Western Samoa

Today we visited Western Samoa, which consists of two main islands and several smaller ones.  Its total mass is 1,137 square miles, slightly smaller than Rhode Island.  The population is about 220,000 and the main language is Samoan, with many also speaking English. The currency used here is the Samoan tala.  In 1962 Western Samoa was granted independence and became the first independent Polynesian nation, having been administered by New Zealand before that.  Robert Louis Stevenson (he wrote Treasure Island) is their most famous inhabitant; his house is open for tours and he is buried here.  Also, the movie “Return to Paradise” was filmed here.  It’s a very traditional culture, where property, wealth, and success are thought of in communal terms rather than individual.  I mentioned this in the post on American Samoa, but it bears repeating since it colors so much of life here:  Samoans took to Christianity after the missionaries arrived in 1830, and are now a devoutly religious people.   Samoans are known for their politeness and generous hospitality (after spending the day here I can say without a doubt this is true!).  We were told that women should not wear short shorts (our knees should be covered) and men should always wear a shirt.  In comparison to American Samoa, Western Samoa is much more undeveloped.  It felt like we went back in time while on this island, whereas American Samoa felt more, well, American.

We were on the island the day before White Sunday, a very special day that happens once a year where the children of Samoa are indulged and celebrated.  We had been told that everything would close up around noon so they could prepare for the next day’s celebration.  In their culture, children are treated as relatively insignificant.  White Sunday is their day and it is a big deal (the children dress in all white clothes).  With that in mind, we didn’t have any plans for the day and weren’t really sure what was available to do.   We wandered off the boat and walked to the visitor center in the town, where we ran into two other couples from the boat who were looking for more people with which to share a taxi, to tour a couple of spots on the island.  We joined them and Daron used his shrewd negotiating skills to secure us a taxi at a good price.  Little did we know we were in for our most adventurous day yet! 

Our first stop was Papaseea Sliding Rocks.  If you saw the last season of Survivor, you will have seen this spot as a prize in a reward challenge.  You descend about 300 steps into a river gorge where there’s a 20 foot waterfall going down algae-covered rocks.  You walk to the top of the waterfall where you sit down and basically scoot on your bottom where the algae is (the point of no return) and then you pretty much fly down the rock into the pool at the bottom!  The guys did it about three times each and one of the other wives went down once (she was in tears at the top – it’s pretty intimidating when you’re sitting up there thinking about going down).   I finally got up the courage to do it and let me tell you, it was a thrill!  I screamed all the way down, only stopping when my mouth was full of water at the bottom.  Mother Nature’s very own Waterworld! 

Our next stop was Sua Trench.  This is a large hole in the ground (it looked like a sinkhole to me) with water in the bottom where you can descend via a long steep ladder and swim.  It was very beautiful and picturesque.  The descent into the pool was a little scary for me – no guardrails or other safety structures were there to keep a person from slipping and tumbling into the pool (we’re definitely not in the U.S. anymore, with insurance companies and handicap access! J).  I scooted on my butt down the concrete stairs (too afraid to stand up and maybe slip; I would freefall about 100 feet into the pool).  On the ladder I used my usual strategy:  just stared at my feet until I was at the bottom.  The pool had crystal clear water that very strangely moved from one end to the other – the current would pull you in one direction, then switch and pull you in the opposite direction, like someone was tilting it from side to side.  It felt like a fairy grotto – very magical. 

Our last adventurous stop was Piula Cave Pool.  This is a cool (cold for me, refreshing for Daron!) freshwater pool that goes about 100 feet into a low cave – at the back of the cave is a 9 foot underwater tunnel that will take a person into another pool on the other side, if they have the courage to commit to the underwater swim.  That one was a little too death-defying for me, but Daron pulled it off no problem.  I was nervous when he went under at the end of the cave and never came back up!  It was a relief to see him later, after he had emerged in the other pool and walked back around.  The first guy in our party to do it said he scared three kids that were in the other pool when he suddenly emerged from nowhere!   

Other highlights from the day were snorkeling at a beautiful beach, viewing a couple of spectacular waterfalls, and touring the countryside, where we saw the devastation from last year’s tsunami.   Their country is very lush and beautiful.  The islanders live a more rustic lifestyle than what we saw on the other islands.  Their dwellings are very traditional; many were constructed from natural materials rather than modern materials (concrete, etc).  The people were so friendly and approachable – people waved and smiled at us everywhere we went.  I would definitely go back, and would highly recommend it for a vacation (as long as you’re okay with rustic accommodations!).  Daron and I both agreed that this was our best day yet.