"dispatch from (way, way, way) down south"

things i learned yesterday, at my hotel:
1. several rooms here are named for celebrities, including rita hayworth and gloria swanson. mine is currently unnamed. i like to think it's because they're waiting for me to become famous.
2. the sewage system is not as robust as on the mainland. after you realize this (the hard way), $1 is enough to coax the housekeeper into remedying the situation.
3. toilets here flush counterclockwise. (of course i checked.)
4. sometimes you aren't the only one who thinks a shell is really neat. (didn't learn that one until after walking all the way back, emptying my pockets, and realizing one of the shells was on the move.)
...and while walking from pago pago harbor to just past flowerpot rock and back:
1. litter is a HUGE problem here. if you know me well, you know this drives me bonkers. (the lack of recycling here also makes me twitchy.)
2. that said, at least the bags they use are biodegradable- corn based, i think.
3. as long as you get your package to the post office by thursday, it'll go out on friday's flight.
4. our sister hotel, sadie's by the sea, offers all amenities (pool, snorkeling, kayak rental) with a room key, even on sundays, which is a day of religion and family on the island.
5. that's good news, because my plan the fly over to western samoa to celebrate my birthday today (and then come back here tonight so i could celebrate again tomorrow) was thwarted by the fact that return flights are booked solid through tuesday.
6. part of the reason you don't see many thin samoans (from what i can tell anyway)- huge portions and lots of cheap carbs.
my midday meal was a vat of hot and sour soup as big as my sink (i ate about a third of it), and enough lo mein that i ate three servings and still brought home a full takeout container.
also, i picked up a pack of 6 cinnamon rolls for $1.80.
(myfitnesspal probably won't approve. it can bite me. i'm on vacation.)
oh- and at mcdonalds, you can get the "island-style breakfast". i'll pass on the eggs and rice, but spam doesn't sound half bad.....
speaking of spam, never have i seen such variety! i'm thinking about shipping the "spam with cheese" back to my dad.
now, if you'll excuse me, i'm going to pack up my snorkeling gear, figure out which bikini i'm wearing today, and get ready to head over to sadie's by the sea.
(first, however, i should probably try one of these cinnamon rolls- just to see if they're any good.)