As a resident of the south pacific, we often take our neighbours for granted,they immigrate to our country and we have no idea of the lives they have left behind. In the last year I have made a conscious decision to get out and get to know my neighbours and Samoa has been a high priority.
Samoa is split into 2 islands, Upolu and Savaii with upolu harbouring apia as its capital and the island of trade, Savaii is much larger however and boasts a slower pace of life, some say “the real Samoa”.
Arriving into Samoa you are immediately hit by the heat, in the middle of the year it can sit anywhere between 30 and 38 degrees and it is goddam HOT! Do not pack anything that resembles long sleeves, pants or shoes...you will not need it ever. On leaving faleola airport expect to be bombarded by taxi players, shuttle buses and people trying to sell you food and coffee. If heading into apia you can generally catch a shuttle for around 30 tala per person, if you are heading to the wharf to head over to Savaii you shouldn’t be forking out anything more than 15 tala.
Apia is like any other city in a country, a city is a city is a city. There is nothing fantastic about it, if you must go, get in and get out as fast as you can but make sure you stop off at any of the market places and taste the local delicacies on offer in the food court. Banana pancakes for 10cents and fried pork buns (or what me and my trusty sidekick now call "pie buns") for 1tala. They'll leave you satisified and with a new found fatty addiction.
One of the main things you notice everywhere in Samoa is its deep integration with religion. There are churches everywhere on Savaii alone....99 villages and 33 churchs. All religions are represented in Samoa from cathlocism, 7th day Adventist, Mormonism, Christianity and assembly of god and it is the backbone of Fa’a Samoa or “the samoan way of life”. Sunday is observed strictly in Samoa as a day of worship and rest with all trade places shutting down for the day and quietness in and around villages to be observed. Take a wander around most villages and you will hear the sweet choir sounds and whether you are religious or not the locals will welcome you into any church for the morning to experience this area of their life. As you drive through Samoa you will see hundreds of churches and it does sadden me at times to see that it is blindly obvious that some villages are pouring more money into their shiny tall sparkly church than their people living in 3rd world conditions, just another sign of how deeply embedded religion is in the people of this countries lives.
I travelled on from Apia through to Lalomanu on the south east coast by bus. Do not be deceived by maps. Samoa is huge and a distance I perceived to take up to an hour took me over 2 and I was only a quarter of the way around the island. Local buses will generally cost you 5tala but be prepared for it to stop many times, at many different peoples houses, to re fuel and also for the locals to get out and do their grocery shopping. Dont get impatient, just sit back and go with it.
Lalomanu was one of the worst effected areas of the tsunami and compleltley wiped out local villages. It is hard to ascertain how many people they lost but you can see remnants of the devestation everywhere you look. There are foundations of fales now gone, new grave sites to mark death not long ago, the coral reef is dead and people are still digging and working on their land to either clean up and move on or rebuilding. These people have been through a lot and you can feel it along this coast, there is sadness in their eyes and they lack a certain zest that is natural in samoans from other areas of the island. Its almost like they want to be happy and they are trying but the heart of them has been ripped out and they are struggling to move forward.
Lalomanu beach is home to one of the best surfing breaks in Samoa with a reef break stretching a kilometre long. On its waters edge sits 2 properties, Litia Sini Beach Fales and Taunua Beach Fales.
I stayed at Litia Sini Beach Fales in a beachfront fale and it was gorgeous with its own deck and completely walled (so not traditional). All fales share toilet facilities which are clean and private. Litia provide breakfast and dinner included in your rate and it is traditional and plentiful food. The food is served buffet style however they only make to feed enough so there is seldom any leftovers. The cooks at Litia are phenomenal, the food was just SO tasty, different and refreshing with banana pancakes, fruits and cocoa rice for breakfast. For dinner we had fish, pelusami (my weakness) taro and breadfruits.
