Tofa Soifua Samoa

Our last photo in Samoa... in the hotel lobby.

We loved everyone we met there--they are truly the best!

Our Air New Zealand flight was delayed 1+ out of Apia and we were deliriously tired by the time we were in the air. We arrived at LAX with little time to go through customs, declare our items, grab our luggage (which now included 9 bags and a large box) and sprint to the other end of the airport. Let's just say that my mothering was not at its best--I was so afraid we were going to miss our flight to SLC! Despite the stress on the parents part, we miraculously got our bags checked on just in time and boarded the flight to LAX as the doors closed.

I can't help but know in my heart that I'll be back there again sometime in the future!

Day 7

Our last full day in Samoa we wanted to spend some quality time on the beach. We asked a few locals who all recommended Lalomanu Beach on the southeast corner of the island. This area also took a direct hit from the tsunami almost a year ago.

We made a quick stop at the market place for some final souvenirs and then headed 80 minutes toward the Aleipata district.

You can see from this photo above how high the water came up onto shore. It is truly hard to comprehend, but the ruins that still liter the lower district are stark reminders.

We saw a lot of deserted homes with only the tombstones that remained in front of the property.

We also saw structures that looked like they had remained untouched since the devastation.

In all the different areas we drove through, this is one of the only makeshift crosses we saw. Every other burial place was quite elaborate and well-marked.

The ruins of homes with new cinder blocks next them became a familiar sight in the area.

Here are the remains of a home's foundation and the resilient grave of loved ones.

From what we were told, the beach area and reef system along the coast has completely changed. It is obvious from above water that there is still a lot debris, but despite the beauty of the reef system below the water, locals say it has disrupted the ecosystem.

This beach was particularly beautiful because of its close proximity to outlying islands that are conservation areas.

Lalomanu Beach looking eastward--notice all the construction of beach fales underway.

The beach fales looking westward are also new. The entire beachfront was wiped out during the tsunami.

This beach had the most people on it. We met families from New Zealand and a group of Aussie surfers who were also staying here.

After a few hours on the beach, Hilary was playing with Julia in the water while the rest of us lounged on the beach. We heard Julia say that Hilary needed our help and I guess from the looks of things it didn't seem serious so Dan and I were slow to get up and head over to the water.

We saw that Hilary was unable to stand and that she was in a lot of pain. We lifted her out of the water and my first reaction seeing her foot bleeding profusely was that she had cut herself on coral. However, she said it didn't feel like that and that her foot was going numb. A woman from New Zealand ran over to us and said she thought Hilary had stepped on a sea urchin. By this time, a local young man, who also happened to be the beach's first aid "helper" came over and kept saying something about the poison and getting her to a hospital. As Hilary cried out in more pain and continued to go numb, I started to freak out a little. The young man, Tele, accompanied us to the nearest hospital (which miraculously was only a 5 minute drive). He asked us to put some clothes over Hilary (which I thought was very gentlemanly) and he lifted her onto his back.

Tele wrapped his shirt in her bloody foot and then made a torniquet out of it to keep the poision localized in the foot as much as possible.

We drove up to the hospital, pictured below. It really looks nicer on the outside than on the inside. The building is simply two cinder block rooms with concrete floors and a bed in each room. The nurse was awesome and calmed all of our fears. She explained that the sea urchin's poison is very painful and can cause fever, numbness, discomforts of all kinds, but it is not deadly. As the nurse methodically cleaned Hilary's foot, Dan leaned over Hilary and gave her a priesthood blessing. At this point, we felt relieved and so grateful for all the kind people who were put in our path that day and that there was a hospital so close.

The nurse counted over 14 puncture wounds, wrapped her foot and gave her a tetanus shot to prevent infection. Total cost for this "ER" visit: 25 tala or about $12 U.S. Talk about cheap!

Tele with the girls before we headed back to the hotel.

Hilary kept her foot elevated as much as possible for the rest of the day. She also loaded up on IB profin and Tylenol which helped with some of the pain and resulting fever.

While we were at the hospital, a nice family from New Zealand hung out with the other 3 girls. They watched the locals go into the ocean, hunt the sea urchin and bring it out of the water. Before the tsunami sea urchins were never a problem. Since then, they have infested the area and the locals are doing all they can to keep them out. I wish Emily would have gotten a picture of the creature, but it looks pretty much like a large ball with quills that stick out like a porcupine. The quills that can't be pulled out dissolve in the body over time.

