Due to the number of pictures, I have split this page up.
I went to Samoa. How foreign does that sound?
I have never considered it until I was planning my trip back to the States. When I was coming home, I decided not to do it in a straight line.
I called Polynesian Airlines and scheduled the trip.
I left Sydney Friday the 13th around noon, and flew to Auckland, New Zealand for a plane change.
Arrived in Samoa, we crossed the date line, so it was not Thursday the 12th, great, I get to go through Friday the 13th a second time.
I collected my bags and headed out to get a seat on a small bus that was waiting at the airport. they load up random travelers for $7 each and drop you off at your destination Much cheaper than a taxi, but takes a bit longer.
While on the bus, I befriended a guy from Oslo, Norway - Christian. We were both traveling alone, and he did not have a place to stay for the night, I invited him to bunk with me in my room at the backpacker's place where I had reserved a room.
We checked in to Seadside Inn, a clean, and minimal backpacker (youth hostel) place. There were local Samoans on the front porch drinking beer and enjoying the evening air.
the next morning, Christian and I strike out to explore Apia, the only city in Samoa. It is not very big, and if I were to describe it, I would say it was rusty and greasy. Not exactly a pretty capital city. But the rest of the country still lived in villages, towns and cities were not feasible on the island.
There are only a few roads in Samoa. It mostly runs along the coast and through the villages, there is a cross island road that bisects the island. Nothing is very far to drive.
Christian was meeting his brother who was flying in later that day, so we swung by the fanciest place in town - Aggie Greys Hotel. A historic hotel that rivals the Raffles hotel in Singapore.
If Robert Louis Stevenson had clapped eyes on Samoa a little earlier he wouldn't have dickered around in the clammy highlands for so long. The islands are so idyllic they're almost a cartoon version of a writer's hideaway - palm-fringed beaches, booming white surf, and lush rainforests wreathed in a background mist of clouds. It's enough to make a Hollywood location scout's heart go ka-boom. Then there's the beachcomber lifestyle where time is a hazy concept and life is so laid-back it's only a heartbeat away from being comatose.
But the history of Samoa has not always been so relaxed. Over the years it's been visited by trading ships bringing disease, massacres and exploitation; it's been a bolt hole for the homeless riff raff of the seas - ex-whalers, escaped convicts, bawdy traders, dipsomaniac sailors, and pirates retiring from the business; it's been carved up by arrogant European powers seeking a political toehold in the Pacific arena; and finally it's suffered god's glory boys bringing bibles and everlastin' perdition. That the sunny and easy-going nature of the Samoans should survive all this is a triumph of optimism over experience.
Full country name: Independent State of Samoa (formerly Western
Samoa)
Area:2860 sq km (1115 sq mi)
Population: 224,715
Capital city: Apia
People: Samoan 93%, Euronesians 7%
Languages: Polynesian, English
Religion: Christian 99.7% (about half of the Christian population
belongs to the London Missionary Society)
Government: Constitutional monarchy under native chief
Chief of State: Chief Susuga Malietoa Tanumafili II
Prime Minister: Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi
GDP: US$183 million
GDP per head: US$1106
Annual growth: 6.7%
Inflation: 7.5%
Major industries: Agriculture, tourism, food processing, fishing
Major trading partners: New Zealand, Australia, American Samoa,
Germany, Japan, China
Independent Samoans are very tradition-oriented, very steeped in a complex set of social hierarchies, courtesies and customs that regulate their social, religious and political life. Independent Samoan culture is based on fa'amatai, a system of government that has a chief, or matai, governing an entire aiga or extended family. Wealth and food are distributed on a needs basis and honour and social standing is shared or shouldered equally by all members of the aiga. The matai represents the family on the village council, metes out justice, and makes sure that all customs are properly observed. In fact Independent Samoa has more rules of etiquette than a finishing school for young ladies and a keen sense of propriety and respect. The matai is also a living archive, responsible for remembering the ancient folk lore, the family genealogies, and the stories of the old gods, and passing them onto his successor.
Although Samoan culture dates back thousands of years and is still passed on through poems, genealogies and stories of the old gods, most Samoans these days are devout Christians. Religion is a big part of Samoan life and Sunday service is the most important event in the week. Absolute fealty to, and respect for, the church leader is a must, as is the strict observance of religious rules. This whole-hearted embracing of a transplanted religion may seem a little odd but more than one person has suggested that Christianity on the islands has been 'samoanised'. In much the same way that games of cricket are played with three-sided bats and Samoan checkers can include eccentric rules like jumping over the whole board, so the Samoan version of Christianity often has non-Samoans scratching their heads in bewilderment.
Dancing, singing and music play a big part in Samoan culture. The fiafia was originally a village play or musical presentation performed by a number of villagers but these days it simply refers to a bit of a Samoan knees up at the larger hotels. Both the siva (a dance performed by women acting out impromptu stories with their hands) and the sa sa (a dance performed to the beating of a wooden mallet) are performed. Tattooing is a significant rite in Independent Samoa and involves more than a visit to the local Tatt Parlour on a Friday night full of Dutch courage and bravado to get a Betty Boop figure stenciled on a bicep. At age 12 or 13 Samoan males go to the tufuga, or tattooist, and get tattooed from waist to knee. The tattoos represent the strength of a man's heart and his spirituality but on a more practical note if you can bear the pain of a months' worth of tattooing, you can bear anything.
Food in Samoa derives mainly from tropical crops, root vegetables, coconut products, fresh fruit, pork, chicken and, of course, seafood. The traditional Polynesian feast is cooked in an umu, an above-the-ground oven. The traditional Sunday meal is nearly always cooked in the umu. 'Ava or kava is a drink made from the ground roots of pepper plants and has a mild tranquilising effect. It is usually drunk as a prelude to ceremonial gatherings and village meetings.
Notice the doorman wearing a skirt, it is called a lavalava. Most of the men wear lavalavas in their daily lives.
A fale is the traditional Samoan building. It normally consists of a floor, and a thatched roof - no walls. Here in the fancy hotel, they had walls and air conditioning.
Most of the villages are located just off the main road. When driving around, you had to slow WAY down as not to hit any kids, dogs, chickens or pigs. Lots of farm animals wander around.
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