Litia, like any property, boasts an array of coulourful staff personalities which make this place special. Lydia runs Litia and on arrival you can expect a quite comical speech regarding “zee crown of thorns”, a problem they are encountering on the shores since the tsunami. You half expect the sound of organs to pipe up from somewhere and its hard to tell whether she is being fully serious or not, however in all seriousness watch yourself on this reef as there are sea urchins around. The lovely lei will greet you with a huge smile and chat everytime you dine and if your a female, prepare yourself for a possible smoozing from Jo and Koka. Litia perform their weekly fiafia every Friday night and every Sunday they have pig on a spit, definitely recommend timing your stay for the weekends. I stayed at Lalomanu for 3 days and although it is a nice beach there is nothing near Lalomanu so you are very isolated, if you want to get away for the day a rental car is essential so after 3 days it was time to make a move to Savaii.
To get to Savaii you can catch a ferry from mulifunua wharf on the north coast about 10 mins from the airport. Ferrys cost 12 tala and are fairly painless, in just over an hour your in another world. Pulling into Savaii the lushness of this island is apparent immediately, the locals are much more “fresh”, bubbly,alive and almost friendlier than those on the mainland.
Now when I travel, I'm usually pretty budget, in otherwords, I've usually not saved enough money therefore have to do everything on the cheap which means NO TAXIS. We decided to catch another local bus from the ferry to Manase and let me tell you, you MUST experience this in Samoa. Buses in Samoa are just on a whole other level. All of them are spray painted in some kind of irrelevant saying only obvious to the driver of its meaning, the windows are booted out and they are kitted out with bumping sounds blaring the whole way through. They are packed to the brim, to the point where if its full, people will just sit on you........and that's just the way it is so just deal with it and they all come with a couple of helpers to let you know where to get off and to help you with your bags. I had the most fantastic time on this bus rolling through the villages of Savaii on the way to Manase, listening to samoan music, watching all the village people wave happily, playing sports and listening to the drunk boys in the back dance and feel the happy vibe off people that it was Friday night. Whenever I looked at someone, they smiled back at me happily and everyone was just SO helpful in guiding us where to go..........and all for 5 tala. Seriously? That's a bargain.
Now I have heard of a travellers legend for many years now regarding a property Tanus beach fales so I was very eager to experience this property and my expectations were high. They were, for the record, exceeded. The Tanu family are in one word.......amazing. For a more detailed description refer to this post here................... as I could talk all day about the sensationalism of Tanus. All I need to tell you is GO THERE NOW!
There is not a heck of a lot in Manase but hands down, the best beach in Samoa, you wont need anything else. Stevensons beach fales has a great little restaurant perfect for meals if you need and there are 2 stores on the street. Janes beach fales down the road have an awesome happy hour from 4.30pm until 6.30pm with 3 tala off cocktails. Their caipranhis are amazing and you can watch a pretty decent sunset from the bar.
There is a marked difference between Savaii and Upolu. Although Upolu is beautiful you can definitely see some villages are really struggling to get through life and just function with the basics and it makes me sad to see, I felt guilty for all the waste I consume and throw away, for all the cash that I frivously spend. When you get to Savaii however people seem happier, than land feels more lush and plentiful and things are at a much slower pace than upolu...........if you could actually get any slower!
The weather in Samoa is ridiculously hot and there is a definite lull in the day between midday and 3pm when it seems everywhere you look, there is a samoan sleeping, whether in a fale, in a chair or draped over a table, it is just so hot you cannot move even if you really wanted to. Speaking of moving, don’t expect to be able to walk far or even fast in Samoa, you will gain what I like to call the “samoan shuffle” travelling at a speed of 30metres an hour.
Samoa is still majorly untouched by the tourist market, compared to the likes of Fiji and is not saturated by resorts or over priced properties. You can travel easily, comfortably and eat and drink very well on a teeny tiny budget. There's an honest genuinety in a samoans offering of help and wanting to get to know you, a trait still treasured in this corner of the south pacific. Their laughs are infectious and you will find yourself wanting to be around them all day, everyday if just to have a little bit of their happiness and joy rub off onto your skin for a little while. By the time you board your plane to drag yourself back to the cold reality of work you will be solidly rolling on "island time"........... a lifestyle I only wish I could live in forever.
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