Samoa weekend - in depth

Hi,

Our trip to Samoa was a spontaneous thing - when grabaseat.co.nz had cheap flights around my birthday, we leapt in and bought us return tickets.  It seemed to take ages to come around, but once it was close, before we knew it we were strapped into our airline seats and waiting for the adventure to begin.

We left Wellington on Friday, Feb 18th at 10am.  Dad had dropped us off and we only carried three daypacks so it was an easy check-in.  We got tickets all the way through to Apia.  An hour later we touched down in Auckland and walked over to the International terminal.  Mike bought me an early birthday present (early, because despite it being Feb 18 in New Zealand, we were about to cross over the International dateline to have Feb 17th again) - a waterproof digital camera.  Woo hoo!  Armed with a camera suitable for taking snorkelling pictures and enough chocolate and snacks to sustain Toby through the flight, we were off.

We had purchased Seat Only tickets.  The cheapest option, but it comes with the following caveats:

• No checked luggage.
• No movies (well, there were three or four free movies to watch, but they were Kids ones or old ones).
• No food onboard.

But you did get tea or coffee and a huge range of television episodes to watch.  So we had no bother there.  And you can buy food onboard via credit card in your seat.  But we made do with snacks bought in the departure hall.  Toby seemed happy to eat chocolate bars and chippies for some reason.

We crossed into my birthday again as we approached Apia.  Low cloud meant we had no view at all landing at the airport.  The plane pulled right up to outside the terminal and we walked down the stairs to the gate, through immigration quickly (no bags to collect) and into the throng of people asking us if we wanted a taxi.  My method is to walk quickly through like I know where I am going (probably hopelessly obvious that I had no idea) and if accosted would wave behind saying "Talk to my husband".  Poor Mike!

Anyhow, we got a taxi and started the drive into Apia.  Fa'leolo airport is about an hour from Apia to the west.  15 minutes if it was Melbourne and we had a clear run down the Tullamarine Freeway to town.  But on the potholed main road on Upolo (the island Apia is on), at a maximum open road speed of 56km/h, it took an hour! Toby expressed concern at his inability to find a seatbelt in the backseat for us to wear.  He was very put out by this, until he realised he now had freedom to move around in the back.  I told him many countries don't have strict seatbelt laws, and this might be one of them.

Toby took a lot of interest in the things we were passing - especially coconut trees.  His aim was to try and climb one (which he did a bit later on).  And he read the phrasebook section of our guidebook and practised on our taxi driver.  Our driver weaved through puddles and around potholes along with the rest of the traffic. 

We stayed at the Samoan Outrigger, on the road over to the south coast, but just on the edge of Apia as it starts to climb up the hill.  We checked in and dumped our gear in our room, and then went out for a walk to get something to eat in town.  Toby's main concern was to swim in their pool.  Ours was to eat something more substantial than chocolate bars and chippies.

We wandered around trying to make sense of the map and the roads.  There are no street signs in central Apia that we could detect.  So navigating is a little fraught.  By the time we got close to the restaurant, a huge downpour hit.  The sort that gets you soaked to the skin in 30 seconds.  Mike flagged down a taxi and we got a lift to the Bistro Tatau.  It took all of 1 minute.  We were very close. But we would have been drenched if we'd continued walking.  Toby uttered a squeal of excitement when he thought he had no seatbelt, only to discover his side of the back seat had one, and my side didn't.  I made him use it.

The restaurant was very nice.  It was my birthday dinner after all.  I had a medium-rare tune steak (scrumptious) and Mike had chicken breast.  Toby ate chicken nuggets but tried our food and liked it.  Shame they had kids menus available I think.  We caught a taxi back to the Outrigger, where Toby was disappointed to find he had a seatbelt to wear, and perplexed to find my side again didn't have one.  He convinces me to swap sides next time we get in a taxi so he can be the one without a seatbelt.  Funny kid.  We checked it was far too late for Toby to swim on the pool (yes, it was) and fell into bed.

The room had louvred glass windows, with flyscreen netting, and a lazy turning ceiling fan.  We slept on top of the sheet and slept well!

