American Samoa first impressions

The island of Tutuila is as lush, green, and tropical as can be. It's a volcanic island with steep mountains and a narrow coastal  strip where most people reside. We've seen very few tourists and the island doesn't seem to cater for them.
There's a main road that runs East-West along the length of the island. We've traveled most of this (40 km) either walking or by bus. The local buses consist of a wooden bus cabin with seating for 16-24 people grafted onto a truck chassis. They seem to be driver-owned and are decorated to the drivers taste. They all played very loud music, and one bus had a large TV screen for music videos.

Tutuila walking and by bus day 1.




Some random observations:
- locals put graves/shrines of deceased relatives in their front yards.
- the first language here is Samoan but almost everyone speaks English and they are very friendly.
- villages have a "bell" that is struck at 6 p.m. signaling a brief curfew. Everyone is expected to be at home at this time. Families have prayers and then dinner. The curfew ends at 6:45. The bell is typically a gas cylinder (K bottle) with the bottom cut off. It is suspended from the neck and struck by a length of pipe.
- there are lots of small stores, which all carry pretty much the same processed foods. Leaving our little cottage, we walked by many people selling coconuts, green bananas (not ripe), taro root and other veggies we didn't recognize. This was Saturday morning. People here have the gene that helps them store fat, but am afraid the diet isn't helpful. Most little kids are not heavy at all.