Day III in American Samoa

After training the physicians of the LBJ Tropical Medical Center, my day ended with a drive to the east side of the island, to Tisa's Barefoot Bar. Tisa serves a traditional Samoan feast on Wednesday nights. Food is gathered from the mountains and the ocean -- chicken, turkey, squash, taro, fruitbread, onion, octopus, prawn, and banana leaves.


It is cooked in the traditional way - in an underground oven called an umu. A fire is built and stones placed on it. When the fire is down to the embers, the food is placed on the stones. When all the food has been placed on the umu, it is covered tightly with banana leaves and left to cook. The meal was delicious and we were treated to traditional Samoan song and dance after dinner. Tisa's is located right on the beach so the whole experience is delicious for the palette and the eyes.

After dinner, the rains came. And when it rains here, it really rains. The long drive back to the hotel on narrow, winding, flooded roads that dart around the cliffs was a white knuckle driving experience! A kayak may have been more appropriate than my rental car!