We wound our way through the mountains and back down to Apia to clean up and begin packing for the long trip home. We also talked about how blessed we had been that day. The nurse at the hospital told us there were only 4 hospitals on the island and that we were at one of them. There are only 2 ambulances for the entire island as well. While Hilary's injury wasn't life threatening, we were so thankful that there had been knowledgeable and kind people in our midst that were willing and able to help us get her the care she needed. I can't imagine how much scarier this incidence would have been if we had been all alone on a desereted beach, having no idea what had happened to her and hours away from any healthcare. We all agreed that we had really been blessed by the tender mercies of the Lord!

Julia took over the camera and kept herself occupied taking photo after photo from the car window...

and a few of herself! So glad that all the drama had happened on the last day because Hilary ended up hardly being able to walk for a few days after.

Stake Conference & a Sunday Stroll

Sundays in Samoa are a lot like Sundays in Provo--most stores and businesses are closed and the city or villages are quiet. It is amazing to see an entire island observing the Sabbath Day. A few other interesting observations--you can hear village bells ring in the early evenings calling the people to evening prayers. I remember Dan talking about this but I was quite surprised to see and hear that it is still a tradition. A second observation--people bury their loved ones in front of their homes. Almost every burial tomb and marker were beautifully constructed and cared for, usually much nicer than the homes the people live in.

We slept in on Sunday morning and attended the local Stake Conference. We walked into the building 20 minutes before it started and were amazed that the chapel and overflow areas were already filled. We sat on the very back row and then watched rows of chairs being set up on the stage to accommodate more people. A beautiful, stirring choir sang prelude music and then the meeting got underway. Most of the meeting was conducted in Samoan and so Dan had to translate for us. One of the youth speakers, a young woman, spoke in English and then bore her testimony in Samoan. Elder Callister of the Seventy was the presiding authority and he and his wife spoke in English with Samoan translators. I loved singing the intermediate hymn with the congregation in Samoan--it sounded amazing! The building didn't have A/C but the cross ventilation of open windows was decent.

It was also Father's Day and we spent some time strolling around the harbor, taking pictures and hanging out together. We completed a lot of Mad Libs on this trip!

A conclusion to another amazing day!

Day 5 Savai'i

WARNING: This blog entry is a picture palooza for sure...

Saturday morning we left the hotel at 5:30 a.m. to drive over to Malifunua Wharf to catch the ferry over to the big island, Savai'i. Even though we had purchased our tickets, we still had to line up an hour early to ensure we had a spot. There is a ferry that leaves in the morning and then comes back in the afternoon--not a lot of choices.

With the sun rising, Dan and Hilary scoped out a small store near the wharf for some cold drinks.

We found over the course of the week that you buy them when you can find them.

We were able to get on the new ferry, Lady Samoa III, that is very roomy and has a large, air conditioned sitting area up top. It reminded me of something we've ridden on when we've visited Seattle. Inside the cabin, everyone watched rebroadcasts of Samoan rugby games on the large screen televisions. The ride was quite smooth and only took an hour.

Saleleloga Wharf greeted us on our approach to the big island.

Again, the color of the water was astonishingly beautiful.

We made a quick stop at the local market for some fresh produce and headed toward our first stop, Alofaaga Blow Holes.


Five years ago when Dan visited, the locals didn't charge anything to go into the villages and see places like the blow holes. Now, almost everything worth seeing requires a small fee. I'm sure as Samoa becomes more of a destination vacation spot (which it definitely has for New Zealanders and Aussies) that this practice will continue. I think it's a great way for the locals to keep control of their personal property and the natural beauty of their nation.

We paid the nominal fee to go through the village and picked up an older gentleman, who's occupation he said was throwing coconuts into the blowholes. We thought that was pretty funny that he described it as an occupation. Having said that, you do have to have perfect timing to throw the coconut into the blowholes to see it shoot hundreds of feet into the air and break apart. You can catch a glimpse of it in the picture above.

We don't look like we're getting wet in these pictures, but we were constantly being sprayed by the ocean.

