R. Doug Wicker's Blog, page 177
January 23, 2015
January 21, 2015
Honolulu and into the Countryside of Oahu
Honolulu and Diamond Head
Honolulu is famous for many things: Pearl Harbor, Honolulu Harbor, Aloha Tower, Diamond Head, and of course Waikiki Beach. Aloha Tower is located on Pier 9 in Honolulu Harbor, and it was for some forty years the tallest structure in Hawaii. What you may not know is that it was originally a lighthouse.
Pier 9 and Aloha Tower
In the distance beyond Waikiki Beach is Diamond Head volcanic crater.
Honolulu and Diamond Head
If you’d like to see the view from atop Diamond Head I...
January 19, 2015
Reaching Oahu after Five Days at Sea
Pier 9 Honolulu Harbor and Aloha Tower
MS Oosterdam departed Pago Pago Harbor on Friday, April 25. We spent the next five days at sea, crossing the equator on that Sunday and finally sailing into Oahu, Hawaii on Thursday, May 1.
Oahu Flowers
Alas Ursula and I did not spend a whole lot of time in Honolulu as we’ve been here many times in the past, including our honeymoon over 35 years ago. At any rate we had another excursion in mind. We hurriedly left the ship for something we’d never done befor...
January 16, 2015
Fun Photo Friday — A Last Look at American Samoa
Framing the National Park
Today I present one last look at American Samoa before we head on across the Pacific to our next stops in the Hawai’ian Islands — Maui, Oahu, and Kuaui. Click on any image below to bring up today’s slide show:
Filed under: Fun Photo Friday, Photography, R. Doug Wicker, travel Tagged: American Samoa, cruise, Fun Photo Friday, Pago Pago, photography, R. Doug Wicker, Samoa, travel, travel photography
January 14, 2015
Going Batty for the National Park of American Samoa
Samoan Flying Fox
I’ve seen bigger bats, but not in a long time. These are the Samoan Flying Foxes with wingspans approaching nearly three feet. The Samoan Flying Fox is a medium-sized (if you can believe that) member of the megabat family.
But don’t worry — these are fruit bats.
Samoan Flying Fox out on a limb
So how did we come across this colony of megabats? We asked to see them on our taxi trip back from the western-most U.S. National Park — The National Park of American Samoa. The Visitor Ce...
January 12, 2015
Heading into Pago Pago
Samoan Bus Stop
As I noted last week it’s a fairly short stroll from Fagatogo to Pago Pago. But the fun is all in the sights along the way, from the colorful:
Fagatogo
To the mundane, yet colorful:
You cannot escape Ronald McDonald
If you don’t feel like walking then grab one of the many buses:
Colorful Samoan Bus
But even in light rain it’s more fun to walk.
Main road from Fagatogo to Pago Pago
Filed under: Photography, R. Doug Wicker, travel Tagged: Oosterdam, Pago Pago, photography, R. Doug Wicker,...
January 9, 2015
Fun Photo Friday — Fagatogo Fun
Colorful Bus
As always, just click on any image below to bring up today’s slide show:
Filed under: Fun Photo Friday, Photography, R. Doug Wicker, travel Tagged: American Samoa, cruise, Fun Photo Friday, Pago Pago, photography, R. Doug Wicker, Samoa, travel, travel photography
January 7, 2015
American Samoa — Panoramic Views
Mountains in Clouds
Today I promised something a bit different — a look at American Samoa’s Pago Pago Harbor in stitched panoramic images. First off is the Samoa Tuna Processors plant in Atu’u across the harbor from Fagatogo:
Samoa Tuna Processors
Here we have an image of Pago Pago Harbor and Fagatogo taken from a high overlook:
Pago Pago Harbor
This next panoramic shot shows the shops along the southern edge of Fagatogo Park, as well as what appears to be an amphitheater to the left:
Fagatogo park...
January 5, 2015
American Samoa — Fagatogo and Pago Pago
Shrouded in Mist
Of all the islands we visited on this transpacific cruise, the island of Tutuila stood out to both Ursula and me as one place where we wouldn’t mind spending a year or so living the tropical South Pacific life. Tutuila is the largest island of American Samoa. It is also home to Pago Pago, the capital city of this unincorporated territory of the United States.
Pago Pago Harbor
Our ship MS Oosterdam arrived into Pago Pago Harbor on April 25. Despite the name, we actually docked in...
