Savai'i: Back in Time

      It isn't easy to describe the country of Samoa, except to think of going back in a time machine. And on doing so, end up in something closely resembling paradise. If there is anywhere on earth less changed by modernity, I can't imagine where it might be. And if there is any place with less stress I need to find it and go there. So, let's start at the beginning.

      I went to Samoa over the New Year's weekend. Here's my plane, a 36 passenger Dornier, which everyone here calls “the big plane” to distinguish it from the really little ones.

Matafou and The Big Plane

The flight to Samoa last about 25 minutes; you get to height, get a small bottle of water, then you're landing. They say that Apia in Samoa is a modern airport, and in some ways it is since the big jets can land here. But that doesn't prepare you for the tiny building and bare bones facilities. But, I got there.

Savai'i, seen from Upolu

      Samoa has two main islands, and they are big. Savai'i is the second biggest in Polynesia, behind only Hawaii's big island. Upolu is the other. Upolu has the most population and the only city, Apia, where more than half the people reside. Apia is cosmopolitan, with good restaurants and other things modern. But I didn't go there, that awaits Cyndi's arrival. I went directly to Savai'i. You take a ferry across the straight; you can see Savai'i in the distance all the way. It's a bit longer than an hour trip. Here's a few photos, including some of the approach to Savai'i:

Upolu, looking back from the ferry

Apolima, a small volcanic cone island en route

Savai'i from the ferry.  This is the most populated side.

     Landing in Savai'i is where the time warp sets in. It's very unlike Tutuila (American Samoa); there are no dramatic mountains plunging into the sea. It's about 40 miles long and 24 miles wide at the furthest points. Savai'i is like an inverted oval dinner plate; quite flat all around the rim, gently rising to mountains in the middle. Those mountains go up over a mile above sea level. Everything is covered with jungle, palms, flowering trees, plants of all description. Here are a few more photos:

Beach on the lagoon

Inland stream

Flowers by road

These grow in lava/coral rocks by coast

     There is one main road which encircles the island, either right along the coast or close to it. That's pretty much it for roads; virtually everybody, the few people that there are, live along that road in a series of villages here and there. Long stretches of unpopulated area separates many of the villages, particularly as you get further west. The main populated area is around the ferry wharf area, but even that doesn't amount to much at all. Most people live in fale type homes – a platform, usually on short stilts, open to the breeze. Sometimes there is a small room enclosed in the back, but not always. The open fale is everybody's living room; they have some furniture, TV, etc. out open to all. I saw many people hanging out in their homes, many sleeping there – they put down a mat, grab a light sheet, and curl up to sleep right there. Samoans can sleep anywhere; I saw several people just lay down on the deck of the ferry, wrap up in their sheet, and sleep through the trip.

      Last year Samoa switched over to drive on the left side, copying New Zealand where there are many connections – New Zealand was their former owner before getting independence. They painted big arrows on all the roads to show you the right lane to drive in. But it's no problem – there are so few cars. Most people don't have one. I walked along the road quite a bit, at all times of the day. A car would go by; then a few minutes would pass, then another car came along. If you saw two cars in a minute it was a traffic jam. Here's a couple photos of the road outside the place I stayed:

Main (only) road

Main road again, note people walking & no cars!

They love to decorate with flowers, colorful plants, shrubs, as you can see. This is so all around the island. A more beautiful drive is hard to imagine – color everywhere, and almost no traffic at all. Kids played in the small rivers that flowed into the sea; in the ocean, and all over. Almost all of them shouted “Hi Hi,” waving, as I walked by. People strolled along, in the road – when a car drifted by, it slowed, beeped, and each made way for the other. Pigs, chickens, some horses, goats, wandered around. Taro grew in neat rows in gardens; breadfruit, banana and palm trees were everywhere.

     I stayed in a beach fale – and on the beach it was. I was three steps from the water. All day & night the waves came in, and the sound of the big waves hitting the reef (a half mile or so out from shore) was constant, like a train going by. At night it often rained; by day it was usually sunny. Here are some photos of the fales and the area where I stayed:

My fale on left, dining/bar on piles down the beach

My fale (on right this time); panels still down after a brief storm

These fales were quite basic: a chair, a small table, and a view. I had one with a little sleeping room in back. Most, however, didn't have that. At night a small mattress pad was laid out right on the floor and that is where you slept at night. Mats woven from palm fronds, like louvered windows, could be dropped down for privacy or to keep out wind and rain. In a storm tarps would be lowered to batten down. But mostly the fale remained open to the breeze and the view. I spent time reading, doing puzzles, and simply hanging out there. Bathrooms were communal, and quite basic.

     I of course went snorkeling several times, having lugged my gear all the way out here. The lagoon behind the reef was calm and shallow, usually I could stand up anywhere if it was not high tide. The water was warm, clear, aquamarine. Corals were scattered all over, and the tropical fish as brilliant and varied as in an aquarium. I don't have an underwater camera to show them, but will try to get some photos from someone who does to post here. I went way off shore, trying to get out by the breakers, but couldn't get to them. They were much further than they looked, and halfway there you could see the big waves rising high above, curling, and crashing on the outer reef. Maybe this was all for the best. I still haven't seen a turtle or a shark, or for that matter anything big swimming around out there. Again, likely for the best.