Our personal coconut thrower

A few of the blow holes in the area...

Our next stop was Falealupo Rainforest Perserve that was started by the aforementioned Paul Cox to protect that unique area of Samoa. We drove westward along the main coastal road and found the village very easily. We pulled into the main village area where a rugby game was taking place. There were hundreds of young men and men surrounding the area watching the game. We were looking for the chief of the village whom we needed to deliver a letter to on behalf of Paul Cox. We were quite a sight, a bunch of palangi girls and Dan getting out of a van in the middle of a busy village square. We were escorted to a fale where Dan was questioned in Samoan to make sure he was who he said he was. The chief was sitting on a bench alone and invited all of us to sit with him. He and Dan talked for a few minutes and then he opened the letter from Paul and was relieved to know that all was well with him. Apparently, some of the locals had been unsuccessful in getting in touch with Paul and they feared he might be dead.

We were fortunate once again on this trip. The canopy had been closed for a lengthy period of time to have the wooden stairs that led to the canopy walkway replaced with aluminum staircases. The walkway had just been reopened the previous day. The photo above shows some of the newer staircases that lead up to the walkway.

This is just one of the stunning views from the top of the 230 year-old banyan tree that overlooks the rainforest.

Dan and girls on the highest platform in the banyan tree.

There are a series of aluminum staircases that lead to this walkway across the rainforest. Once across, a series of wooden staircases lead to the top of the tree.

Here is a picture of the village chief. He purposely removed his shirt for the photo so that you could see his tattoo which illustrates his chief status.

The walkway is literally a bunch of ladders hooked together with wood planks placed on top. I'll admit, I really questioned the stability and engineering of the staircases and walkway.

Following the chief through the rainforest that was hot, humid, bug-laden and without even an outhouse of any kind near it. The fact that there were hundreds of stairs to the top of the tree, that we needed and didn't have any sleeping mats, and finally the lack of any running water or bathroom facilities for 5 females made it a very easy decision to not sleep in a tree that night. The most surprising part (which it probably shouldn't have been) was that we were literally in the middle of nowhere.

The village rugby game being played near the rainforest preserve.

We drove a few more miles westward and came to the last area where Dan served his mission. This area was hit hard by a cyclone in the early 1990's but has slowly been rebuilt, a little further inland. We found a deserted beach and cooled off. We found huge sea shells on this beach and sat in awe thinking about how this is the western most point on the earth where you can watch the sunset. Because of our decision to head back to Upolu for Sunday and not stay the night in banyan tree, we couldn't wait around for the sunset.

We gathered our things up, climbed back into the van and headed back on the main coastal road so we could catch the ferry back.

We were so hot, thirsty and hungry by late afternoon. We had gone through most of the snacks we had brought from home and though we had plenty of warm water to drink, we were excited when Dan found some cold C0kes. He came out of the make-shift store with two bottles and I sent him back in for a third--not knowing when we'd have another opportunity for a cold drink before getting back to the hotel.

Julia and Hilary outside the car, waiting in line for the ferry. In the background you can see a little boy who came by our car selling banana chips. The kids enjoyed the deep-fat fried treat.

Rows of colorful buses waiting to pick up passengers that would be disembarking the ferry that we were waiting to board.

The wharf on Savai'i boasted a seedier crowd that we had seen anywhere else. This was the first place where I didn't feel safe being left alone with a bunch of girls while Dan went to secure our passage back. So, we all stuck together and only had one encounter with an aggressive man who Dan let know to back off and he did.

The ferry ride back to Upolu was completely different. There were only a half dozen cars on this smaller ferry and we stayed in the van during the entire trip. We had all decided to take some motion sickness medication before boarding because the water looked a little rough. All I can say is that I'm glad we did. The entire ride was so rough and bumpy and LONG--two hours. I seriously began to wonder if we'd ever get off of it!

By the time we headed off the ferry, the sun was setting and the roads were busy with people heading out on a Saturday night. We made it back to the hotel in time to eat at their nicer restaurant. The kids devoured fish and chips and I ordered a "traditional Caesar salad." I had to laugh when they brought the salad out--it was nothing but coleslaw! Oh well, it's amazing when you're really hungry what you will eat.