’s wonderful!

Made a stop at the Apia Fish Market. And yes, I asked if I could take their picture. (The Samoans are very nice!)

This is the Apia Bus Terminal. Cool looking buses, right? I’m hoping to take one of these on Saturday when I cross the island to my next accommodation. If you’re interested in more information about taking the bus on the island, click here. (Those of you who have followed along on my trips know I like experiencing these local type of things…)

This is located across the street from the seawall. I just thought it looked nice. I think it’s a B&B.

This is the German Flag Memorial (Deutsches Flaggendenkmal). It commemorates the raising of the German flag in 1900, marking Germany’s colonial rule (1899-1914). It also honors German soldiers who perished in a 1889 cyclone.

This is the Malietoa Tomb of Tanumafili I and Malietoa Laupepa, two former rulers of Samoa.

Samoa Ministry of Justice and Courts Administration Court House (that’s a mouthful!)

Near the Court House I stopped by a little popup canteen to get something cold to drink. The woman running it happened to be from Houston. Small world! Well, she was born in Samoa, grew up in American Samoa, and then moved to the States. She moved back here to help out with some family matters. And after living in Houston, she was complaining about the heat here. Really? I had to call her out on that one!

This British and American Memorial commemorates those who died during the Siege of Apia in 1899. It recognizes British and American sailors who fought alongside Malietoa Tanumafili I during the Second Samoan Civil War.

This monument commemorates Samoa’s independence from New Zealand on January 1, 1962.

The Apia Clock Tower honors Samoan soldiers that died during World War One.

Have I mentioned it’s hot here? (Not as hot as Houston though!) I will say there is a nice breeze walking along the seawall, but after 3 hours of roaming, I was ready to get back to the hotel for a rest during the peak heat of the day.

I was planning on going back out for a late afternoon walk, but a storm came through with heavy rain and high winds. Oh well…