Apia, Western Samoa!

Friday, February 6, 2009 – Apia (the capital), Western Samoa – bright, sunny, hot, breezy!
”Catch the bird, but watch for the wave” – old Samoan proverb

Slept late and enjoyed a wonderful solo swim in the sun! It was ideal swimming and then I sat outside for ½ hour and looked out at the sea. We could see the mountains of Western Samoa ahead so hurried to eat and dress. What a spoiled life to have room service for breakfast and lunch as we sit outside on the balcony to watch as we pull in to port!! And it was a maiden call so they had the band playing to greet us and the native dancers with fire and drums. It was spectacular!

The Samoa Islands, which include the independent nation of Samoa (since 1962) and the territory of American Samoa, are 300 miles wide and are 2485 miles southwest of Hawaii. Nine western islands are in Samoa and the others are in American Samoa.
A series of volcanoes formed the island of Upolu, where we were, which is 39 miles long and 13 miles wide. With a population of approx. 177,000, there are 47 members in the Parliament and two parties: Human Rights Protection and Christian Democrat. Their only export is fresh fish, copra (dried coconut meat) and coconut cream, kava, noni juice and beer.

The foundation of society is the extended family unit, or aiga. An aiga can include thousands of relatives and in-laws. In this communal system, everything is owned collectively by the aiga; the individual has a right to use that property but does not personally own it. Their money is the tala and sene.

We were five in our private taxi minivan for $24 each for the 4.5 hour tour. Our personal tour -- to do as we pleased – as long as we followed my itinerary! We headed through Apia along Beach Road past the many shops and government buildings and churches for a stop at Aggie Grey’s Hotel, where Gene had stayed about 25 years ago. The hotel opened in 1933 and became a renowned club in the South Pacific for American servicemen stationed in Samoa during WWII.

On to the beautiful island plantation home of Robert Louis Stevenson, and his wife Fannie. It is now a world-class museum located directly below the famous author’s Mt. Vaea burial site. You can see the Great hall where he could entertain 100, his library, the Smoking Room, the only fireplace in Samoa and the numerous bedrooms. They had a statue of an old King who was a cannibal and told the history of how he “ate” two people a day from different villages. Oh yech; thankfully that habit was stopped many years ago.

There are many churches scattered around the island thanks to John Williams, who brought Christianity to Samoa and many more South Pacific islands. We drove over the Cross Island road, stopped at the Bahai’ Faith temple (one of six in the world) and through the Togitogiga National Forest. Le Mafa pass is 1700 feet about sea level with breathtaking views of the northern shorelines and scenic drive through lush green forests, waterfalls, plantations and traditional Samoan villages. We passed several villages and schools. The children were all in uniform and headed home, school hours were 8:30-2:30 and they can drive at 17. Most families own a car. The homes were open-air; no doors or windows, just posts and floor. Furniture was scattered around in various room formations. Some houses had nothing in them! Water was collected in concrete tanks and the family dead were buried in front of the house in beautifully decorated above-ground graves, sealed with concrete. It was a fascinating drive through the villages to see the taro root, coconut trees, sugarcane fields and lush countryside.

Sopo’aga Botanical Gardens and Falls was a nice stop. The falls drop into an old volcanic crater and there were a variety of indigenous plants with medicinal qualities. They showed us how they cook in the “umu”, the stone oven above ground.

We headed up the coast passing the most beautiful coves and inlets where you could see the waves crashing on the reefs far out to sea. The “old” market was the final stop for handicrafts of coconut, shells and woven reeds. Upon our return to the ship, we were entertained by fire dancers on the pier. It was a wonderful afternoon!

Impressions
“Imagine an island with the most perfect climate in the world, tropical yet almost always cooled by a breeze from the sea. No malaria or other fevers. No dangerous snakes or insects. Fish for the catching, and fruits for the plucking. And an earth and sky and sea of immortal loveliness. What more could civilization give?”
Rupert Brooke, 1914

Quick change for dinner (no tie required tonight) and computer work and Bettine Clemens, a flautist.