Amalau Camping

A group of palagis drove to Amalau on the north side of the island for fale camping. Fales are open air, wooden structures with a roof that are common in Samoa. Amalau is a secluded bay, surrounded by tall cliffs, between the villages of Vatia and Afono. The campsite provides nice facilities including a number of fales, full bathroom, running water, showers, and cooking facilities. Activities included snorkelling, football, beach bonfire, BBQ, and my favorite -- floating in the ocean a few hundred feet offshore.

View from the pass over the mountains:
Fale with mosquito netting:
Michael's bivouac:
Chris manning the bonfire:
View from above and to the west:
View of Vatia:

Election Day

Election Day in the territory was exciting from an national and local standpoint. Governor, Fono seats [local legislature], and American Samoa's non-voting member of the U.S. House of Representatives were all up for grabs in a hotly contested election season.

Local campaigner:
You can't buy votes, but you can buy lunch. Candidates provide their supporters with free plate lunches:
Supporters:
One of my favorite candidates was Fagatogo Steve. He seemed disappointed when we informed him we weren't local voters, but was gracious enough to offer us free lunch regardless. Sadly, he was defeated by just a few votes:
A number of island Palagis [a/k/a white people] eagerly awaited the Presidential returns at the Pago Pago Yacht Club:
Sale of alcohol is prohibited on election day. Probably a good idea [see free lunch picture earlier]: