and here's Sa'moa for ya...

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Hi Everyone-

Here are some of the photos from Samoa.... some very beautiful and some very interesting scenery. The weather was great. It did get hot in the afternoons, but the ocean breeze was amazing. It was the "10th Festival of the Pacific Arts" so a lot of different Pacific Islands were represented, and I had the opportunity to see some pretty cool performances.

Anyway- Hope you all enjoy.

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Photos

Sadies by the Sea
This is where we stayed. It was right on the beach.

Beach
Beautiful Beach right outside the hotel

Our Room
If you look close you can see my Dad and Lisa on the patio outside their room.

Dad and Lisa
Cute pic. Check out the view in the background.

Cukoo for Coconuts
Me sippin on a coconut- still haven't decided if I like it yet...

Festival fa'les
These were the little huts set up on the beach for the festival, each of them had different activities going on inside from people selling handicrafts, to weaving, and even traditional Samoan tattooing..

Closer view
Here is a close up of one of the huts.

Ultimate Sunblock
There was no rain- Juan likes to keep his precious skin out of the sun.... * he was not the only one doing this, but I was still amused.

Papua New Guineans
Here are a few of the traditional dancers from PNG. They are known for the great detail that goes into their makeup. Also note, that it was approximately 90 degrees and these guys were done up and dancing.

Photo-op
Here's my dad with another set of the dancers...

More Scenery
Another Scenic shot I took from our hotel

Abandoned Hotel
Some pics from "The Rainmaker"~ an old abandoned hotel that was next to ours.

"Princess" Dance
This was a traditional Samoan dance. It is normally done by the daugher of the Chief. Pictures don't really capture how cool it was, but check out the outfit.

More dancers
Here are some more guys in grass skirts for you. I will have to check with Lisa for the meaning of this dance... i forget!!

Pipes
This was a performance of people from the Soloman Islands. They were dancing and playing those huge pipes!

Check out their uniforms
These were the fireman. All the officers (police/fire/security) wear lavalavas- aka skirts.

Local Bus
There were hundreds of these on the island- all painted differently. The busses are literally pickup trucks that are remodeled either with wood or scrap metal... most are family run- so many families on the island own busses and drive people around to make $$

I'm too sexy
for this hat! Me and Erik were being weirdos in one of the local stores.

Nature Walk
This was more like a hike that we went on to explore some archealogical sites on the island. These stairs were a little scary

Hiking Gear
Good thing Erik and I were prepared with our hiking footwear..... Luckily I didn't get too many bug bites!

Real Woodsman
Dad and Erik on the trail... the trees were creepy like they were folding in on us