I've known for some time that I'm not very good at letting people know my wants and needs. Or even, in some cases, to know what my wants or needs are myself.
When I was growing up I was encouraged "not to make a fuss". As a timid and unconfident child I developed an inability to talk about what I actually wanted. When I tried it seemed like it was always overruled anyway by someone louder or more determined than me so it all seemed pointless.
In an adult, however, this behaviour exhibits as passive aggressive. Which isn't a label I like, but probably fits what was going on in my head. I would hint, and I might joke, or get sarcastic, and if I'm not listened to I sulk and get more and more twisted in my brain. I want to yell and get very angry about not being listened to. I imagine confrontations and escalations, threats and negotiations. What actually happens is I burst into tears in a fit of emotion, and break up, break off, and otherwise leave the building/relationship/environment. Most of the angst existed only inside my head and my behaviour was often a mystery to those around me.
It is sometimes a mystery to me that being "easy-going" seems to be something that is important to me. Attempting to be easygoing made me, at various times, desperately unhappy.
Its also a mystery to me that its taken to at least my mid-thirties to start to have real honest conversations, without the angst. It is thanks to my workplace which, as part of my learning and development included ZIP training (which is not just about safety), coaching, and LSI and MBTI (INTJ if you're interested) training. I can't thank my work enough as its triggered me on a journey to look more closely at those uncomfortable thoughts inside my brain.
Those uncomfortable thoughts have been close to the surface lately. I took on my ex-neighbour as a temporary flatmate. He had not managed to find a rental after selling his house next door and needed a room. He's not a very compatible flatmate at the outset - a 52 year old Jamaican Brit working as a builder. He was desperate and he had been a good neighbour to me over the last few years. He said he was having problems renting a place as he worked on a site which didnt give him an opportunity to get to viewings during the week. Ok, sure, I said. Lets give this a whirl on a temporary basis until he found a place. We agreed on a price for rent and I gave him a bank account number and the WiFi password.
A few days later it was evident that we had different understandings of his problems finding a rental. He didnt seem to be working, apparently because of tennis elbow in one arm. So he was home, all morning, all day, and all night, shut inside the second bedroom at my place. He rarely left. Infrequently he would go out in the evenings and not get in til 4am. I was off sick for a couple of days early on and struggled with the black hole that existed in my house. I didn't feel like I had the peace of having my own house to myself anymore, even occasionally. More importantly I felt lied to and manipulated. I suspected he wasn't going to find a place with the amount of effort he was putting in.
By day three I realised I was going to get bitter and twisted about it. So I took action. When he was out in the kitchen I raised expectations. "I'm concerned that we might have different expectations of temporary". I managed not to get stuck into over-analysis of his house-rental strategies which is easily rebutted and stuck to "I think I'm going to get angry at you - and I dont want to get angry with you. So I'd like to set a deadline". He listened with a resigned look and then headed back to his room.
That deadline is Wednesday this week, three weeks after we last talked about it. We've had two further serious conversations since last night. One saying "Please get cash out for rent, its been three weeks and I'm getting pretty tetchy about it". He headed straight out at 10:30 at night and got the cash. The second was this evening where he, of his own initiative, sought to clarify what day I was expecting him to leave. I managed to stick to the "This isn't working for me" line and "It was September 30th" and when he professed to be unsure when that was said "Its Wednesday". He walked away, back to his room again.
This sounds simple and straight forward but its so much more complicated inside my head! I don't know what its like trying to rent a place. I dont know what he's done to try to find a place - I only know its pretty hard to find a place when you barely leave the house in the weekends. Is he depressed? Probably. Do I want to help? Of course I do. But I can't save him from the realities of his life. Staying here has not helped him - he's worked maybe two or three days over the three weeks. He rarely leaves the house. I'm perplexed that I'm so opposed to him not working. Should it matter if he is unemployed? It seems I resent that he gets to sit in my home relaxing and reading and internetting while I work all day. In theory I hate to think I discriminate against the unemployed but it seems that I do.
My brain has created all manner of scenarios on dealing with those three conversations - the one about setting a deadline, the one about making sure I got the rent I was owed, the one about confirming clearly my expectations for him to move out. My imaginary conversations were filled with tension and arguments and negotiations. I'm relieved to find these conversations, conducted clearly and without blame, are much less stressful than the ones in my imagination. Best of all, I'm actually being listened to.
Monday, 28 September 2015
Sunday, 20 September 2015
What Gets in the Way
Despite my analyst and engineering background I do think of myself as a creative person. But some things gets in the way of me rockin' it out.
Lets take a moment.
Take a deep breath. And hold, two, three, four.
And exhale, two, three, four.
You're cocooned, warm, safe, and supported.
What colours are you surrounded by?
Pinks and purples? Or greens and blues. Or something else entirely
Breathe in, two, three, four. Hold it, two, three, four.
And exhale, two, three, four.
Thinking of that feeling of safety; that you can relax and simply be.
Is there something there with you?
Breathe in, two, three, four. Hold it, two, three, four.
And exhale, two, three, four.
That there is your imagination at work. Most people keep it boxed up all day, but its always there if you give it a safe place to play.
Feel the fear and do it anyway (R).
Not with the right tools, nor with any preconception that it should be good. Because before I can be good, I first have to start.
- That it wouldn't be right. That I'd do it wrong.
- That others won't like it or think its stupid or lame.
- I don't have enough technical knowledge. Maybe I should buy a book or enrol in a course.
- It might draw attention to myself which generally I dont like. I dont handle compliments at all well.
- I might not finish it to a standard that I like because I get discouraged so easily.
Lets take a moment.
Take a deep breath. And hold, two, three, four.
And exhale, two, three, four.
You're cocooned, warm, safe, and supported.
What colours are you surrounded by?
Pinks and purples? Or greens and blues. Or something else entirely
Breathe in, two, three, four. Hold it, two, three, four.
And exhale, two, three, four.
Thinking of that feeling of safety; that you can relax and simply be.
Is there something there with you?
Breathe in, two, three, four. Hold it, two, three, four.
And exhale, two, three, four.
That there is your imagination at work. Most people keep it boxed up all day, but its always there if you give it a safe place to play.
Feel the fear and do it anyway (R).
Not with the right tools, nor with any preconception that it should be good. Because before I can be good, I first have to start.
Thursday, 10 September 2015
Good Enough?
When I was young, somewhere between the Marine Biologist stage and the eventual decision to become an Engineer, I wanted to be a writer. I remember creating my own newspapers for fun and thinking I would be a journalist. Even at primary school my imagination would run wild. At one stage I was obsessed by the books of Anne McCaffrey and would write stories based on that world and those characters. Maybe it was at least partly because we had just moved to a new 'town' school on the edge of Auckland, maybe it was the early stages of puberty, or maybe it was a general geekiness, but I didn't feel like I fitted in. And I'd much rather be inhabiting these fantasy worlds inside my head than the real one outside of it.