Up for breakfast and Toby was keen as we told him he could swim after we ate.  We got toast with butter (and jam - Mike used the jam) and fresh fruit.  Toby discovered the joys of real passionfruit and he liked it!  Shame they are so expensive in NZ.  Perhaps for a special occasion I can get some in.

Breakfast.  Yum!

As soon as he could, Toby was off to the pool.  A young man was cleaning it so Toby had to wait for ten minutes.  Then he was in.  And trying out our new waterproof camera.  We have great shots of the pool ladder and pool liner.  Look out for links to those coming soon to a blog near you - or not!  Heheheh.

The view from the pool - straight upwards.

Then we jumped into a taxi - I can't remember the seat belt situation in that one though.  Bet you Toby does.  Anyhow we went off to visit Robert Louis Stevenson's Museum.  It is housed in the beautiful house RLS had built when he moved here for his health, up high on the hill above the Outrigger.  Entry includes a tour and we wandered around the house hearing about the family life here.  RLS only lasted 4 years before a stroke killed him and he was buried on the hill behind the house.  Toby got a little bored during the tour and played on the grass outside till we were done.  Then we made to go off on the 30 minute walk up to the tomb when a huge downpour hit.  Even running to the toilets around the back of the house got you soaked.  Someone magically produced an umbrella and Toby gallantly escorted me to the Ladies toilet.  However, when I was done and came out, all I saw was an abandoned umbrella on the footpath.  He was hiding and running around in the rain the cheeky thing!

Another taxi ride back to the Outrigger to wait for the rental car agency to arrive with our car.  The room we were in was already devoid of all furniture and being repainted.  Fast huh?  Not so much with the rental car.  It was scheduled using Samoan time, but we didn't mind lounging around the lobby waiting for it.  I think I fell asleep on the lobby couch.  Oops.  This is where Toby attempted his one and only go at climbing a coconut tree.  He selected a likely target in the hotel front yard, put his hands around the trunk and put one foot up...  Then leapt off the tree like he'd been bitten.  Turns out he touched a bug on the trunk and he never mentioned climbing a coconut tree again.

Toby watched television after his climbing attempt so he was happy.  Eventually the rental car arrived and we paid for this and that until we got the car.  Pay for drivers license.  Pay for extra insurance.  Pay tax.  Pay for extra drivers (we decided against that one and Mike volunteered to drive everywhere).  We had a cute RAV 4 for a few days.  At least it was cute on the outside.  Inside was another matter.  We now know why it had so many dangling air freshener things.  It was musty smelling and infested with cockroaches.  When the car had been left for a while, the cockroaches evidently sensed an opportunity to explore.  When you opened the doors, the wee beasts scuttled away from you like mad.

We drove immediately to an ATM and a petrol station (only fuel is around Apia) and then to a supermarket where we bought a huge packet of Oreos (American biscuits), some chippies and drink and some flyspray to deal to those cockroaches.  At every opportunity when we parked up, Mike would spray the car out and close the doors and windows to try and kill off some of the resident insect population.  He used a whole can of fly spray in the end.  We think it helped - and that is the main thing!

We set off then across to the south coast - the road is called Cross Island Road.  It climbs the hills above Apia and pops over the hill to a wonderful vista.  Or it would have been, if it wasn't quite so cloudy and a bit damp.  Not that Toby noticed.  He was comatose on the back seat within minutes of an exclamation of glee that said "There is no seatbelt".  He was unaware of the cockroach infestation at that point but they tended to stay away from us so he probably wasn't crawled over - much!

We stopped at a waterfall on the way over - the wet season meant the waterfalls were in full flight.

The drive down the south coast is long (takes the best part of an hour to cover about 40 kilometres) but the scenery is wonderful.  We saw a car that had rolled recently (the occupants were out of the car and another had stopped) so obviously the 50 km/h speed limit is there for a reason.  But once we start getting close to Faofao Beach Fales (where we're staying) we start seeing evidence of tsunami damage.  Concrete fales have been twisted by the power of the wave and some have not been rebuilt.

