We have spent the last 11 days in the Samoan islands and are finally headed back to the US this evening (sad day). There are 16 islands that make up Samoa; however, we only visited the main two: Upolu and Savaii. The temperature is a constant 85 degrees and is, by far, one of the most beautiful tropical places we have visited. Because of the islands' remoteness, the water is not safe to drink but the food is absolutely delicious. Here are some pictures from our stay in Upolu.
Pretty much everyone on the island lives in fales (little huts) - some have walls, others do not. Here is a picture from our fale at our first resort stay.
This picture was taken right on the beach from our resort.
An iconic landmark in Upolu is the To Sua trench (basically a gigantic swimming hole). Jared and I spent an entire afternoon swimming in here. While the water looks calm, don't be deceived....there is a strong pull from the tide.
In the Samoan culture, a Fia Fia night is a traditional celebration put on for out of town guests or relatives. Fia Fia night predominantly consists of eating, drinking, and dancing. The host family performs traditional Samoan dances and song....and usually makes you get up and dance with them. Here is a picture of our Samoan host family performing for us.
*********************************************************************************
Being in Samoa was a constant reminder of how grateful we are for the things we have and, often, take for granted. Samoans have a different mindset about what is important in life, compared to our culture, and we were blessed to experience a different way of thinking. The following two pictures show a traditional Samoan home. For example. some homes have beds, other just have mats made out of flax...some families hang dry their laundry, others lay clothes out to dry on rocks.
*********************************************************************************
After a 6 day stay on Upolu, we ventured over to the island of Savaii. There are two ways to get over to Savaii: ferry or an "island hopper" plane. Jared and I had decided to take the ferry because it was a lot cheaper and it was what the locals did. Now, Jared and I have taken many ferries in our life but nothing that had prepared us for this Samoan ferry ride. There are some important factors you must know about our journey on the ferry...
1. There are 2 ferries - a vehicle ferry and a really nice new ferry. All the locals told us to try and get the new ferry if possible. Both times we ended up on the vehicle ferry....
2. The whole process of trying to get on the ferry is a clusterf**k. There is no other way to describe this. It is a free-for-all and you must stand your ground so you can get a spot on the ferry. They over-sell ferry tickets so if you don't push your way on, you will get left behind.
3. Because of this process described in number 2, they don't regulate boat capacity....just whenever it looks full, they close the gates.
4. And as a result of all of this, there are limited places to sit/stand. We ended up at the back of the boat...me standing, Jared sitting Indian-style on my feet.
5. The boat was so heavy (because it was obviously over capacity) that it sank low into the water. So low that if Jared outstretched his legs from the Indian-style position, his feet would have been in the water.
6. The boat ride time averages anywhere between 1.5 and 2.5 hours depending on tide and sea conditions.
7. Both times we took the ferry, we were hit with a storm in the middle of the Pacific ocean. Storms = huge waves, huge waves = wet passengers and sea-sick locals... we'll just leave it at that.
8. I saved the best for last....we missed our flight back to NZ because of the ferry.
So given this rewarding travel experience, you can imagine how excited we were to arrive (safely) at our resort in Savaii. Here are some pictures from our stay on that island.
This first picture is an attempt to show our outdoor shower in our bungalow. Behind the wall on the right, there is a little garden growing.
We got to drink straight from coconuts. ;)
Our bungalow was the best spot to watch the sunset...
This is a picture of the remains of a church after the volcanic lava-flow overtook part of the village. There was so much lava that it took 6 years for it to cool.
Oh! And we got to swim with sea turtles. So freaking awesome.
Basically, the Samoan way of life didn't take long to get used to; however, we were slightly excited to arrive back in civilization where tap water is safe to drink. ;)
*********************************************************************************
We spent our last full-day in NZ on a wine tour (shocking, right?). We took a ferry (a legit one) to Waiheke island, a charming island across from Auckland known for their award-winning wines. Here are some pictures from our visit.
Auckland sky-line:
Most of the wineries were set upon hills overlooking the sea and Auckland skyline. If you look closely, you can see the skyline in the background on the right-hand side of this picture.
Now we are headed home to face jobs and real-world responsibility (gag)...but only until we have enough money saved for another awesome adventure. ;)