I was good at school which was fortunate. But I was devastated one day to have had real feedback on a creative writing piece I did. Unused to criticism at school and overly sensitive to it at home, I overreacted. I thought my teacher didn't like the piece. That it, and by extension I, wasn't good enough. And that was that - the joy of writing and sharing it had gone.
It was, of course, replaced by what felt like a dirty secret. I still wrote, escaping into fictional worlds in my head which spilled over onto paper. My sister certainly knew about this habit, and potentially my mum though she probably didn't know just how much time I spent doing it.
As I moved through my teenage years my brain seemed to change. English was only a subject I was averagely good at and I don't think it was until my last year at high school that I really figured out that an essay had a defined structure. Maths, I was good at. Physics and Chemistry also. After watching the film The Abyss and identifying overly strongly with the lead female character I decided to go to University to study Engineering.
I remember clearly running into that same teacher from primary school at the supermarket one day. "Are you still writing? You used to write the most fantastic stories!"
It's always interesting in retrospect seeing how those key moments build up to be part of an identity. But sad, too. I wonder what, in a parallel universe, I would have been if I'd been able to listen to feedback and see it disconnected from myself.
I threw out my teenage writing in a clean out during University, horrified at the immaturity of the writing and the overly personal nature of it.
So now I'm writing to take it back from wherever it was. That regardless of it being good enough, it quite simply is my writing. And that's enough.
I was good at school which was fortunate. But I was devastated one day to have had real feedback on a creative writing piece I did. Unused to criticism at school and overly sensitive to it at home, I overreacted. I thought my teacher didn't like the piece. That it, and by extension I, wasn't good enough. And that was that - the joy of writing and sharing it had gone.
It was, of course, replaced by what felt like a dirty secret. I still wrote, escaping into fictional worlds in my head which spilled over onto paper. My sister certainly knew about this habit, and potentially my mum though she probably didn't know just how much time I spent doing it.
As I moved through my teenage years my brain seemed to change. English was only a subject I was averagely good at and I don't think it was until my last year at high school that I really figured out that an essay had a defined structure. Maths, I was good at. Physics and Chemistry also. After watching the film The Abyss and identifying overly strongly with the lead female character I decided to go to University to study Engineering.
I remember clearly running into that same teacher from primary school at the supermarket one day. "Are you still writing? You used to write the most fantastic stories!"
It's always interesting in retrospect seeing how those key moments build up to be part of an identity. But sad, too. I wonder what, in a parallel universe, I would have been if I'd been able to listen to feedback and see it disconnected from myself.
I threw out my teenage writing in a clean out during University, horrified at the immaturity of the writing and the overly personal nature of it.
So now I'm writing to take it back from wherever it was. That regardless of it being good enough, it quite simply is my writing. And that's enough.
Sunday, 6 September 2015
Manuia Samoa
Manuia Samoa
Prologue
By May 2015 I was generally jaded - work seemed very limited; like I was stuck on a treadmill with no end in sight. Outside of work life was good, but again I had nothing significant to look forward to. It's a necessary side effect of my focus on paying down my debt that I try not to plan Big Expensive Things. Trips and experiences that are costly are often deferred until I need something special. But need it, I did.
I was on a ferry with Nic M after a successful weekend down at a Marlborough mountain bike event (she got me there with the line "ride somewhere new" which just shows what a need for novelty I have!) And I explained how I was feeling stale and how I needed something, a holiday or trip, to look forward to. Last year I planned a trip to do the Heaphy Track which satisfied this need and was trying to think of something along those lines.She paused no more than 5 seconds and replied "You should go to Samoa". She explained she had done a self-guided tour with her family with outdoor.co.nz around the island of Savai'i and it was days of cycling in the morning and snorkelling in the afternoon. With the mention of snorkelling I was sold!
Air NZ obligingly put their Pacific Island flights on sale just a few weeks later, though any savings were mitigated by me changing my mind about the date of the return flight. I was mainly booking fale accommodation which was a little informal and I probably had all this sorted by about a month prior to departure. I feel quite limited with everything nailed down like that!
Preparations
I was heading for the tropics so I knew I didn't need to take much clothing. But Western Samoa is rather undeveloped so I headed off to the doctor for some antibugs to cover anything relatively normal. Tap water on Savai'i wasn't recommended, but buying large quantities of bottled water is against my religion - not for financial reasons but rather environmental reasons. So, after a bit of pondering, and knowing id like to do more lightweight touring in the future, I purchased a Steripen Adventurer to kill any bugs in the water.
I briefly toyed with using lil yellow ( Giant XTC mtb) and Liam D modified the rack to fit around the disc brake and lack of braze-ons. But in the end I just wasn't that comfortable on the bike so I reverted to Old Faithful, my Marin Palisades Trail which I use for a commuter. I acquired Old Faithful in 2005 for $100 from a friend who was moving overseas. It was his first proper mountainbike. I love that it's got that history. I've also toured with it around East Cape, around Mt Pirongia, and around Great Barrier. If it weren't for its incompatibilities with disc brakes I doubt I'd do any virtual tyre kicking!
But virtual tyre kicking I did. By this stage I knew that there would be family nuptials in Europe next year and immediately my brain jumped to the possibility of a bike adventure on the Continent. And of course I've long held a desire for a period of extended travel by bike and I'd very much like this to happen in the next five years. The optimisation engine in my brain was running at a high tempo but fortunately the horse-before-the-cart frugality logic won out. I'm not going to be able to afford to take a year off if I spend all my money on bicycles. Le sigh.
Departure Day
I'm beginning to know myself rather well. I like to have a day or two to get the house in order so, given there were no Sunday flights I booked a Monday departure. As it turned out that was probably a bit too much time! By Sunday I had just to do tidying up really. I now routinely pack on the day of departure as it prevents the inevitable unpacking to see if I had all-the-things. As it was I probably only over-packed on tyre levers. And there was a whole bunch of things I didn't use, but in different circumstances I may have. Anyway. Moving on.
The lovely Sinead picked me up promptly with a packed sandwich and whisked me away to the airport. I was nervous! About the unknown more than anything and unfortunately this is rather usual for me. I don't stride boldly into the future - I try to hide the internal turmoil while doing what I had planned. Planning, at least at the start of a trip, is how I manage that state. The kiosk printed my tags, the oversize counter accepted my bike and whacked a 23kg tag on it without even looking at the actual weight. And then I settled in to being in transit. I had a short hop up the Auckland, a short weight at International, then onto NZ992 for Apia.
Air NZ is my favourite airline to travel with. I think the entertainment system makes it - before we'd even taxied I was watching Wild, the movie to one of my books, and then after that I watched Furious 7. I was seated next to someone with the dimensions of a refrigerator so I needed to stay relaxed and not too fidgetty.
Arriving in Samoa it was immediately obvious how warm it was and despite the time (8ish pm) I felt a light sweat break out. The accommodation was meant to pick me up, but didn't, or at least I didn't see it. So I grabbed a cab. The driver was chatty, fishing for information on my trip so he could be of more service. I explained I was cycling around the island of Savai'i, and while I didn't think I would need his taxi services, it was possible for the trip back to Apia city. I grabbed his card for reference.
