R. Doug Wicker's Blog, page 179
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...
January 2, 2015
December 31, 2014
Dravuni, Fiji — Part 2
Dravuni in the Distance
Dravui is a charming little island with friendly residents, sunny beaches, and blue waters.
A Dravuni Beach
Even the children enjoyed greeting our arrival during recess.
Recess with the School Children
A walk around revealed some rather nice flowers, as well.
Dravuni Flora
Dravuni Flora
And the homes appeared well suited for the climate and surprisingly comfy and charming.
Dravuni Home
But some of the best photographic opportunities were closer to shore.
Anchoring the Palm
Dravuni...
December 29, 2014
Dravuni, Fiji — Part 1
Tendering onto Dravuni Island
We had one more stop to make in Fiji before continuing our transpacific crossing. This time it was the island of Dravuni just south of Viti Levu. Dravuni is incredibly small — less than a third of a square mile/.8 km². The highest point of the island is 130 feet/40 meters. The resident population numbers around 125.
A Dravuni Beach
Being so small it only takes about forty-five minutes to circumnavigate it in a small motorboat, which we did. But be forewarned. Once w...
December 26, 2014
Fun Photo Friday — The Best of Viti Levu
Fiji is Tugging at My Heart
Hope you enjoyed this week’s travels to the Fiji’s Viti Levu. I promised on Wednesday to show you the charming school from the village we visited, and here it is:
Rainbow Schoolhouse
And here are the students:
Tourist Recess
Here are more of my favorite shots from our two ports of call here on the island:
Filed under: Fun Photo Friday, Photography, R. Doug Wicker, Television Tagged: cruise, Fiji, Fun Photo Friday, Lautoka, MS Oosterdam, Navua River, photography, R. Doug...
December 25, 2014
Holiday Repeat — A Spillane Christmas Carol (Humor)
On Wednesday I presented an old piece I wrote for the now defunct El Paso Manuscript Club’s annual Christmas Writing Contest for the year 2000. It was a poem written in the style of Edgar Allan Poe, and it told of the apparent murder of Lenore — a department store clerk — by an irate customer doing his Christmas shopping just a tad on the late side.
Today I present the companion piece (same contest, different category), the followup investigation of Lenore’s death as conducted by a character s...
