To get to American Samoa from Samoa we took the smallest commercial airplane I have ever seen. 20 small seats squashed into a tiny propeller plane. I was sitting in A1 (first class baby!) and subsequently had my knees halfway into the cockpit. It was a jittery but fun experience.

It barely fits 18 people squashed together for a 30 minute flight to American Samoa. I guess I won't expect any drink trolleys coming down the isle on this on!

Arriving in American Samoa we had a few hours before we had to fly out again so time was precious. Our hosts took us straight up into the hills where we could get a beautiful view of the coastline and vegetation. As opposed to Samoa, which is very flat, American Samoa has a beautiful landscape marked by green mountains and giant rocks jutting out from the sea. After taking in the breathtaking view and enjoying a ride on the winding roads that course through jungle, we headed back to the town where we were set to meet locals for lunch. After talking to the people we realized that what is most important to them is family. Now ‘family’ is a common theme when talking about happiness, but in this place the family bond is stronger than anything we have seen before. This bond and the very religious culture culminate in this one peculiar tradition (which can also be observed on surrounding islands) : burying the dead in one’s back yard. When a family member dies he or she is laid to rest close to the family home. Death does not mean separation in this culture. The deceased family member is still part of the household. “Sometimes when the children are misbehaving they are sent outside to spend time with their grandparents!” says our host.

We enjoyed our little time spent on this beautiful island and were enchanted by the easygoing nature of its inhabitants. Every conversation I had was interesting, deep and yet lighthearted at the same time. I left feeling enriched as if some of their magical spirit had come with me.