APIA, Samoa – Robert Louis Stevenson, the author of “Treasure Island” called the Samoan Islands home. He died here, at only 44 and was later buried on a hilltop overlooking the Pacific. But as gifted a writer as he was, even he might be at a loss for words to describe his beloved Samoa now.
Once called Western Samoa, it is a dot in the South Pacific, barely the size of Rhode Island; a paradise rich in ancient tradition, natural beauty and peace and quiet.
Most of the island escaped last week’s tsunami, and life goes on almost without a care. Tourists are arriving, music is playing, and rum is flowing.
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| SLIDESHOW: Tsunami strikes Samoa islands |
The villages along the pristine coastline never stood a chance. The tsunami itself was described to me as a giant wall of black moving at some 30 miles an hour – which brought with it a sound, as terrible as its countenance.
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