Amerikiwi's travel blogs:
|
|
 | |  |
Stunning simplicity in Samoa
Entry 1 of 23 | show all | print this entry |
4 days in Samoa was just what I needed after ending my contract in NZ and heading home for busy holidays stateside! Let alone the rest of the adventure that will begin mid January. However, before I jump forward too much, I have to say Samoa was a perfect start to my first, technically my first, Round the World ticket.
I booked my ticket on a Monday and flew out to Samoa that Friday, December 8th. With the busiest, and possibly one of most stressful, weeks of my life, I landed in Apia, Samoa with no sleep. I made a wild guess based on a last minute internet search for good beaches in Samoa and secured, I had hoped I secured it!, a connection from the airport to this little village called Lolamanu Beach. However, even en route to Apia I was crossing my fingers that someone really would be there to get me.
The flight over was nice enough although I did gain a new appreciation for the friendliness of Samoans as well as a much clearer "a-ha" moment of why they seem to be excellent rugby players - they are not small guys! Let's just say I was as close to the window as I could have ever wanted to be! The flight left at 11pm and arrived into Apia the same day at 1am - yep, crossed the international date line. Having been up since 4am the day prior - packing, preparing for interview, having last day of work and running last minute errands before I left Wellington for 4 months - I was exhausted but full of hopeful anticipation.
I made it through customs relatively quickly and as I exited the arrivals gate there was a pretty big crowd filling the open air arrivals section. I saw a lot of signs with names but failed to see one yelling out "lanah" - come here to paradise. I scanned, and scanned the crowd - mind you all eyes on this little blonde sticking out like a sore thumb! - and finally saw a guy way in the back. A big guy at that. He had the name of Lolamanu Beach Fales and said we should go. Now.... for those who haven't experienced the trust factor and need for quick deduction of people while travelling, let me explain: Here I was, hopping into a van, in the front, with a huge Samoan man at 2am in the morning for a 2.5 hour drive in a new country in the dark, alone. Now, in the US, this would be unheard of, but after a few minutes chatting and confirming hew as the right guy and I the right "guest", we were off.
The air was thick as soup and I had the window of this huge van down most of the trip. My eyes insisted on staying open not only to make sure I appeared coherent despite my tired brain trying to shut off, but to take in all of the new sights and sounds. I felt as though I had been transported to another planet at one point when, as we were swerving around stray dogs loungin in the dark road, we had to stop for a number of pigs to cross the road. Oh, and the road, yes, the main road around little Samoa, a lnad of 180,000 people, is not necessarily even two lanes. And, for the first hour I had trouble deciphering which side they drove on... it is in the right.
In addition to the new sights, my ears were full of the most enthusiastic tour guide I could ever have imagined to get - especially when I ddint' sign up to have a tour! This man, bless his soul, taught me that I might have the gift of gab, but, wowsers, there is a whole new level out there. He didn't stop speaking for the full 2 hour ride. He informed me on everything from the interesting history of little Samoa - we were in Independant/Western Samoa which was very different from nearby American Samoa. I unfortuantely can't recall much of the wealth of information he shared as I had been up over a full day by this time, but it was intriguing to learn the role of Samoa in WW2, the current role of the Parliament and High Chiefs as well as the small poplulation of Samoans actually living there. Noting that there are more Samoans living in New Zealand.
I arrived, thank God!, at a tiny little spot on the side of the road that had about 25 fales scattered near the beach. I hopped out and of course at 4am there wasn't a sound. I stood on the little deck looking up at the brilliant stars while the driver went to find the owner of the fale - across the street in his house. I felt as though I was in heaven with the sound of the ocean, the clear stars above and here I was, finally, in much awaited warm, sultry weather.
The next 3 nights I had my first "open fale" experience which I highly recommend to beach lovers. No frills little hut on stilts on the beach with a wood "floor" and a basic mattress with a bug net over it. Very, very simple but the best view and sounds of the ocean I have had anywhere. The restrooms were across the road, but in beach weather, that doesn't bother me. The only real issue was the friendly, or sinister is more accurate, cockroaches that seem to stalk me.. personally from Thailand to the South PAcific. Despite some stare offs with a few nasty ones, my effort to completely wrap myself in my silk sleep sheet and ensure my mosquito net was firmly tucked under the mattress (per some great advice of a new mate) I was able to successfly sleep without any bug interference. All this, for $30 US a night including food!
Now, I suppose as my hands are getting tired from typing I should summarise the important part of this trip here - This beach was paradise. Glistening clear aquamarine/white water on brilliant clean sand with a beautiful island and huge break in the distance couldn't be better. The water has a very high salinity and allows you to float without effort. Fortunately, I soaked up the sun the first dayt as some wet weather strolled in and out the next two days. However, I met some nice fellow travellers and a family that provided some good chatting in addition to the adorable Samoan children who LOVE to play in the water. I spent half a day playing with the little 5 and 3 year old daughters of the owners. The food was pretty good as well with a myriad of options from mussels to spaghetti to lobster at dinner.
The Samoans I had a chance to chat with were very friendly and gracious. Samoa is a newly developing toursim spot and my hope is that it can retain its charm and sincerity through its growth spurt. In addition, the social issues are significant. From my limited conversations with locals and some expatriates there, education is too expensive for many families to send their children to school and driving by the many villages was reminscent of slums on the outskirts of Bangkok. YEs, some of it is cultural difference where kids run around with the pigs and chickens and live off the land, however, I had a revelation... this isn't just cultural, it is poverty. A lack of clean water and education as two basic examples.
Lastly, I read a bit about the millions of dollars that rich nations, such as Japan, Australia and New Zealand pump millions of dollars into this little island nation. Maybe the sun had gotten to me, but why would Japan invest millions for a new pool in Apia? More I heard from folks, more I realised that millions and millions of dollars for pet projects are sent here. Why? Well, my first cynical reaction was ... I doubt it is just to be "nice". So, after some informal discussions, deduced it is likely for the voting power of this little nation when it comes to carbon credits and the Kyoto Treaty, trade votes and UN voting. Interesting, eh? Yep, the world is a complex place. Unfortunately, those millions aren't sent to ensure clean water, education and opportunity fo rthe kids, but hey, they will be able to swim! Just kidding, but I would be interested to learn more about how much money is sent in and what the "return on investment" is.
4 days and 3 nights in Samoa for $250.
Relaxation in what I learned was the most beautiful beach in Samoa - priceless.
In summary, my short visit introduced me to a relaxing, beautiful, simple, culturally rich island nation that has its arms open for visitors! I recommend it for those who love the beauty of simplicity and don't mind time literally standing still. (note, I realised I couldn't have stayed more than a week or I may have cracked from needing a "to-do" list to do!)
more upon request.
|
|
If you like this entry, search for other entries by amerikiwi, from Samoa or try a new search. |
| |
Back to Entry - Back to Home
|
3 votes 