I stayed that first night at Airport Lodge, a pleasant place to stay just a few kilometres from the airport. I was wired, and hot, so I unpacked the bicycle. My mind jumped around like a kitten with a laser pointer. And speaking of kittens, I missed them intensely. I think I use them to distract me from myself so without that it was just my brain unconstrained.
With the benefit of hindsight I also realize now that I was coming off espresso again and that probably contributed to an slightly angsty state. I didn't sleep well - too hot, too many nerves. I read a fair bit and also used music to try and switch off. I had the fan on at first to try and cool down but it didn't have much effect so I turned it off. Eventually morning came.
Day 1
Tuesday dawned fine and clear so I pottered around packing and repacking as I fluffed trying to get things in the "right" place. Breakfast was at 8 and I aimed to be down at the ferry by 9. I was still very nervous! But as I went out to the breakfast fale (basically just a roofed structure, with a closed in kitchen at the end) a couple came up to me, eyeing my bicycle on the verandah.
They were Hamish and Joan from Nelson, a couple in probably their 50s who had just finished a tour of Upolu of their own. They were flying out that day. I eagerly chatted, seeking to allay some of my nerves. They had done a number of trips to Samoa but they had also done longer trips in the States. I was impressed with their pragmatic approach to cycle touring. They travel with the ground effect Body Bag and Hamish was a proponent of the steel-is-real bike selection. Their donated their residual food - some muesli bars similar to what I brought over, and some Huntly & Palmers whole meal crackers. The latter turned out to be absolutely genius. It was difficult to get lunch food and to be honest it was generally too hot to want much. The breakfasts and dinners were substantial and the crackers were just right to fill the gap.
A breakfast of scrambled eggs, papaya, and toast was served while we chatted. Another couple about my age joined us, also from Nelson. I can't remember their names unfortunately. The woman had cycle toured it previously with girlfriends and loved it, and on coming back she had brought her partner. He wasn't keen to ride so they were doing their travelling round Savai'i by local bus instead. Another cool alternative.
It was soon time for me to head down to the ferry. Airport Lodge stored my bike bag and I headed out down the road. It was a very easy 2ish km to the Ferry. Flat, warm wind in my hair and along a picturesque coast. I really should have taken pics but I was too keen to get going.
I had a choice of ferries - a fast one and a slow one! They alternated so every second one was slow, and I was out of phase with the fast one. It wasn't too bad but there was a distinct lack of seats. I managed to score a plastic chair but as the boat headed out I realised I had chosen the wrong side of the boat - I was on the sunny side!
An hour and a half later, with a brief visit from dolphins we docked at Salelologa. This is the largest town on Savai'i. There was even a traffic light! I should have explored a little, and at least got a SIM card for my misbehaving phone but my restlessness took me out of town and into the succession of small villages along the north coast. It was warm and flat and there was some traffic. The local bus kept overtaking me then stopping 50 metres later to drop people off. As I went past any villages with small children a cacophony would start up "Bye bye! Bye bye!" And the call would be repeated as you rode through.
It was a mere 19km to Lano for my first stop at Joelan's beach fales. I was super excited (those nerves!) to get there and I found the other residents at a table drinking Fijian powdered kava. I was promptly introduced to everyone, including an American couple from Florida, an Argentinian couple, and a young kiwi couple. The kava was a bit average - I've only had it once before thanks to a colleague when I was at Metservice but this was a paler imitation. The American swore that it was good stuff though, so maybe I'm wrong about that. We all retired to our fales for the afternoon. Once the tide got high the water washed right up to mine!
Once the sun lost abit of its sting I headed out to go snorkelling. It was hardly arduous as the water was about 5 metres from my fale at high tide and then it was maybe a 20 metre swim out to the reef. I was wary because of my understanding that modesty was important in Samoa - and while my swim wear isn't skimpy its not full coverage either! I watched and satisfied myself that it'd be OK then slipped into the water. The other travellers later told me that things are pretty relaxed in front of the fales but it can be different if you stop at a village beach for a swim. The best part was all the little aquarium fish! Close enough to touch as reef grew up to just under the waters surface at low tide. Electric blue, bright yellow striped, there were all there.
Fale accommodation mostly includes a set dinner and breakfast. This was an excellent opportunity to sit down with the fellow travellers. I spent most of the evening chatting to the Argentinian couple who had been travelling in this trip for around 9 months and still had a few months to go. They were mainly using local transport and and had been through africa like this. I was very envious, at least partly because being part of a couple would make travel in some of those parts much safer. They had been together around 9 years and were getting pressure to start a family. But admirably they hoped to continue travelling even when they became 2+1.
Day 2
I was pretty excited to be getting back on my bike in the morning. Another stunning day. I rocked out the mainly flat 33 km in about an hour 40 which meant I got to Manase and Jane's beach fales in just an hour 40. The fales took my early arrival in their stride and checked me into another beach front fale. This was a much bigger establishment and there were at least 22 fales dotted around the grounds. I was lucky to get one of the beach front ones and one right at the end which was nice and quiet. I spent the afternoon reading and napping as the last of the coffee-withdrawl dopiness worked its way out of my system. Again a late afternoon snorkel to cool down.
I ran into a pair of German girls who had been at Jane's the previous night. They had had quite an adventure as they'd parked at the lava-fields and locked their car as they had received many warnings about it. But then realised they had locked their keys in the car! The rental car company was based in Apia so not of much immediate help a number of locals tried to use a bit of wire to try and unlock the car. 6 hours later they were back in their car rather sunburnt.
These girls Julia and Maren had taken 4 months off and were working their way around the Pacific. Most recently they had been in Vanuatu and had dived on the President Coolidge. As they travel they update a blog here http://gone-travelling.com/index.php/2015/09/04/exploring-savaii/
Day 3
This day I had scheduled as a sightseeing day but I really didn't feel acclimatized to the heat so was reluctant to spend a long day out-of-doors. My main priority was to find WiFi as I'd planned to be using my mobile phone on roaming but as it was a corporate phone it hadn't been set up for roaming (despite what I had been told before I left). Probably a good thing in retrospect! But I needed to let my friends and family know. So I set off on foot to explore.
I love travelling by bike as I feel that going slower helps you to see more. But on foot you see even more! Manase had a number of different fale companies, each immaculately kept. Samoan villages are generally very tidy as the village chiefs organised things like rubbish collection (each house had a pedestal to put your rubbish on) decorations or themes, and gardens. As I'd cycled through some villages all had red flowers, or flags, or painted rocks lining the roadside. Often, there was the main living structure, whether a fale or a house, as well as a large open fale which is used for family gatherings and ceremonial occasions. The houses did seem rather impractical given the heat!
A few kilometres down the road I found a store selling lavaspot WiFi codes and plonked myself outside the hotspot at a relatively flash resort. No one blinked an eyelid at this which was good. Having sorted the necessities I contained on as I was headed to Saleaula. This village was in the firing line when My Matanavu erupted in the early 1900s. Lava flowed, not just through the village but through the concrete Latter Day Saints church. It was quite an experience - New Zealand has plenty of volcanoes but ours tend to blow up and out and don't run with such geometric patterns.
