Hello, Samoa!

Saturday, 17.9.

On Saturday, I continued my journey to Samoa. Due to the delay of my flight, I arrived at Samoa Airport at 22:30. Despite the late hour, I immediately felt a heatwave and was greeted by a Samoan band playing live in the arrivals hall. A very nice experience! An hour later, I arrived at the Tatiana Motel in the capital city of Apia. It is not extravagantly furnished, but it has everything you need. And at just over €10 per night including breakfast, you can't complain. During the taxi ride to the hostel, even though it was dark, I could already see that the South Pacific is a completely different world than what we are used to. This impression would be confirmed the next day.

Sunday, 18.9.

So, Sunday was my first real day in Samoa. I originally intended to go to the tourist information office, but on the way there, I was intercepted by a taxi driver named Peter. Then the shock came: Peter explained to me that on Sundays, Samoans go to church and do nothing else. So, everything is closed except for a few kiosks. The locals are mostly Christians and very religious. So, attending church is basically mandatory for everyone. It was annoying that I didn't know this beforehand, otherwise I would have gone to the service as well. It would have been an interesting experience for sure. Anyway, Peter then offered to drive me around the island wherever I wanted to go. I thought, for a double-digit amount, why not. In Germany, that would be priceless. But before we started, we stopped by Peter's family. He lives with his wife, mother, two brothers, and eleven children (all his, he has a total of 13) in four different-sized buildings. They have chickens, a pig, dogs, and grow various types of fruits. Unfortunately, Peter is the only one in his family who speaks English fluently. The others mainly speak Samoan, so we couldn't really communicate. Nevertheless, I got a first impression of the local way of life. Overall, you can say that Samoans live very modestly. The houses are small, with no windows, and many people live in close quarters. It is normal for every family to have several children. They grow a lot of their own food, so people are usually self-sufficient. There are no cemeteries, so the deceased, like Peter's father, are buried in a grave in front of their own house. After trying some Samoan beer, which tastes really different from any German beer, and packing some food for the trip, we set off with cool cola in hand to the first attraction, the Papaseea Sliding Rock. This is a waterfall that, when it rains and enough water accumulates, you can slide down. However, when I was there, it was dry, so I couldn't slide. Then we went to the Falefa Waterfalls on the northeast coast. In Samoa, most natural attractions are privately owned. So, you often have to pay a small fee to visit them. By the way, the roads are in very different conditions. A certain Rudi Ott from Germany lives on the island and has paved a part of the roads and made a lot of money. As a result, many sections are very pleasant to drive, while others are rather "suboptimal". On the way, which passed through many villages, we saw a lot of Samoans dressed in their Sunday best. They were returning home from their customary family gatherings, most of them carrying a Bible. Overall, the people make a very open and friendly impression. They are extremely helpful, and especially the children wave to everyone passing by in a car. You can see into the brightly painted houses from the street, and no one minds. From Falefa, we went inland to a viewpoint that can only be reached via a very winding and steep route. Unfortunately, it was rainy at that time, so the view was somewhat limited, but it was still worth it to go there. Next, we visited the two very tall waterfalls, Fuipisia (when it rains) and Sopoaga (when it's sunny), both of which provide a truly impressive sight. When we arrived at the southern coast, we visited the To Sua Ocean Trench. This is a lake that was formed by volcanic activity and is located in a hole about 30 meters deep. It's a bit reminiscent of the maars in the Eifel region of Germany, except that the lake is much deeper and can only be reached by a long ladder. Of course, I climbed down and swam a bit in the lake. The view of this lake from above is truly special and unique. We then visited the Togitogiga Waterfalls. These are several small waterfalls that are not particularly high, but look beautiful together because they are located right next to each other. You can even stand between them. I had to do that, of course ;) The last stop was the Papapapaitai Falls in the center of the island. It was the highest waterfall on the whole trip, but unfortunately, you could only see it from a somewhat greater distance and not get very close. It was still beautiful there. At the location, we had dinner, which was what Peter had brought from home: chicken with noodles, vegetables, and two types of fruit: taro (which I didn't like at all) and the so-called breadfruit (which I liked better). After dinner, Peter took me back to his family. I was warmly welcomed there. They served me various things right away. A bottle of Sprite, many chocolate cookies, and a cup of Samoan coffee. A miracle happened. For the first time in my life, I managed to drink a cup of coffee :D It was also a nice evening. There was a kind of talent show for students on TV, which was quite funny. The children were all very nice and not annoying at all. In conclusion, you could say it was quite a unique taxi ride ;)

Monday, 19.9.

I had a few things to take care of in the morning. My phone wasn't displaying anything while charging, and I thought the cable was broken. But it later turned out that it was the phone's fault. I was already desperate, but then I realized that it was fully charged and just wasn't showing anything. It was just a minor defect that doesn't happen anymore. I also lost the pen from my watch when I stumbled at the To Sua Ocean Trench on Sunday, so I had to get that replaced as well. At noon, I went to the Piula Cave Pool. It's a pool that is partly outdoors and partly in a cave. I really liked it there, and the weather was perfect. It was funny that I ran into Peter again, who was with two other people from my hostel this time. He then invited me to go out for dinner. When I returned to Apia, I took a long walk along the beach and then headed back at dusk. On the way, I had dinner and had a conversation with Courtney from the USA, a local waitress, and David from New Zealand, who lives in Queenstown. It was very nice. Around 22:00, Peter came to pick me up for a "second dinner." We had Samoan food, and it was delicious. I didn't have to pay anything, and Peter even gave me cocoa and cookies for the next morning :) He's really a very nice and pleasant person to be with!

