After an amazing week in Fiji it was time for another target. We had to choose between Samoa or Tonga to reduce our carbon footprints or let’s say to make our budget a favor ????
Decision
Tonga is a country with 169 islands, some even inhabited. Tonga stretches across approximately 800 kilometres in a north-south line. The best connections are to the capital Tongatapu or Vava’u which is more like a dead end. So, how are we able to travel such a country within few days and get the most out of it?
On the other hand, Samoa. Samoa has two main islands Upola and Savai’I with four smaller islands surrounding the main islands. I talk about Samoa, there is American Samoa too. Samoa which is a bit more tourist focused and keen on showing their culture. American Samoa is, as the name suggests, under control of US authorities as Guam and other pacific islands. We didn’t want to go to another US owned pacific island and decided in that battle for Samoa.
Now to compare Samoa and Tonga, both are independent islands with European influences due to the explorer and colonialism. In comparison to the most of the South Pacifc islands, both of them found their way to independence.
Mainly because of the size and number of islands, our decision was to go to Samoa.
Upola, Samoa
Our flight to Samoa was on a Friday 29th June. We arrived after lunch time and took a taxi from the international airport which is located north-west of the main island Upola. We booked for 5 nights at the Vaea hotel in Apia, their capital. We heard that the island is quite busy at the moment. We tried to get a car in advance and after arrival but we didn’t find any car rental station which had any availability for these days. I could understand that if there would be only 2 or 3 rental stations but in this town, it looks like everybody is dealing with cars. We didn’t event find one that had a car available. We’ve got told that there is a convention in town and a lot of tourists. So far, we didn’t see that many tourists but it was okay, the taxis were cheap, approximately USD 1 for a one-way ride within town. We decided to explore Apia first as the little city has to offer a lot.
We got a nice and cozy room at the Vaea hotel. It is a family owned hotel and they were really welcoming. Overall, our first impression of Samoa was that the Samoans are quite warm people. Unfortunately, we were once again not that lucky with the weather. In addition, we arrived before a weekend and as in Samoa the main religious is Christianity as many South Pacific islands as well, we knew already that on the weekend not much will be open.
Samoa on a weekend
We were right with that point. On our first day, Saturday, we were able to find some restaurants and to have a first glance of Apia. However, the shops started to close around lunch time and we went back to our hotel to relax. The only place that had open for dinner was Mc Donald’s. We used the weekend to relax as all Samoans. It was even difficult to find a taxi. We’ve got told that it is strictly forbidden to make loud noises on Sundays. This reminded me a bit of my childhood where there was one neighbour who always mowed his front yard on a Sunday and the whole neighbourhood complained ????
Nevertheless, we tried to plan a bit ahead and tried to book some activities for the beginning of the week. Unfortunately, the two companies which we contacted were not able to take pre-bookings because they were concerned about the weather and said that they will contact us on short notice.
Weekend is family time in Samoa but also sport time. We were lucky that on that weekend an important Rugby game was happening. Rugby World Championship 2019 qualification. Samoa missed the qualification within their own region. Therefore, they had to play against Germany. After Germany missed the Football World Cup maybe they are able to make it in Rugby? Not really, especially after we were told that Samoa usually is the better team than Tonga and Fiji. And the game also ended that way, 66 -15 for Samoa.
Rugby World Cup qualification 2019 – Samoa vs. Germany
Sightseeing on our own
The weather on Sunday was perfect and so on Monday. The only difference was that the city on Sunday was empty like a ghost city but on Monday as we walked through the city it was so busy we couldn’t believe it.
We went to visit the Immaculate Conception Cathedral, the Town Clock Tower, the Flea market and so on. We went to the Samoa Cultural Village and were told that there will be a cultural show the next day, Tuesday. Monday must be our new lucky day because the AVIS office had availability for a car on Wednesday. So, we had scheduled our next few days.