Having done my essentials I headed back to the fales. unfortunately by now the heat of the afternoon had kicked in and I was feeling weary. I stopped at the post shop to send a couple of post cards and a shop for a very large glass bottle of cold fanta. Soft drink never tasted this good!
Day 4
I was apprehensive about today as it was relatively long (60km), I was unable to start super early as breakfast was served at 8, and it was going to be hilly. I wasn't looking forward to riding in the heat! Julia and Maren saw me off before heading off for a reef dive with Dive Savai'i.
Fairly quickly the road started upwards and I was glad to be riding in the relative cool. The climb tops out at about 400 metres above sea level and I felt relieved that i had done the hard part as I descended towards Vaisalla. I wasn't staying here but I didn't feel inclined to rush through so I stopped at the Vaisalla Hotel for a cold sprite on their beautiful balcony.
The next part was a grovel - it was very steep climbing out of Vaisalla and them persistently uphill. And hot. Soon enough the turn off arrived and from there it was mainly downhill to Falealupo. They were playing Kilikiti when I arrived which was cool to see but I didn't want to sit out in the heat to watch it unfortunately.
After abit of a rest I went for a snorkel and it was fantastic! Massive sponges just under the waters surface. I saw quite a few pipefish (I think) and angelfish which were pretty cool.
Late afternoon a large family group arrived - the Moriartys of New Zealand and Australia. They were celebrating Audrey's 80th birthday and the family had come together to celebrate. They quickly took over the picnic table and broke out an impressive stash of alcohol, and to my surprise - basil pesto! They had packed well on leaving NZ. They welcomed me and the two french backpackers to join them and there was a range a festivities which included singing the song of the Lost Navigator - the family bar in their Sydney basement. It was very cool to have been invited to be part of it.
Day 5
After a 'family' breakfast I got on the road for Satuiatua. There was a warning in the guidebook that cyclists should travel as a group through this next bit. Lacking a group I was feel pretty nervous! Starting out was lovely, on sand roads and under coconut palms. But at one point a old man sweeping motioned for me to stop. My heart sank. "5 tala, for the road". I dunno - I could have ignored him and ridden on, but that can cause issues as well. Unfortunately I didn't have 5tala so I gave him 10 and generally felt like I'd been had. In the scheme of things 10 tala is like 7 dollars and it probably meant more to him than it did to me.
The remaining ride was rolling upwards to get out of the Falealupo peninsula and I finally started to sweat properly with drops running down my elbows. The Moriarty's passed me after an hour or so and handed me a muesli bar in farewell. I rode Just 35km or thereabouts so I arrived at the fales super early before 11.
Again, the fales didnt bat an eyelid at my early-ness but were surprised I weren't part of a couple. I ended up with a large family fale, in the shade, and just a few metres to the waters edge.
Again the snorkelling was fantastic with beautiful sponges in very shallow water. The main problem was having enough water! It would be impossible to snorkel at low tide here.
In the neighbouring house ( yes, there was guest accommodation which was in a house) I met Niels and Margarite who are a dutch couple living in Wellington. They were staying 2 weeks with their 2 year old and their 2 month old (!). I had great conversations with them about cloud computing, diving with whales in Tonga. Then I met another couple, this time from the Hawkes Bay. The wife formerly had worked for ANZ bank but they had moved to Hawkes Bay to raise their family so she was now working for a company that develops recycling programs for industries. We talked about the psychology of recycling and also about how the mattress industry was easy to work with, and also about how prior to having kids they had bought a boat and sailed to Vanuatu.
Day 6
Sunday today which in Samoa means church in the morning and eating in the afternoon. For me that meant that none of the shops were going to be open and since this was a longer day (around 60km) I wouldn't be able to stop for a cold sprite, and also that one of the attractions Afu-a-u waterfalls would be closed. :( Bad timing on my part.
Being a Sunday it was very quiet on the road which was great. Everyone was dressed up and there was a lot of singing as I cruised past the churches. The landscape was also great at it changed into an ocean coast. The smell of the sea and the sound of breaking waves was fantastic.
The 60km went past quickly as I rode through coconut plantations, then a series of villages as I reached Salelologo and Lusia's lagoon fales. This place was large and spred out. They didn't want to let me in a fale at 1130 so I sat in the restaurant with a sprite and a WiFi code. I just wanted to be able to cool down properly really.
I went for a quick swim in the lagoon to cool down once I was allowed in, but found it surprisingly difficult to swim in a dive mask! I should have either brought my snorkel with me or swimming goggles.
Lusia generally I found big and impersonal, the staff were overly solicitous and some of their long-standing guests they had obviously got to know. But it wasn't the sit-around-the-dinner-table environment that I'd experienced at my other accommodation.
Day 7
After a shocking nights sleep I hit breakfast at 7 and then rolled down to the ferry for the 8am ferry. I had angsted abit over this as there was a 6am ferry which would have been faster and then have got me on the road relatively early for the ride to Apia. But the 8am would do.
It was a lot choppier than my first crossing! After a while I worried that my bike would topple over and damage someone's car so I headed down to the vehicle deck to check. Fortunately someone had moved it to a better position and I added a rope to make sure it wouldn't move. Having got to the deck though I decided to stay there and felt more and more seasick. I didn't vomit but for a while there was some potential. I was relieved to move into smoother waters before we docked at Mulifanua.
As I disembarked I psyched myself up for the ride to Apia. But as I walked into the carpark with my bike the taxi driver who picked me up at the airport was there waiting and calling my name. Mentally I weighed up a busy and unpleasant and hot ride to Apia, with an easy taxi ride. That really didn't take very long and I disassembled my bike and chucked it in the boot.
Isaac, the taxi driver, lived near Mulifanua and so he remembered which day I was coming across, though not what time. We alternately sped, overtook, and crept our way to Apia.
I was booked at the Outrigger Hotel for three nights. Again, I was early but they encouraged me to leave my bags at reception and relax by the pool (!). I did this for a while before going for a walk into downtown Apia. I found a coffee shop with a grinder and espresso machine and everything! But more importantly it had air-conditioning which was lovely. The coffee tasted like filter coffee and I'm completely uncertain as to how they botched it so badly. I noted also how expensive everything was! Probably the norm for European style baking - a chocolate chip cookie was $5 or 8 tala. I went for a walk around the waterfront and picked up a couple of lavalava near the flea market.
There was no set dinner at the Outrigger so I went to a local Italian restaurant for a very nice carbonara.
Later on, back at the Outrigger, I got to talking with someone who works at a Lower Hutt library and we agreed to go together to the Robert Louis Stevenson museum before she flew out. She also gifted me a fan which she couldn't take back to NZ which was awesome and worth having in the climate.
