APIA – 14th February 2013

We arrived in Apia, the capital of the island of Upolo, Samoa (formerly Western Samoa) early in the morning.

We were greeted dock-side by a traditional Samoan/Polynesian welcome with traditional dances. They performed for half an hour and really welcomed the ship as she docked.

Once the ship was secured we were allowed to leave for our tours and private visits. Julie and I were booked onto a day tour of the island. It was an all day tour which included a BBQ lunch on a beach so off we went at 9.00 am for our trip round the island.

Our first stop was one of the islands waterfalls which plummets more than 400 feet into an old volcano crater.

The island is so lush and green with a constant temperature of plus/minus 28 degrees C year round. It also has a high rainfall throughout the year so its’ an ideal environment for flora.

Accommodation is simple and basic but the locals appear to be very happy and contented; they frequently waved to us as we drove past on the tour bus. We were really made to feel welcome.

The locals are very laid back and usually work for a few hours in the morning and then siesta til the evening. I could take to that lifestyle.

Our next stop was at Vaiula Beach where we had a 2 hour stay for lunch and a swim.

The area is delightful; everything imaginable about tropical, South Pacific beaches. Great beer too!

Whilst the local Samoans prepared our BBQ lunch we were able to have a leisurely swim in the warm lagoon. This really is paradise!

After lunch we both had another swim and all too soon it was time to move on to continue our trip around the island.

The roads here are very narrow and I certainly wouldn’t want to pull busses along these roadways. It’s great fun though and all the locals smile and wave as they pass by in their transport.

All too soon it was time to return to the ship to set sail for the last but one leg of our sea trip. We have another 3 days at sea before reaching New Zealand and almost ‘home territory’.

Julie is quite looking forward to it and will be pleased when we get back to the Antipodes. Come to that, so will I although it will be a mixed bag of feelings when we do reach home grounds and fellow Aussies next week!