     I met a couple other guests, two young Norwegians who were out of school, had worked a year or two, then set out on a six month journey around the world. They had been already to Brazil, Peru, and Cuba; now they hit Samoa on their way to New Zealand, Australia, then the far east returning home in April from Bangkok. Welcome, Line and Steinar, if you read this! They were very interesting, active and good people. Line is a nurse, she wants to get further schooling to enhance her skills and opportunities. Steinar is a firefighter and budding civil engineer. We traded stories and history of our lands, and I for one was very pleased and delighted to have their acquaintance.

     In the funny coincidence department, another guest at Lauilua (we overlapped for just one night) was a newlywed couple, she from New Zealand and he, John, is a Canadian who plays lacrosse for the Minnesota Swarm pro team. We discovered that the hotel where his team puts him when in town is the Crown Plaza in Minneapolis. As it happens, that is next door to my office building there, and I park every work day in the ramp below the Crown Plaza. Small world, or what?

     Saturday I rented a car through the good graces of my host, Richard, the owner of Lauiula Beach Fales. I'll link to his web site for anyone interested in checking out his place. He said it was a rental anyway; I think he arranged a loaner from a friend; an informal rental. But I took Line and Steinar along – they were happy to explore – and we set out to see Savai'i. You can drive all around it in a day; it's perhaps 5 hours straight driving. We didn't; but we went from our place up on the northeast coast down to Taga on the south coast. Taga has what the locals self-describe as “the best blowholes in the world” (that's exactly what the hand-written sign said, at the little fale where we paid our small fee to drive up the bumpy rocky path to the shore). But, perhaps, they were right. It was a very large area, up & down the coast, with much wave action and some blowholes that went up about 30 feet – like a geyser at Yellowstone. Here are some photos of this area – and a video or two. It is hard to show these even in video, as the enormity of the area and the whole scene cannot be captured well. But here goes:

Blowhole "erupting"

Coast at Taga; this goes for over a mile

Me next to a blowhole-25' or more

Line and Steinar exploring Taga

Line and Steinar; we found shells up here!

We retraced our steps, stopping at the black sand beach along the way:

Small beach, all black sand, very striking.

Yes, it was very hot in the sun, no barefoot beach here.

     Then we went to the Olemoe Falls; a cascade over a cliff in the middle of the jungle, with a large pool underneath. Another small fee to the family owning this land; another bumpy track up to the falls, and then this:

Olemoe Falls, about 30+ feet down to the pool

Grotto alongside, kids jumped from above this

The water was cool, clean, fresh and everyone went swimming. Some local Samoans climbed up the side cliff and jumped in with huge splashes; a few went up as high as 30 feet above the water, then jumped. No, I didn't do that. But the swim was great! We swam up to the falls, climbed around under it, swam back. Hard to beat.

    Returning around to the north of the island, we went up to one of the lava field areas. About a hundred years ago, 1906 – 1911, the volcano sent out a torrent of lava which ran down the slope and into the sea. Several villages were inundated and lost permanently. Now what remains is an eerie landscape of the moon; hardened lava rock for several miles along the coast. We saw one of the two areas where this happened. Here are photos; see the swirls left when it hardened; the cracks; the vegetation just starting 100 years later. Remember that this extends about 6 miles along the coast, and there is another area even larger out west of here:

Lava field, wavy rocks.  Those are small bushes, no more than 18" high.

Line standing on lava field

Cracks where plants take hold.

Swirls frozen in rock

We walked all over it, it was raining lightly and quite windy.  It felt like a post-Armageddon world. I picked up a small piece of rock as a souvenir.

     And yes, I drove on the left! No accidents, no trouble. Well, a couple times I had to be reminded by my passengers to stay left, but since there was no traffic those were definite “no harm, no foul” occasions. The “rental car” was returned in top condition. Now I'm an experienced pro at driving left! The only hassle was getting gas; it was a holiday (1/1/11) and everything was closed. We finally found one station open. One. On the entire island.

     Sunday I left to return home, saying goodbye to Richard as well as Line and Steinar. Their web site, by the way, is also added here in the link section (by permission) so you can follow their travels as well – but you have to read Norwegian to get it all.

     Line and Steinar – thanks for your enthusiasm and companionship, I truly appreciated meeting you. I will keep in touch!

     While Luaiula Beach Fales is on the northeast coast and doesn't get the full sunset, I got some spectacular photos of the clouds all lit up, and some sunrises:

Evening clouds - note rainbow-like color

Sunrise, from my fale.

Looking toward Upolu at sunrise

Sunset

Oddly enough, Samoa is one hour later than American Samoa even though it is further west; so sunsets are much later by local time.

     Sunday dawned rainy and – shock - cool. Breakfast, to the ferry, to the airport, back home. How did I feel, flying over Leone and my little cottage here on our approach to the airport?  "My" puppy - Dude, the Little Guy - ran up to greet me; here is his response to dinner on my porch:

What is more home-like than a puppy?

 I was home.  Travel-weary, grateful, and happy.  Home.