Day 8
It was a lovely communal breakfast and then we grabbed a taxi from the local taxi rank and headed up the hill to an admittedly beautiful colonial house. Robert Louis Stevenson suffered from tuberculosis and moved to Samoa for the final 4 years of his life in the late 1800s. In that time he became something of a dignitary and supported Samoa in their quest for independence. We took a tour of his house which had been damaged extensively in a tropical cyclone and has been restored by private benefactors.
Straight after this I jumped on my bike to get down to town for a cultural show near the information centre. Over the course of three hours me and a range of other tourists from all over watched them build an umu, prepare palusami (yum!), sing and dance, make tapa cloth, talk about wood carving, and see someone getting the tatau (ouch!).
After that I was abit pooped so I headed to Paulo Deep Marine Reserve just out of Apia for aa snorkel. This was fabulous. There was a decent swim out, but then the bottom drops away and so you get diversity of depth which was refreshing after snorkelling in mainly chest deep water. It was great to be able to dive down thou one ear was somewhat reluctant (im out of practice). I just wished I had brought a picnic with me!
On my return to the Outrigger I chatted to Tanya of Norway, near Bergen. We agreed to share costs on a rental car the next day. The hotel hired cars for the ultimate in convenience.
Day9
My last full day in Samoa. :(
I grabbed the car and first did a solo drive out to Airport Lodge to pick up my bike bag. This was a mistake - its only 35km to there but a combination of traffic volume, pedestrian crossings and the general randomness of traffic in Samoa means it took the better part of an hour, each way. So it was close to 1030 by the time I got back to pick up Tanya.
First up we went to the Papase'ea sliding rocks. Unfortunately there was not enough water to do any sliding but the pools were cool and refreshing which I particularly needed after all the driving.
Next up we headed up and over the pass towards the South Coast of Upolu. While it was 30 degrees in Apia we watched as the temperature gauge fell and it started to rain. By the top, at about 800m, it was just 21 degrees and raining fairly steadily. We stopped briefly at the Papapapaiti waterfall, barely visible through the cloud before heading down to the South Coast.
The next place we stopped was the Pupu-pue National Park which had a large recreational area and a swimming hole. It would be a pleasant place to spend the afternoon. We pushed on Sopoaga falls which you viewed from beautiful garden setting.
By now it was nearly 2pm and I was feeling like I was running late. The driving is all relatively slow and I knew it would be at least a few hours to complete our loop even with no stops.
The highlight of our journey was the Sua ocean trench. This was effectively a large open blowhole and the surge pushed and pull currents within the basin. I found the currents quite disconcerting but fortunately there was a pipe under the water to act as a hand hold.
We continued east, lunching just west of Lalomanu under cloudy and windy skies. This part of the coast was quite different as we had cliffs on one side of us and big ocean swells crashing on the reef on the other side.
We just missed out on the Piula Cave Pool, arriving at 4.45 when they closed at 5. Tanya was particularly disappointed. We got back to the hotel at 5.30 and I was frazzled from spending 9hours on the road. It's not my ideal way to spend a day! A quick spag bol takeaway from the local pizza joint and I crashed out.
Day 10
I had a lot of spare time to make up the rushing around the previous day! I'd packed the bike in its bike bag and then was trying to mitigate the weight by carrying some of it, but not so much that it'd annoy me. The bike bag felt heavy! I don't know how as the only things I was taking back was two lavalava. I gifted my food and the fan to Tanya as she was staying another couple of days and then settled in to the waiting that comes with travelling by plane. By 9pm that night I was home!
Reflections
I loved travelling around Savai'i. I liked the days of a set breakfast, a known distance to the next stop, afternoons of reading and snorkelling, not having to worry about food because it is all provided, and most of all, all the cool people I met on my way round. The hospitality and friendliness to the Samoans I met was also excellent.
It's not a good place if you like things to be just like they would be at home! The food can be rustic, the taxis unroadworthy, and the drivers risktakers. It was a perfect trip for someone with a yearning for somewhere else. As such it was slightly disappointing that most of the travellers I met were New Zealanders! I half expected to meet an old high school teacher round every corner.
I'd highly recommend Samoa as a destination if you like things abit quieter and chilled out. It was also a great place to warm up for an overseas bicycle trip. Or just generally warm up . :)
Next up for me - hopefully I'll plan a local trip over the Christmas holidays. But more excitingly I should be in Europe September 2016 - ou je vais?
Prologue
By May 2015 I was generally jaded - work seemed very limited; like I was stuck on a treadmill with no end in sight. Outside of work life was good, but again I had nothing significant to look forward to. It's a necessary side effect of my focus on paying down my debt that I try not to plan Big Expensive Things. Trips and experiences that are costly are often deferred until I need something special. But need it, I did.
I was on a ferry with Nic M after a successful weekend down at a Marlborough mountain bike event (she got me there with the line "ride somewhere new" which just shows what a need for novelty I have!) And I explained how I was feeling stale and how I needed something, a holiday or trip, to look forward to. Last year I planned a trip to do the Heaphy Track which satisfied this need and was trying to think of something along those lines.She paused no more than 5 seconds and replied "You should go to Samoa". She explained she had done a self-guided tour with her family with outdoor.co.nz around the island of Savai'i and it was days of cycling in the morning and snorkelling in the afternoon. With the mention of snorkelling I was sold!
Air NZ obligingly put their Pacific Island flights on sale just a few weeks later, though any savings were mitigated by me changing my mind about the date of the return flight. I was mainly booking fale accommodation which was a little informal and I probably had all this sorted by about a month prior to departure. I feel quite limited with everything nailed down like that!
Preparations
I was heading for the tropics so I knew I didn't need to take much clothing. But Western Samoa is rather undeveloped so I headed off to the doctor for some antibugs to cover anything relatively normal. Tap water on Savai'i wasn't recommended, but buying large quantities of bottled water is against my religion - not for financial reasons but rather environmental reasons. So, after a bit of pondering, and knowing id like to do more lightweight touring in the future, I purchased a Steripen Adventurer to kill any bugs in the water.
I briefly toyed with using lil yellow ( Giant XTC mtb) and Liam D modified the rack to fit around the disc brake and lack of braze-ons. But in the end I just wasn't that comfortable on the bike so I reverted to Old Faithful, my Marin Palisades Trail which I use for a commuter. I acquired Old Faithful in 2005 for $100 from a friend who was moving overseas. It was his first proper mountainbike. I love that it's got that history. I've also toured with it around East Cape, around Mt Pirongia, and around Great Barrier. If it weren't for its incompatibilities with disc brakes I doubt I'd do any virtual tyre kicking!
But virtual tyre kicking I did. By this stage I knew that there would be family nuptials in Europe next year and immediately my brain jumped to the possibility of a bike adventure on the Continent. And of course I've long held a desire for a period of extended travel by bike and I'd very much like this to happen in the next five years. The optimisation engine in my brain was running at a high tempo but fortunately the horse-before-the-cart frugality logic won out. I'm not going to be able to afford to take a year off if I spend all my money on bicycles. Le sigh.