We get the the place where the map says Faofao is, and don't see a thing of our accommodation.  Just as we're about to turn back, we happen across it.  And I have to say, the beach fales are paradise on earth.  They are very traditional looking, with thatched roofs and woven sides that you can pull up.  We had two mattresses, smothered in mosquito netting and a view that is well worth any money.  We are about 20 paces from the lapping sea, and that is about 100m from the pounding surf on the reef.

Faofao has a restaurant across the road that provides breakfast and dinner for your money.  It cost us ST175 a night for the fale and meals - ST70 each and ST35 for Toby.  As we threw our gear in the fale (well, we kept a lot in the cockroach infested car too), the rain started again.  Toby's mattress was getting dribbled on so Mike climbed into the rafters of the fale and re-arranged the thatch leaves to provide better coverage.  The fale was lovely and even had power (a single long life light bulb).  We were impressed.

Of course, we naturally started snorkelling almost straight away.  The sheltered reef was great with little current and small waves.  Toby did a bit with his mask and snorkel but Mike and I stayed in enjoying it immensely.  I have used Toby's mask and snorkel in the past and know it isn't the best experience in the world.  Mike has a fantastic snorkel that means you can clear the tube with a tiny exhale.  His mask is slightly too big for me.  Mine is great - I have a relatively new mask and my old diving snorkel which is ok (its valve means you have to puff a little harder than on Mike's to clear it).  Toby's tiny mask gives poor visibility and his tiny diameter snorkel makes it hard to grasp between my teeth.

Coral-eye view of Angela, Toby and our fale

We continued snorkelling even when the rain started down again.  It was weird hearing the rain hit the surface of the sea as we were snorkelling.  I eventually went in to the shore and played with Toby on the beach.  Mike snorkelled all the way out to the reef while I kept a half-anxious watch on him.

The tsunami damage is still very apparent under the surface of the sea.  I pulled out a piece of wood with nails poking out that looked very dangerous.  You can see lumps of concrete from time to time.  And the staghorn coral has been broken and scattered over the sea bed.  Many coral fans have been uprooted and are lying upside down, dead.   Some has recovered or survived and the fish life is abundant.  We saw clown fish, starfish, angel fish and many, many others I can't possibly recognise.

Dressed for dinner - well, I got out of my togs anyway.  I swam in my togs and a rash top and shorts.  Samoan women should show not too much flesh apparently.  Maybe I should have been born there, eh?  I'm all for covering up my white body from the UV rays!  Dinner was a beautiful whole fish cooked in coconut cream (with possibly a bit of chili or something).  The family cooks it and serves it up in a buffet and you get a plate and pile it up.  We had salad and chicken satay as well.

Toby grabbed a big packet of Oreos he had bought in Apia and handed them around.  He had opened them earlier in the day in the car during our drive to Faofao.  Afterwards, Mike hung them in a plastic bag he got from the car, in the fale.  That was when I found cockroaches scurrying around in the Oreos so we like to believe when Toby was handing them out to everyone that they hadn't been in the packet then!  That's what we're sticking to, anyway.  Needless to say, no one ate the remaining Oreos.  Toby did pine after them though.  Whenever the cockroaches were mentioned, he'd crumple his face and say "Remember the Oreos".

I headed back to the fale to read while the boys stayed on in the restaurant.  The family make their own music at night and Mike and Toby were entertained for quite while.  I even heard a dedication to Toby - and then a Justin Bieber song came on (it was the only one Toby actually knows so I think he was probably quite chuffed).  The boys all sing and play keyboards. 

Eventually my boys clambered into bed and we fell asleep instantly with the pounding surf providing the most pleasant white noise I have had the pleasure to hear for ages.  Well, better than Mike's snoring anyway!  Heheheh.  In the middle of the night, I felt Toby's feet wriggling between mine, and woke enough to see Toby far away from me on Mike's side of the bed.  I move my legs and something (a rat?  a huge Oreo-bloated cockroach?) shoots out under the mosquito netting and disappears.  Never see this again - whatever it was.

Up for a quick swim and breakfast. Bread and eggs. And fruit. Toby discovered he loves fresh pineapple. Canned - not so much. On pizza - nope! But fresh is best!  He ate heaps of that and the soft, white bread the Samoans seem to use exclusively.

