Ian and Paolo surfing

Ian and Paolo surfing

The weekend before Paolo said tofā soifua American Samoa.

Pua trees surf session looking dreamy at 7am, and my camera was all misty from the morning air.

Photos from before and after their surf because I was shooting videos in between.

First Friday at the Fagatogo Market

First Friday at the Fagatogo Market

Fagatogo Market

Last night with Ian at First Friday.

I brought Sutton (my camera) along because since I started the Moments page on my site, I’ve been feeling motivated to photo journal more.

Adobo at First Friday | Nerelle | American Samoa

We arrived at the Fagatogo Marketplace a little past 7:30pm.  I was surprised at how dim it was in there – most of the overhead lights weren’t working anymore, and they had one big floodlight on the ground that kind of made it feel like a dark busy alley. It gave off a slight ‘black market’ type of vibe.

Really loud music blaring from grainy speakers outside.

Glimpses of bright fabrics through the shadows.

The smell of fried food.

Fresh produce lining the floor on cardboards.

A low hum of chatter – people exchanging cash for goods.

We hadn’t eaten dinner yet so we headed straight for the Filipino food table and got a chicken adobo, rice, and lumpia plate for $4.75! Then purchased a couple of niu for $2 each.

Walked over to the parking lot by DMWR and sat by the Pago Harbor.

We watched the moon come up from behind Mt. Rainmaker. What a sight.

And I swooned at the moonlit ripples in the pitch black ocean.

I like going to First Fridays at the Fagatogo Market.

There are handicrafts to peruse (I bought an intricately handwoven pale for only $10! I plan to wear it on my birthday coming up in a few weeks!), different dishes to try (Filipino food, Mexican food, and Samoan food), and entertainment (usually an array of local church groups or small bands).

I snapped this photo of styrofoam piled up in the trash because it made me kind of sad. We had a styrofoam plate from our dinner that we added to the bin and I kept thinking I should have brought my own tupperware and my zero waste kit. Next time.

The market’s entertainment for the night was a small carefree band with an electronic piano. If you know island jams, you know da kine.

These 3 dancing kids were the real entertainment though. They were so unashamed dancing out there, and made a lot of us laugh.

We left close to 9pm, and offered to drive one of the market vendors – who was a friend of my parents – home to Nu’uuli since we lived nearby. We chatted all the way home.

It was a good night.