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| The mission bicycle |
Departure Day
I'm beginning to know myself rather well. I like to have a day or two to get the house in order so, given there were no Sunday flights I booked a Monday departure. As it turned out that was probably a bit too much time! By Sunday I had just to do tidying up really. I now routinely pack on the day of departure as it prevents the inevitable unpacking to see if I had all-the-things. As it was I probably only over-packed on tyre levers. And there was a whole bunch of things I didn't use, but in different circumstances I may have. Anyway. Moving on.
The lovely Sinead picked me up promptly with a packed sandwich and whisked me away to the airport. I was nervous! About the unknown more than anything and unfortunately this is rather usual for me. I don't stride boldly into the future - I try to hide the internal turmoil while doing what I had planned. Planning, at least at the start of a trip, is how I manage that state. The kiosk printed my tags, the oversize counter accepted my bike and whacked a 23kg tag on it without even looking at the actual weight. And then I settled in to being in transit. I had a short hop up the Auckland, a short weight at International, then onto NZ992 for Apia.
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| Packed! |
Air NZ is my favourite airline to travel with. I think the entertainment system makes it - before we'd even taxied I was watching Wild, the movie to one of my books, and then after that I watched Furious 7. I was seated next to someone with the dimensions of a refrigerator so I needed to stay relaxed and not too fidgetty.
Arriving in Samoa it was immediately obvious how warm it was and despite the time (8ish pm) I felt a light sweat break out. The accommodation was meant to pick me up, but didn't, or at least I didn't see it. So I grabbed a cab. The driver was chatty, fishing for information on my trip so he could be of more service. I explained I was cycling around the island of Savai'i, and while I didn't think I would need his taxi services, it was possible for the trip back to Apia city. I grabbed his card for reference.
I stayed that first night at Airport Lodge, a pleasant place to stay just a few kilometres from the airport. I was wired, and hot, so I unpacked the bicycle. My mind jumped around like a kitten with a laser pointer. And speaking of kittens, I missed them intensely. I think I use them to distract me from myself so without that it was just my brain unconstrained.
With the benefit of hindsight I also realize now that I was coming off espresso again and that probably contributed to an slightly angsty state. I didn't sleep well - too hot, too many nerves. I read a fair bit and also used music to try and switch off. I had the fan on at first to try and cool down but it didn't have much effect so I turned it off. Eventually morning came.
Day 1
Tuesday dawned fine and clear so I pottered around packing and repacking as I fluffed trying to get things in the "right" place. Breakfast was at 8 and I aimed to be down at the ferry by 9. I was still very nervous! But as I went out to the breakfast fale (basically just a roofed structure, with a closed in kitchen at the end) a couple came up to me, eyeing my bicycle on the verandah.
They were Hamish and Joan from Nelson, a couple in probably their 50s who had just finished a tour of Upolu of their own. They were flying out that day. I eagerly chatted, seeking to allay some of my nerves. They had done a number of trips to Samoa but they had also done longer trips in the States. I was impressed with their pragmatic approach to cycle touring. They travel with the ground effect Body Bag and Hamish was a proponent of the steel-is-real bike selection. Their donated their residual food - some muesli bars similar to what I brought over, and some Huntly & Palmers whole meal crackers. The latter turned out to be absolutely genius. It was difficult to get lunch food and to be honest it was generally too hot to want much. The breakfasts and dinners were substantial and the crackers were just right to fill the gap.
A breakfast of scrambled eggs, papaya, and toast was served while we chatted. Another couple about my age joined us, also from Nelson. I can't remember their names unfortunately. The woman had cycle toured it previously with girlfriends and loved it, and on coming back she had brought her partner. He wasn't keen to ride so they were doing their travelling round Savai'i by local bus instead. Another cool alternative.
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| A local bus at the Ferry Terminal - Mulifanua |
It was soon time for me to head down to the ferry. Airport Lodge stored my bike bag and I headed out down the road. It was a very easy 2ish km to the Ferry. Flat, warm wind in my hair and along a picturesque coast. I really should have taken pics but I was too keen to get going.
I had a choice of ferries - a fast one and a slow one! They alternated so every second one was slow, and I was out of phase with the fast one. It wasn't too bad but there was a distinct lack of seats. I managed to score a plastic chair but as the boat headed out I realised I had chosen the wrong side of the boat - I was on the sunny side!
An hour and a half later, with a brief visit from dolphins we docked at Salelologa. This is the largest town on Savai'i. There was even a traffic light! I should have explored a little, and at least got a SIM card for my misbehaving phone but my restlessness took me out of town and into the succession of small villages along the north coast. It was warm and flat and there was some traffic. The local bus kept overtaking me then stopping 50 metres later to drop people off. As I went past any villages with small children a cacophony would start up "Bye bye! Bye bye!" And the call would be repeated as you rode through.
It was a mere 19km to Lano for my first stop at Joelan's beach fales. I was super excited (those nerves!) to get there and I found the other residents at a table drinking Fijian powdered kava. I was promptly introduced to everyone, including an American couple from Florida, an Argentinian couple, and a young kiwi couple. The kava was a bit average - I've only had it once before thanks to a colleague when I was at Metservice but this was a paler imitation. The American swore that it was good stuff though, so maybe I'm wrong about that. We all retired to our fales for the afternoon. Once the tide got high the water washed right up to mine!
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| My fale at Joelan's Beach Fales, Lano |
Once the sun lost abit of its sting I headed out to go snorkelling. It was hardly arduous as the water was about 5 metres from my fale at high tide and then it was maybe a 20 metre swim out to the reef. I was wary because of my understanding that modesty was important in Samoa - and while my swim wear isn't skimpy its not full coverage either! I watched and satisfied myself that it'd be OK then slipped into the water. The other travellers later told me that things are pretty relaxed in front of the fales but it can be different if you stop at a village beach for a swim. The best part was all the little aquarium fish! Close enough to touch as reef grew up to just under the waters surface at low tide. Electric blue, bright yellow striped, there were all there.
Fale accommodation mostly includes a set dinner and breakfast. This was an excellent opportunity to sit down with the fellow travellers. I spent most of the evening chatting to the Argentinian couple who had been travelling in this trip for around 9 months and still had a few months to go. They were mainly using local transport and and had been through africa like this. I was very envious, at least partly because being part of a couple would make travel in some of those parts much safer. They had been together around 9 years and were getting pressure to start a family. But admirably they hoped to continue travelling even when they became 2+1.
Day 2
I was pretty excited to be getting back on my bike in the morning. Another stunning day. I rocked out the mainly flat 33 km in about an hour 40 which meant I got to Manase and Jane's beach fales in just an hour 40. The fales took my early arrival in their stride and checked me into another beach front fale. This was a much bigger establishment and there were at least 22 fales dotted around the grounds. I was lucky to get one of the beach front ones and one right at the end which was nice and quiet. I spent the afternoon reading and napping as the last of the coffee-withdrawl dopiness worked its way out of my system. Again a late afternoon snorkel to cool down.