Just after breakfast we find out we can't pay with plastic.  There is nothing for it but to drive back to Apia on the 50km/h potholed road.  That is where the ATMs are and we decide to take in sights on the way.   We stopped at the O Le Pupu-pu'e National Park and walked to the waterfall. I washed in fresh water which was lovely after having salt on me since the morning.  The slight chill in the shade of the forest and the colder water meant none of us wanted to swim.  But I could see the attraction on a boiling hot day!

Over the hill back to Apia. We navigated the tried and tested route through Apia to the ANZ ATM and petrol station.  We tried to get to the sliding rocks (a natural slide on rocks into a freshwater pool) but fail miserably to find the correct road.  There are virtually no street signs in Apia at all.  We have seen them on the outskirts, but not in town.   Back over the hill to the south coast. We visited the To Sua Ocean Trench.  The reason for this excursion was the Vacation Expo advertised in Flight Centre where we bought our insurance.  They had a picture of this place and it looked amazing.

Toby climbed down the 20m ladder to the sinkhole. Low tide meant no jumping in from rungs on the ladder because it was too shallow. We explored the cave to the other sinkhole.  Toby was brave to swim off into a dark cavern where he couldn't touch the ground.  But upon our return to the main sinkhole, Toby discovered crabs scuttling along the sides of the sinkhole and got scared. Then when Toby tackled the ladder to climb back up, he saw crabs on the ladder too.  Most of the crabs were the size of my pinky fingernail. But Toby tried to climb the high, scary ladder holding on by the tips of his fingernails to lessen the possibility of touching any crabs. This increased the chances of falling off the very high, scary ladder and scared his parents greatly.  Eventually Toby sees reason and grips the ladder a bit more.

Meanwhile (while I was convincing Toby to touch the ladder), Mike explored the entrance to the sea - an underwater tunnel for 3m apparently. We didn't bring our snorkelling gear, so there was no mask available, but next time it might be a goer. Mike reckons he'd swim to the sea easily with a face mask. When I went over for a look (you have to swim to the end of the sinkhole in deep water) you could just see light coming through under the water from the sea.

Back to Faofao and dinner was followed by a fiafia night.  This is a traditional dance done by members of the family.  It seems weird to have 6 guests enjoying this (us, and a Canadian called Greg and a German couple) when there are about 12 family members involved.  But I enjoyed it.  At the end we were pulled up and we all danced (ok, I tried to move my arms and hands the same way, but dancing might be open to interpretation if anyone was watching me - which they weren't because we were all dancing).

Sunday is a day of rest.  Which meant relaxing on the beach, and reading, and hours of snorkelling.  I can't get Toby out of the water.  Today was the driest day in a month according to the locals.

We had lunch at the Taufua resort just down the road.  Toby saw suckling pig served to tourists and vowed to be a vegetarian.  We convinced him adult pigs are used for ham and bacon and he relents, just in time for when his ham and cheese toasted sandwiches turn up.

 Up early Monday for coffee/tea before we head away for our midday flight.  The owner (Crucetia ??) told about the morning of the tsunami and how she still doesn't sleep well at night.  She told of deaths and lucky escapes.

Then we drove back to Apia and took the ATM/petrol route.  Then we dropped off the cockroach car (whenever I see a Toyota RAV4 now I can't help but think it is infested) and caught a taxi to the airport.

We came rapidly back down to earth when we arrived in Auckland to the chaos from the Christchurch earthquake, which occurred just as we left Apia.  Our flight home was delayed of course, so we spent quite a few hours grimly watching the news coverage in the departure lounge.

As we finish off this blog entry a few weeks down the track, we can see how much our short trip to Samoa meant to us.  I often think back to those lazy days on the beach relaxing and feel so much better for it.  And the cockroach infestation of the car has given us a new collective noun.  Mike and I discovered that a whole bunch of cockroaches is called a "an intrusion" of cockroaches.  But from now on, we've decreed that whenever they spot more than one cockroach together, it is perfectly fine to shriek and shout "There's a RAV4 of cockroaches!" and wait for Mike to grab the flyspray and let billowing clouds of cockroach death descend!

We recommend Samoa for a break and we can't wait to head back already.  Stay at Faofao and enjoy a simpler lifestyle for a while.