We took off for Samoa on the 1st of August, or at least that was the way it was supposed to happen. As it turns out we got up at 4am, made our way to the airport, and then discovered through sleepy eyes that my passport expires in November. We were only going to Samoa for a week so this hardly seemed like an issue until we learned that you can’t leave the country unless you have more than six months left. Clearly this is something the passport office should look into.
After our initial shock we packed up our disappointment and trudged home and did the only thing civilised people could have done…climbed into bed.
The following Monday I got a waiver from the Samoan consulate. It was easy and disturbingly so since it seemed like such a big deal the day before. In any case we booked new flights and set off for Samoa on the 8th. I thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown at the ticket counter but it all went well and I didn’t have to be sedated.
When we arrived in Samoa we got overcharged for a taxi to the ferry terminal which I believe is the custom in any country. In any case we did make it to the ferry terminal just in time to catch the ferry to Savaii (the north island). It was a gloriously hot and sunny day and the water was a magical shade of turquoise. On arriving on Savaii we were bombarded by taxi drivers but thankfully our lodging was only a short walk away. As we walked we came across a little shack that sold fresh cooled coconuts. It was the first of many. Did you know that too many coconuts cause diarrhea? Now you do.
The first place we stayed at was Lusia’s Lagoon Chalet which was a quaint and exotic little place with a number of little fales (huts) literally over the water and a cluster of fales in the garden. We originally had a lagoon fale but the wind was seriously strong, even on the inside, so we moved to a garden fale. We spent the day taking a nap to ward off our lack of sleep and then celebrated being awake with the world’s best pina colada. Tui from Luisa’s is the guy you need to see. The recipe calls for fresh made coconut cream so don’t order one if you’re in a hurry because it literally takes 30 minutes to make. But the wait is well worth it.
The following day we headed off for Laiula Beach Fales on Lano Beach. Lano Beach is a beautiful white sandy beach surrounded by a lagoon. The fales are right on the beach looking over the pristine waters. There were only three other couples staying here so it was pretty quiet. The first day we enjoyed the water and the fale. As it turned out the day we arrived was Father’s Day and we were treated to an enormous and delicious lunch with the rest of the guests. The food was divine and my clear favourite was taro leaves wrapped around coconut creme. The following day we took a guided walk with Seiu who showed us how to open coconuts the proper way and the vintage way…both very entertaining. We were astonished by how much food grows in Samoa. There were coconuts, bananas, papaya, breadfruit, mangoes, and taro. The rest of our time was spent walking through the beautiful villages, snorkeling and paddle boarding.
We wanted to get to the north of the island so we set off on foot in hopes of catching one of the unreliable but very colourful buses. We walked through a number of villages before the first one picked us up and took us to the next village. Great. So we walked again until the next bus came by. On the second bus I met a woman named Seira who was super sweet and invited us to stay with her family for the rest of our trip. We accepted her invitation but only to stay one night as we had reservations elsewhere. I thought it would be great if we got off in Manase to rent bicycles and then cycle to Seira’s so we’d have transportation. In theory it was a great idea except we discovered that the bike rental place was closed when we arrived so we started walking again. This time we were lucky to get picked up by a guy in a pick-up truck who took us to the next village. Then we spent the next hour walking and sweating until we came across a spring. We ditched our clothing for swimsuits and cooled off and to our horror, our bus drove by. Back on the road we did manage to catch the next one which wasn’t too far behind.
After locating Seira’s village and finally her house we were greeted by her children and grandchildren who were all so beautiful, friendly and generous. Their house was an open fale but much larger than the ones we had stayed in as this one was for the whole family. The kitchen was outside and cooking was done over an open fire with everyone helping out at dinner time. We were actually astonished to see how well this family managed and interacted with each other. There was clearly respect for Seira and when she asked one of the children to do something there was no bickering or complaining. Everyone was happy and calm, even the babies behaved incredibly well. This family is poor but they have such a beautiful life together. In the evening before dinner Seira showed us her new store which was being built so she could sell necessities to the village. We also noticed the enormous bats flying around at night but thankfully they wanted nothing to do with us. Dinner was another enormous meal of chicken, taro, breadfruit with coconut creme, and a noodle dish. After dinner we all chatted for a while, the kids danced to radio music and then finally it was time for bed. Our bed was on the concrete floor but we did have a couple of blankets and a mosquito net. I think we would have slept ok if it weren’t for the dogs who were fighting and playing with each other most of the night but as it was the family got up before 6am so it was a short night. In the morning Lina, Seira’s daughter took us for a walk to see where there were some caves and then afterward we had a delicious breakfast of Samoan pancakes (which look like fritters) and fruit.
Our trip back to Manase was pretty easy. Seira and her husband Sofia had a friend drive us into the village on their way to do shopping in the main town. Our next fale was at Tailua Beach Fales. Tailua is run by Ina who is lovely and friendly and a joy to be around. We were the only ones staying in her fale and she gave us both a hug when we arrived. We felt like we were part of the family from day one. Our fale was picturesque set in the grass in front of the beach. We spent two glorious days here enjoying the beach, snorkeling and relaxing. The food at Tailua was again delicious…in fact the food all around was fantastic except for the one time we set foot in a resort…Stevenson’s at Manase…inedible and grossly overpriced. While we were in Manase we finally rented bikes and cycled to see the lava field which was a bit disappointing and the “Swim with the Turtles” which was kind of gross. Ok, so the tourist sites are probably best avoided but we did at least get some exercise.
We were dying for another one of Tui’s pina coladas by this point so on our second to last day we went back to Lusia’s Lagoon Chalets. We opted for a garden chalet this time and enjoyed our pina coladas as planned. The following day before our departure we each had a massage. Not a bad way to end the holiday on Savaii.
