Samoa

On Sunday April 14th we made a flight that Eric had been wanting to make for many years and following in his parents footsteps who had been here 60 years ago we landed in Samoa.  Our boat Talofa II is named for the Samoan greeting and we named her after Fathers boat Talofa which he named due to the fact that he loved Samoa so much.  The first person to greet us greeted us with Talofa lava which is the more formal greeting and we would hear Talofa throughout our visit which always brought a smile.  Driving to Apia the first thing I noticed was the colourful houses with almost all of them having a large fale in front or to the side of them.  A fale is an open roofed building where the family holds all of their gatherings.  This is where they would also hold family funerals and weddings.  If a family is eating outside here and someone passes by on the street it is considered rude in Samoan culture not to call them in for something to eat.  In our time in Samoa we did not meet a single person who did not smile and greet us.  It becam quite evident why Father loved Samoa and what drew him back to visit again after his stroke.  The country and the beaches are beautiful but the people are what make this such an incredible place.

We took a ferry over to Savaii to visit the second most inhabited island of Samoa.  We visited a local market where one could buy everything including the kitchen sink.  We went to watch a demonstration of the old art of making fabric from tree bark.  This used to be used for ceremonial clothing but is now used mostly for decorative hangings.  A very time consuming process and done completely by hand I wonder how many more generations will continue to do so.  As these are volcanic islands there is an area where there are several blow holes which they are proud to show off.  After a visit there we went to see some waterfalls before lunch and a ferry trip back to the main island.  The whole island was lush and though the houses were simple the homes and fales were well maintained with colourful hedges all along the roadway.  Another unusual feature of the yards in Samoa is the presence of mini cemeteries in each one as property stays in the family and family is buried on the property quite prominently at the front.

Fale in front on the house. The fale was usually bigger than the house itself

Fales came in different shapes and I found them quite fascinating. Would be great for gatherings if our climate was a little more consistent 

People would wave as you passed by

Samoa seemed to have as many churches as people and they are all large and well maintained.  Obviously the congregation is very generous 

The local buses were well utilized and usually over flowing 

A stall at the local market 

Pounding the bark to thin it out

Adding natural dyes to creat the patterns

One of the blow holes on the lava rock

Blowholes on the expanse of lava rock

Could not resist the Talofa sign

A visit to the falls

A typical yard with graves out front

An artistic use of coconut shells

Two boys enjoying the late afternoon