Western Samoa: November 2013
Visas are free for most nationalities but you need to show your return/onward ticket out of the country.
Money-exchange: The airport offered the best rates when I visited although I managed to sweet-talk a trader of Westpac for the same rate the next morning.
Getting to Apia from the airport. After 5pm and all Sunday there are no local busses to town. You can take a taxi for around Tala 50 or try to talk to a minibus owner, many from a particular hotel or with such a destination for a lower price. But the most inexpensive option is just to walk up to the mainroad and try to hitch a ride in a vehicle coming from the airport and heading to town. That way I ended up paying just Tala 10 on Sunday night. The airport service bus is Tala 25 per person, you can book it from any hotel in town.
There is a reliable airport-shuttle minibus, operated by Mr Tauili Ili who speaks good English. His cell number is 777 12 37. He’s available 24/7 and prices for 1 person are Tala 30, for 2 persons, Tala 25, for 3 Tala 20.
Sim Card: Buy a Digicell Simcard (as most locals have one). They are between Tala 10 – 20 depending on a special offer.
Within my 13 days in Western Samoa I spent my time on the 2 main islands Upolu and Savai’I but also on Apolima- and Manono Island.
Upolu Island:
In case you are interested in the Scouts, the Anglican church, north of the city center and very close to the Museum of Samoa, has a program on Friday afternoons from around 5-7pm. This is currently the only Scout group left in Apia and they are doing well and are full of esprit.
At the Bahai Temple there is a small service of 30 minutes on Sunday morning, starting at 10am.
To Sua Ocean Trench owners have now build showers and changing rooms for your comfort and the place is really cool. The long drop down from the top of the ladder (max 10m), possible only at high-tide or if you are crazy enough from the tree that grows above the hole for an even higher jump – is still one of the biggest fun you can get on the island.
Slept at Anita’s Beach Bungalows in Lalumano which are nice but food seems overpriced as is charging your electronic gadgets. Headed from there by hitch-hiking to To Sua Ocean Trench and walked back around 1km to the intersection down to Vavau Beach. Be reminded whatever the tourism office in Apia may tell you there are no beach fales available there. But it’s a beautiful place - bring your own food.
Apolima Island:
This was a stunner! Took a local bus on Friday late morning from Apia’s bus station to Apolima Uta (mainland village), ca. 2h and waited for the school boat which carries the school kids to the island for the weekend. Somehow that boat finally left from another place but I could hitch a ride over with some villagers in the afternoon. The boat will for sure turn back early on Monday morning. Otherwise you can either hire a boat for yourself (up to 10 people) for Tala 300 or call the following numbers for enquiry about a public boat and the time of departure. If you do this you might have to pay around Tala 20 – 30 per person and way. To spent the night you will be charged Tala 100 per person which will include all your meals. You will most likely end up in the beautiful family fale of the local matai Sa’u Natapu, cell 77 69 766 or the one next to it which belongs to the pastor. Pastor Tepatasi Tuala, cell 72 63 070 or his wife Sa Tuala, cell 77 97 817. The matai (village chief) speaks very little English but the Pastor and his wife speak English well, so give them a shout and announce your plans to come over.
The ride will take around one hour and is mainly calm apart from the last 20 minutes where the boat gets shakier in the higher waves. When we zipped through the narrow opening (around 10m) we went full speed but when I left the island the sea was rough with meter-high waves. That meant going out in slow motion with waves cracking over the small boat, not for the faint-hearted.
The island itself is beautiful and after you have climbed the beach you will see a big lawn around which the village is clustered. Albeit remote the village has 24h electricity from Upolu, plus a generator and some solar panels. Behind the lawn and the houses are the gardens (coco and cocoa plus vegetables and more fruit trees), pigs and dogs are roaming free. Behind the gardens steep cliffs are rising skywards and guard the island from the sea. Behind the matai’s fales are around 140 steps of concrete after which you reach a small light house. From here you have a wonderful eagle eye’s view down to the center of action. When I arrived a pig was slaughtered in my honor and I was treated with the high respect typical for Samoa. The next day the Samoan TV came by and filmed the church service. After another great meal, fine mats were presented, big and small pigs were roasted before and were now ready for shipment back to the mainland, all to thank the film crew who made the effort for coming over. Quite a sight in fact. It’s one of the 3 places to which I will surely come back on my next visit in Samoa.
Manono Island: There are meanwhile 4 accommodations to choose from. Grab a boat from Maono Uta (mainland) to Manono Tai (island) and see where it brings you or ask where you want to be dropped. Than stay a night there, walk around the island and check out the others options in case you want to stay longer. Leota is still running his place. Than threre is Sweet Escape and the Matai Lota has another option to spend the night. Forgot about the last place.
Savai’i Island:
Stayed at Regina’s Beach Fales up at Manase. Nice place to while away some hours. Beach Fales are Tala 60 including great food. The owners really jumped into action when I left the bus, getting my bag, brought some cake and fruits in less than one minute and a coffee was coming later on. The fastest service I have seen so far in the whole of Samoa. Backtracked via hitch-hiking to Sale’aula and looked at the two old churches which were run down by the lava around 1905. The swimming with the turtles is indeed a sorry place and the owners were so sleepy they never made it up to their feet while I was there. Currently they have about 20 sea turtles and feed them with taro leaves and papaya. Swimming with the turtles doesn’t bring you anything if you don’t have a snorkeling set with you as once in the water, you hardly see anything of the turtles but you might knock your feet on a rock or a turtle shell. But if you stay close to the water’s edge, they come by quite quickly in the hope of getting some food. Entry is Tala 7, swimming / snorkeling is included in that price and should you love it – they even have options to stay overnight.
The best place by far for me was at Satuiatua Beach Fales (in Satuiatua). The owner’s daughter Phila arrived with her 3 kids last year from NZ, so everybody is fluent in English, the food is great and all for Tala 75 per night (breakfast and dinner). There is a separate charge for Wifi but no charge to charge your gadgets. Phila’s cell is 723 26 93. The place is on a beautiful piece of beach with good snorkeling right from the beach at high-tide. Around 30m to the reef, the coral is partly alive, partly dead and many colorful fish call it their home.
From here I hitch-hiked down to Taga to see the blow-holes, Entry is Tala 5, guide to the blow holes is included in that price. It’s around a 15-20 minutes’ walk along the coast. The blow holes weren’t that much in mood, the tide was only starting to come in and there was no swell but were worthwhile nevertheless to see. Nearby are other bigger holes (guess LP called them the washing machine and the closet but these names are unknown to the local guides who speak practically no English. Wonder off for yourself along the lava field cloth to the sea and watch for the bigger holes.
Enjoy Samoa,
Roger
| 