Apia Off The Beaten Path

When visiting the Apia area you might try taking a hike up to the top of Maunga Vaea
which the final resting place of Tusitala which is a Samoan word for Storyteller
also better known to us as the famed author Robert Louis Stevenson.
Stevenson began his travels from his native Scotland after contracting TB
and wanted fresh air so he traveled across to the United States and lived in St Helena California
for awhile the ventured on to Hawaii where he met with Hawaiian royalty
and became friends with Princess Kai'ulani during her teenage years
after Hawaii traveled to the present day Republic of Kiribati to the island of Abemama
where he met with it's fierce chief Tem Binoka and became friends with him
After leaving Abemama traveled on to Samoa and settled there and lived many years there
and recuperated from his TB but died from a massive stroke in his old age.
It took several big husky Samoan men
to carry his coffin up to the top of the mountain where he is laid to rest
It's about an hour and a half climb to the top of the mountain.