Blogs from Upolu, Samoa, Oceania - page 4

Talofa! Monday 10th September – Auckland to Apia, Samoa The 3 ½ hour flight from Auckland was ok… I didn’t have movies but there were plenty of TV shows so I watched ‘Mike and Molly’ and ‘Smash’ which I’m now addicted to. I was completely engrossed and only took a break to order a bagel and some wine by using the touch screen and swiping my credit card. Then the nice old chap sat next to me started chatting… for quite a while... over an hour. He was nice and I didn’t mind chatting but I wanted to get back to ‘Smash’! I only got half way through the second episode before the screens turned off. We had a bit of turbulence but I’m proud I managed to get through the flight without any medication… just ... read more

One week in Samoa 2nd – 9th May ‘12 Well I will try and sum up our week and my thoughts on Samoa – I’ve saved all the nitty gritty for my notes. We landed at Faleofo airport on Upolu island, the Samoan island that we were staying on for our week here. We were greeted by a small band playing ukuleles and guitars and singing and I just thought WOW this is going to be fab! The Samoan people make the Samoan experience – they are so friendly, people just stop and say hello, ask you where you are from, what you think of Samoa and then start talking about rugby! They really are an open, warm lovely people and people really do wear flowers behind their ears!! The countryside and coast outside of Apai ... read more

80 miles west of Chris and Roisin's last port of call (Pago Pago), lies Western Samoa. This group of islands consists of 2 main islands and several smaller ones. The capital is Apia, situated on the larger of the 2 islands Upolu. These islands are huge compared to American Samoa covering an expanse of 1,137 square miles. On arriving in Apia at 8am, the picturesque waterfront is dominated by their catholic cathedral and the line of public buildings, shops and trading companies. The town feels like a collection of villages rather that a city where 35,000 of the 217,000 islanders live. Today is Saturday 9th October 2010. This is the eve of an annual ceremony dedicated to children called White Sunday. It is celebrated every 2nd Sunday in October and this is a special day for ... read more

After a dive at Eastern island , we did 4 dives at Samoa. 2 at both Islands (savaii and Upolu). Samoa is famous for its turtles and yes we saw a lot of these amazing creatures.. The first of the two dives at Savaii we saw 3 turtles and one was so lazy it didn't move hahaha.. so after 2 picture just 1 meter in front of her she finally cruized away...and when we left, she came back to her spot to relax again.... the second dive was a wreck dive (ship around 1880, with missionares arriving to the island).. They did a beter job in spreading the religion of christianity in Samoa than got a ship save in the bay.... The ship structure was still good and new coral was growing around it. Unfortunaly ... read more

Coming to Samoa is special. Flying from Auckland you literally go back in time 24 hours as you cross the international date line. The reality is far stranger as you enter a lush tropical paradise where people still hold the family and religious values of the 1800's! Yes they have the kind of beaches that bored office workers around the world can only dream of, but that's not actually the main attraction. It's the ability to experience a place where people exist in small manageable communities that are ruled by the laws of the village chiefs and church ministers, who use the 'fear of God' combined with strict traditional values to keep their flocks in order. Upolu Dave's cousin Peter and his wife, Moana, have been living in the Samoan capital Apia for the last ... read more