Tuesday, 20.9.

On this day, I temporarily bid farewell to Upolu and headed to Savaii. In the morning, I further explored the town and then left from the flea market at 12:00 to go to the ferry, just like on Monday, by bus. Along the way, a taxi driver picked me up and took me to the bus station at the flea market. I wonder who that was... Peter, of course. It was really funny that we kept running into each other. I didn't even have to pay anything. Now, about the bus ride. Riding the Samoa bus is really something special. You sit on small wooden benches, there are no windows, and when all the seats are taken, you just sit on someone else's lap. And there is VERY loud music playing, sometimes Samoan songs, sometimes well-known songs like Katy Perry or Taylor Swift, but played in a Samoan style. It has a relaxing effect :D Then we went to the ferry. It was tropical hot outside, and the sun was scorching. Unfortunately, I only got a seat in the full sun. It was bearable at first with a cap on, but later it became too much, so I left my belongings and looked for a small shady spot. We drove very slowly and it took 1.5 hours. After that, I arrived at my second Samoan accommodation, the Lauiula Beach Fales. As the name suggests, they provide small huts on the beach. The sea is about 10 meters away from my hut :) In the evening, I went for a quick swim before dinner (very delicious). Then I took a little walk and went into the hut.

Wednesday, 21.9.

Since I hadn't seen much of Savaii Island other than the shipyard and my accommodation, I set out early in the morning after a hearty breakfast to explore the south coast. I traveled by bus again. My first stop was the Alofaaga Blowholes. These are small holes right on the coast where the incoming water accumulates and then shoots out as a fountain. The fountains can reach a height of 40 meters. In front of the largest one, I asked two Dutch tourists to take a photo of me and stood right in front of it. For a few minutes, there were no particularly high fountains, and I only got a few splashes, but suddenly a jet, larger and higher than any before, shot out of the ground and drenched me from head to toe. The pressure was so great that it knocked my watch off my wrist, which then landed a few meters away. Fortunately, it remained undamaged. It seems the new pen wasn't as stable ;) Unfortunately, the photographer missed the perfect moment to take the picture, but I will probably receive a video from his wife showing the whole thing in real-time :D Luckily, as always, it was very hot, and I was already relatively dry again when I arrived at the Afu-Aau Waterfall. It's not that tall, but it's beautiful to look at. You can also swim in the small pool in front of the waterfall. In the evening, I participated in the traditional Umu ceremony at the Fales, where taro (my "favorite" fruit), breadfruit, and coconut milk are prepared over a fire. We had the result for dinner. Umu is celebrated on Sundays by almost all families after going to church, and also at weddings.

Thursday, 22.9.

After exploring the south, this time I wanted to travel to the north of the island. So, I rented a Suzuki scooter from an Australian in the village for very little money and set off in the morning. First, I went to the Lava Fields. A nearby volcano destroyed an entire village with its lava a little over 100 years ago, and also a church, from which relatively much is still preserved. Then I went swimming with turtles in Satoalepai. There is a small pond where you can feed the turtles and go into the water with them. The turtles were quite tame and felt very smooth and pleasant in the water. A taxi driver who is there often then took a particularly tame turtle in his arms and then passed it on to me. It was quite heavy :D But it was a special feeling to be so close to such an animal :) After that, I went to the Lavatube. It is a tunnel that is made entirely of lava. Inside, it is pitch dark; without a flashlight, you can't see anything. The tunnel is very long - my guide said you could walk for 5 hours. I was satisfied with a quarter of an hour ;) Several birds also had their nests in the tunnel and kept flying around. I then went to the Canopy Walkway in the rainforest, where it happened to be dry at the time. The walkway is a narrow and slightly rickety suspension bridge, but it offers a pretty good view. At the end of the bridge, there is a staircase that allows you to look far into the distance. So, it was worth it :) From there, I drove back home via the south coast, so I made a complete round trip of the island. Along the way, I stopped at a few kiosks (the good thing is that there is at least one in every village on Samoa) and saw several groups of people playing cricket. It seems that after rugby, cricket is the most popular sport. Later, I ran into an Englishman again at the Fales who had already stayed with me at the Tatiana Motel. It's good to see each other again ;)

Friday, 23.9.

The day couldn't have started any better. I woke up as the sun was rising and could see it from my bed. A fantastic sight :) After breakfast, I borrowed snorkeling equipment and swam to the corals, which are just a few meters from the beach. It was a great experience to see many different types and colors of fish swimming around. Unfortunately, I didn't have much time because I had to catch the ferry back to Upolu. This time, the journey was much shorter, and there were even seats inside. In the late afternoon, I arrived in Apia and checked back into the Tatiana. Except for dinner, I didn't have much time left because it gets dark early.

Conclusion about Samoa:

Out of the countries I have been to so far, Samoa is definitely the one where the difference to Germany is the greatest. The people live much more simply, but they are very open, incredibly friendly, and helpful. The nature is naturally beautiful and very diverse. This applies to the waterfalls as well as the beaches, the small natural pools, and the tropical forests. Many parts of the country are very untouched, which makes them especially beautiful. I think I have seen a bit of everything and had many encounters with Samoan culture, all at relatively manageable costs. There are people who only spend one day checking off the main sights here and "otherwise just chill by the hotel pool and on the beach". Of course, that can also be nice and, above all, relaxing, but I'm glad I didn't do that. Otherwise, the trip would have been much more superficial, and I would have missed out on many beautiful and interesting experiences :)

I hope that this report has entertained you well :) The next one will be about my time in Fiji!

See you soon!

Yours, Max