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| Fale at Jane's Beach Fales, Manase |
I ran into a pair of German girls who had been at Jane's the previous night. They had had quite an adventure as they'd parked at the lava-fields and locked their car as they had received many warnings about it. But then realised they had locked their keys in the car! The rental car company was based in Apia so not of much immediate help a number of locals tried to use a bit of wire to try and unlock the car. 6 hours later they were back in their car rather sunburnt.
These girls Julia and Maren had taken 4 months off and were working their way around the Pacific. Most recently they had been in Vanuatu and had dived on the President Coolidge. As they travel they update a blog here http://gone-travelling.com/index.php/2015/09/04/exploring-savaii/
Day 3
This day I had scheduled as a sightseeing day but I really didn't feel acclimatized to the heat so was reluctant to spend a long day out-of-doors. My main priority was to find WiFi as I'd planned to be using my mobile phone on roaming but as it was a corporate phone it hadn't been set up for roaming (despite what I had been told before I left). Probably a good thing in retrospect! But I needed to let my friends and family know. So I set off on foot to explore.
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| Manase |
I love travelling by bike as I feel that going slower helps you to see more. But on foot you see even more! Manase had a number of different fale companies, each immaculately kept. Samoan villages are generally very tidy as the village chiefs organised things like rubbish collection (each house had a pedestal to put your rubbish on) decorations or themes, and gardens. As I'd cycled through some villages all had red flowers, or flags, or painted rocks lining the roadside. Often, there was the main living structure, whether a fale or a house, as well as a large open fale which is used for family gatherings and ceremonial occasions. The houses did seem rather impractical given the heat!
A few kilometres down the road I found a store selling lavaspot WiFi codes and plonked myself outside the hotspot at a relatively flash resort. No one blinked an eyelid at this which was good. Having sorted the necessities I contained on as I was headed to Saleaula. This village was in the firing line when My Matanavu erupted in the early 1900s. Lava flowed, not just through the village but through the concrete Latter Day Saints church. It was quite an experience - New Zealand has plenty of volcanoes but ours tend to blow up and out and don't run with such geometric patterns.
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| Lava inside the church at Saleaula |
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| Pohuehue lava |
Having done my essentials I headed back to the fales. unfortunately by now the heat of the afternoon had kicked in and I was feeling weary. I stopped at the post shop to send a couple of post cards and a shop for a very large glass bottle of cold fanta. Soft drink never tasted this good!
Day 4
I was apprehensive about today as it was relatively long (60km), I was unable to start super early as breakfast was served at 8, and it was going to be hilly. I wasn't looking forward to riding in the heat! Julia and Maren saw me off before heading off for a reef dive with Dive Savai'i.
Fairly quickly the road started upwards and I was glad to be riding in the relative cool. The climb tops out at about 400 metres above sea level and I felt relieved that i had done the hard part as I descended towards Vaisalla. I wasn't staying here but I didn't feel inclined to rush through so I stopped at the Vaisalla Hotel for a cold sprite on their beautiful balcony.
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| Best Sprite ever. |
The next part was a grovel - it was very steep climbing out of Vaisalla and them persistently uphill. And hot. Soon enough the turn off arrived and from there it was mainly downhill to Falealupo. They were playing Kilikiti when I arrived which was cool to see but I didn't want to sit out in the heat to watch it unfortunately.
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| Falealupo Beach Fales |
After abit of a rest I went for a snorkel and it was fantastic! Massive sponges just under the waters surface. I saw quite a few pipefish (I think) and angelfish which were pretty cool.
Late afternoon a large family group arrived - the Moriartys of New Zealand and Australia. They were celebrating Audrey's 80th birthday and the family had come together to celebrate. They quickly took over the picnic table and broke out an impressive stash of alcohol, and to my surprise - basil pesto! They had packed well on leaving NZ. They welcomed me and the two french backpackers to join them and there was a range a festivities which included singing the song of the Lost Navigator - the family bar in their Sydney basement. It was very cool to have been invited to be part of it.
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| Sunset at Falealupo |
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| The Moriarty's singing their song. |
Day 5
After a 'family' breakfast I got on the road for Satuiatua. There was a warning in the guidebook that cyclists should travel as a group through this next bit. Lacking a group I was feel pretty nervous! Starting out was lovely, on sand roads and under coconut palms. But at one point a old man sweeping motioned for me to stop. My heart sank. "5 tala, for the road". I dunno - I could have ignored him and ridden on, but that can cause issues as well. Unfortunately I didn't have 5tala so I gave him 10 and generally felt like I'd been had. In the scheme of things 10 tala is like 7 dollars and it probably meant more to him than it did to me.
The remaining ride was rolling upwards to get out of the Falealupo peninsula and I finally started to sweat properly with drops running down my elbows. The Moriarty's passed me after an hour or so and handed me a muesli bar in farewell. I rode Just 35km or thereabouts so I arrived at the fales super early before 11.
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| Satuiatua Beach Fales |
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| Inside the Satuiatua Fale |
Again, the fales didnt bat an eyelid at my early-ness but were surprised I weren't part of a couple. I ended up with a large family fale, in the shade, and just a few metres to the waters edge.
Again the snorkelling was fantastic with beautiful sponges in very shallow water. The main problem was having enough water! It would be impossible to snorkel at low tide here.
In the neighbouring house ( yes, there was guest accommodation which was in a house) I met Niels and Margarite who are a dutch couple living in Wellington. They were staying 2 weeks with their 2 year old and their 2 month old (!). I had great conversations with them about cloud computing, diving with whales in Tonga. Then I met another couple, this time from the Hawkes Bay. The wife formerly had worked for ANZ bank but they had moved to Hawkes Bay to raise their family so she was now working for a company that develops recycling programs for industries. We talked about the psychology of recycling and also about how the mattress industry was easy to work with, and also about how prior to having kids they had bought a boat and sailed to Vanuatu.
Day 6
Sunday today which in Samoa means church in the morning and eating in the afternoon. For me that meant that none of the shops were going to be open and since this was a longer day (around 60km) I wouldn't be able to stop for a cold sprite, and also that one of the attractions Afu-a-u waterfalls would be closed. :( Bad timing on my part.
Being a Sunday it was very quiet on the road which was great. Everyone was dressed up and there was a lot of singing as I cruised past the churches. The landscape was also great at it changed into an ocean coast. The smell of the sea and the sound of breaking waves was fantastic.
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| Angry sea |
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| Leaning tower of coconuts |
The 60km went past quickly as I rode through coconut plantations, then a series of villages as I reached Salelologo and Lusia's lagoon fales. This place was large and spred out. They didn't want to let me in a fale at 1130 so I sat in the restaurant with a sprite and a WiFi code. I just wanted to be able to cool down properly really.
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| Lagoon fale |
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| Not building standards approved. |
I went for a quick swim in the lagoon to cool down once I was allowed in, but found it surprisingly difficult to swim in a dive mask! I should have either brought my snorkel with me or swimming goggles.
