| Samoa - page 2 |
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| Here I am after crossing the narrow bridge. Behind me
you can see Samoa. |
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| Falefa Falls - one of the many water falls around the
island. This one was not particularly huge, but very impressive - as
it was down in a deep valley. This is the same river from an earlier
picture. |
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| Thinking I was super-athlete, I followed the guide book in
search of Lake Lanoto'o. The book said "Lake Lanoto'o, or Goldfish
Lake, in the interior of Upolu Island, is quite some way off the beaten
track these days, although it wasn't always so. During the German
occupation of Independent Samoa it was a popular picnicking spot.
Cavalcades of parasol-shaded young women were escorted to Lake Lanoto'o by
German soldiers or courtly Europeans doing the wooing thing. Today, as
back then, the lake is a strange pea-green colour and is full of wild
goldfish that gather around the shores of the lake. Lake Lanoto'o has a
spooky kind of charm, partly due to its strange green colour and hordes of
goldfish, and partly due to the fact that the bottom of the lake has never
been found.
Getting there requires a bit of persistence. Take the Cross Island
Road and stop at the Lanoto'o Rd turn off. You will then need to walk
about 4km (2.5mi) in the direction of the microwave relay towers, and then
slog down an overgrown track for 40 minutes. This will lead you to the
lake in a volcanic crater."
Um, yea.. after driving the required distance through mud and muck -
nearly getting stuck several time, I arrived at the 'parking area'.
I talked to a local farmer, who told me to follow the trail. I
followed the trail through knee deep water and mud until I started to
climb the mountain trail. I walked the mountain trail for nearly 2
hours. The trail was slippery and very gooey red mud. It was
getting late in the day, I was by myself and only had 3 liters of water,
and more importantly, I was getting pretty fatigued.
I decided to err on caution and head back. I didn't want to be
caught in the forest with out a light or provisions. I never made it
to the lake, but it was an excellent hike none the less. |
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| Papapapai-tai Falls - a spectatular 100 meter fall just off
the main road. |
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| While cruising around the island, I noticed that the
Trakker's glove compartment still had the dealer's sticker on it - Mak
Heik's Geo. Hmm.. that is in Houston I think. I walk around
the car, and notice this - underneath the Samoan plates, there was a Texas
license plate still bolted to the bumper! I wonder if it was
purchased legally, or is this where stolen cars end up..... |
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| Getting pretty dirty, and wanting to have a decent bed, I
went to the south side of the island and checked into "Coconuts Beach
Resort". A high end resort that caters to tourists. It
was about $80US a night. But the facilities were top notch - esp
when compared to Seaside. |
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| Before I left Australia, I bought about 15 Cuban cigars to
smoke while in the tropics. Here I am after a 'hard' day enjoying a
stogie. |
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| When traveling, I found it very easy to meet new
people. While at Coconuts, I met this group. The two on the
couch are from Australia, and the woman in the chair and the man on the
bed are from New Zealand. We ended up hanging out together.
Every night we would play cards and drink Rum.
The Aussies were here to surf, while the Kiwis were here on holiday. |
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| We decided to go fishing. There was a boat that would
take us out for the day next door to Coconuts. The boat was, um,
less than safe. It had two engines - one was for parts for the the
running one. There was no radio on the boat. The engine was
was little hard to keep running.
We loaded up and set out, the poles we used were just trolling hooks
that trailed behind the boat as it putted along. |
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