We were in Samoa yesterday, not the American colony but the former Brit colony, now independent. The other DrC went ashore, I did not.
We passed the day tied up alongside in the harbor at Apia, the capital. I spent a fair bit of the afternoon sitting in air conditioned comfort at a near floor to ceiling window overlooking the port and city from our observation deck some 120 feet above the water.
The city and its port resemble the Hilo of two decades ago. Similar harbor, similar development thinning inland as the city grows up the shoulder of an old shield volcano. Similar mix of industrial and recreational along the coastline, similar palm trees, etc.
Apia has a beautiful Catholic Church - two-tone blue and white, with dark brown trim. The other DrC got pix of the ceiling done in mahogany marquetry. She noted Apia looked too clean to be a tropical city and learned the Commonwealth leaders had recently held a meeting here and everything got spruced up to put Samoa’s best foot forward.
We are at sea today en route to two stops in Fiji. Both Fiji and Samoa have benefitted from Chinese investment and infrastructure projects. A local lady in Apia told the other DrC that these come “with strings attached,” expectations of support in UN votes, etc. China is ‘buying’ friends in the region, using funds earned by selling cell phones, TVs and Temu trinkets to developed nations.