Lusia generally I found big and impersonal, the staff were overly solicitous and some of their long-standing guests they had obviously got to know. But it wasn't the sit-around-the-dinner-table environment that I'd experienced at my other accommodation.
Day 7
After a shocking nights sleep I hit breakfast at 7 and then rolled down to the ferry for the 8am ferry. I had angsted abit over this as there was a 6am ferry which would have been faster and then have got me on the road relatively early for the ride to Apia. But the 8am would do.
It was a lot choppier than my first crossing! After a while I worried that my bike would topple over and damage someone's car so I headed down to the vehicle deck to check. Fortunately someone had moved it to a better position and I added a rope to make sure it wouldn't move. Having got to the deck though I decided to stay there and felt more and more seasick. I didn't vomit but for a while there was some potential. I was relieved to move into smoother waters before we docked at Mulifanua.
As I disembarked I psyched myself up for the ride to Apia. But as I walked into the carpark with my bike the taxi driver who picked me up at the airport was there waiting and calling my name. Mentally I weighed up a busy and unpleasant and hot ride to Apia, with an easy taxi ride. That really didn't take very long and I disassembled my bike and chucked it in the boot.
Isaac, the taxi driver, lived near Mulifanua and so he remembered which day I was coming across, though not what time. We alternately sped, overtook, and crept our way to Apia.
I was booked at the Outrigger Hotel for three nights. Again, I was early but they encouraged me to leave my bags at reception and relax by the pool (!). I did this for a while before going for a walk into downtown Apia. I found a coffee shop with a grinder and espresso machine and everything! But more importantly it had air-conditioning which was lovely. The coffee tasted like filter coffee and I'm completely uncertain as to how they botched it so badly. I noted also how expensive everything was! Probably the norm for European style baking - a chocolate chip cookie was $5 or 8 tala. I went for a walk around the waterfront and picked up a couple of lavalava near the flea market.
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| Coconut juice, au naturel |
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| Apia waterfront |
There was no set dinner at the Outrigger so I went to a local Italian restaurant for a very nice carbonara.
Later on, back at the Outrigger, I got to talking with someone who works at a Lower Hutt library and we agreed to go together to the Robert Louis Stevenson museum before she flew out. She also gifted me a fan which she couldn't take back to NZ which was awesome and worth having in the climate.
Day 8
It was a lovely communal breakfast and then we grabbed a taxi from the local taxi rank and headed up the hill to an admittedly beautiful colonial house. Robert Louis Stevenson suffered from tuberculosis and moved to Samoa for the final 4 years of his life in the late 1800s. In that time he became something of a dignitary and supported Samoa in their quest for independence. We took a tour of his house which had been damaged extensively in a tropical cyclone and has been restored by private benefactors.
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| Mandatory colonial house picture |
Straight after this I jumped on my bike to get down to town for a cultural show near the information centre. Over the course of three hours me and a range of other tourists from all over watched them build an umu, prepare palusami (yum!), sing and dance, make tapa cloth, talk about wood carving, and see someone getting the tatau (ouch!).
After that I was abit pooped so I headed to Paulo Deep Marine Reserve just out of Apia for aa snorkel. This was fabulous. There was a decent swim out, but then the bottom drops away and so you get diversity of depth which was refreshing after snorkelling in mainly chest deep water. It was great to be able to dive down thou one ear was somewhat reluctant (im out of practice). I just wished I had brought a picnic with me!
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| Paulo Deep Marine Reserve/Picnic Spot |
On my return to the Outrigger I chatted to Tanya of Norway, near Bergen. We agreed to share costs on a rental car the next day. The hotel hired cars for the ultimate in convenience.
Day9
My last full day in Samoa. :(
I grabbed the car and first did a solo drive out to Airport Lodge to pick up my bike bag. This was a mistake - its only 35km to there but a combination of traffic volume, pedestrian crossings and the general randomness of traffic in Samoa means it took the better part of an hour, each way. So it was close to 1030 by the time I got back to pick up Tanya.
First up we went to the Papase'ea sliding rocks. Unfortunately there was not enough water to do any sliding but the pools were cool and refreshing which I particularly needed after all the driving.
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| Shock horror, somehow I ended up in the photo. At the sliding rocks. |
Next up we headed up and over the pass towards the South Coast of Upolu. While it was 30 degrees in Apia we watched as the temperature gauge fell and it started to rain. By the top, at about 800m, it was just 21 degrees and raining fairly steadily. We stopped briefly at the Papapapaiti waterfall, barely visible through the cloud before heading down to the South Coast.
The next place we stopped was the Pupu-pue National Park which had a large recreational area and a swimming hole. It would be a pleasant place to spend the afternoon. We pushed on Sopoaga falls which you viewed from beautiful garden setting.
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| Pretty! |
By now it was nearly 2pm and I was feeling like I was running late. The driving is all relatively slow and I knew it would be at least a few hours to complete our loop even with no stops.
The highlight of our journey was the Sua ocean trench. This was effectively a large open blowhole and the surge pushed and pull currents within the basin. I found the currents quite disconcerting but fortunately there was a pipe under the water to act as a hand hold.
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| Sua Ocean Trench - down-climbing the ladder is the scariest bit! |
We continued east, lunching just west of Lalomanu under cloudy and windy skies. This part of the coast was quite different as we had cliffs on one side of us and big ocean swells crashing on the reef on the other side.
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| Lunch spot |
We just missed out on the Piula Cave Pool, arriving at 4.45 when they closed at 5. Tanya was particularly disappointed. We got back to the hotel at 5.30 and I was frazzled from spending 9hours on the road. It's not my ideal way to spend a day! A quick spag bol takeaway from the local pizza joint and I crashed out.
Day 10
I had a lot of spare time to make up the rushing around the previous day! I'd packed the bike in its bike bag and then was trying to mitigate the weight by carrying some of it, but not so much that it'd annoy me. The bike bag felt heavy! I don't know how as the only things I was taking back was two lavalava. I gifted my food and the fan to Tanya as she was staying another couple of days and then settled in to the waiting that comes with travelling by plane. By 9pm that night I was home!
Reflections
I loved travelling around Savai'i. I liked the days of a set breakfast, a known distance to the next stop, afternoons of reading and snorkelling, not having to worry about food because it is all provided, and most of all, all the cool people I met on my way round. The hospitality and friendliness to the Samoans I met was also excellent.
It's not a good place if you like things to be just like they would be at home! The food can be rustic, the taxis unroadworthy, and the drivers risktakers. It was a perfect trip for someone with a yearning for somewhere else. As such it was slightly disappointing that most of the travellers I met were New Zealanders! I half expected to meet an old high school teacher round every corner.
I'd highly recommend Samoa as a destination if you like things abit quieter and chilled out. It was also a great place to warm up for an overseas bicycle trip. Or just generally warm up . :)
Next up for me - hopefully I'll plan a local trip over the Christmas holidays. But more excitingly I should be in Europe September 2016 - ou je vais?
Tuesday, 1 September 2015
Hello World
Hello World
Its a traditional opening to a new world. :)And with that - a definition.
More on that later.
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