Immaculate Conception Cathedral of Apia, Samoa
Cultural Village, Apia
On Tuesday, we went to the Cultural Village show. It was quite interesting. Samoans dressed in their traditional dress were explaining how they learned to cook from their ancestors. In their culture, cooking is the responsibility of men. As the head of the family, the man is responsible to look out for the family and ensure that they have enough food. They explained a lot about their culture and how they apply their ancient culture to the modern time of today.
Samoa Cultural Village Day – Traditional cooking
Tattoos are a big part of their culture. As we came to the tattoo part, a local woman did her malu. It is a female-specific tattoo of cultural significance. The malu covers the legs from just below the knee to the upper thighs just below the buttocks, and is typically finer than the design of the man. The male tattoo called Pe’a covers the body from the waist to the knees.
The word tattoo in the English language is believed to have originated from the Samoan word tatau, their word for tattoo. The tatau process in their traditional way is extremely painful, and undertaken by their villages master tattooists, using a set of handmade tools.
By watching the tattooing process of that woman doing her malu you saw her painful face. On the other hand, it was such a beautiful design and is highly respected in their culture. The say that if a man is ready doing his Pe’a tatau which is that painful and last a full week than he will be ready for protecting his family and for his path of life.
With all that said and a real experience on that village tour, the thought about a tattoo made and designed in the country of origin for tattoos came up.
Explore the island
The next day we had the chance to get around the island. We picked up our little car from AVIS. We weren’t surprised that we had sunny days but on the day we finally were able to drive around the island the weather wasn’t good. It must have something to do with our bad luck towards the weather that is following us from now and then on our travels.
Anyway, we’ve got told that the weather on the island can change at any time. We started driving south and then eastwards towards the famous beach Saleapaga famous for their beach Fales. The weather was changing from rainy to sunny on a 10min basis. Nevertheless, we wanted to see the famous surfer / Fales beach of Samoa. Afterwards, we drove all along the coast with a few stops in between back to Apia.
Missionary work – South Pacific
It is something that came up on mostly every island in the South Pacific and usually I don’t talk about that in public but it needs to be said. I was more than surprised about all the missionary works that is still going on here. I mean through all the colonialization by France, Germany, Netherlands, and mainly Britain under the flag of the Queen, the Christian belief in all their forms like Catholicism, Protestantism, Methodism and whatever exists has been forced upon the indigenous tribes. Some of these European countries were more ruthless than others. We were told a lot of interesting and sad historical insights by locals about that time which was sadly never part of European history in school. Some tribes and cultures were stronger than others. Some of them were strong enough to fight for their right and kept their traditions and others were less successful. Anyway, this is way in the past before I was born and therefore not really something I can influence anymore.
On the other hand, we have seen a lot of missionary work done by modern sects like Jehovah’s Witnesses which are heavily present in these countries. Furthermore, there is a lot of aid provided to theses countries by American or Australian aid, World Bank, United Nations, PeaceCorps and all the small institutions which try to make the life of the underdeveloped South Pacific countries better. I absolutely have nothing against that as long as this is not sold “in the name of god”. Sadly, this maybe the case for infrastructure projects and the like but not when it affects the people itself. The schools in poor areas of these islands like Tanna in Vanuatu are built and lead by Jehovah’s Witnesses or overall in the name of Jesus. It is sad that the weakest beings, the kids, get manipulated by a specific religion and don’t have the chance to grow up with a free mind and being able to decide for themselves what is right and what is wrong.
Last but not least, it was a bit unexpected for me to see how present the church is in these areas. What is also common in western countries where the church is in one of the most central places of the village and a magnificent building, in these countries the gap between their private properties and the church is huge. Whenever you see a church it is by far the most magnificent and most modern building. It can be seen that this cannot have been built/renovated by locals as they would never have the materials or the money to do that. Therefore, it is a bit disturbing for me why to invest first in a religions symbol before investing in people and their homes/infrastructure.
Off we go
After our road trip around the island, it was time on Friday, 6th to move to our next country, the Cook Islands. This time we have to fly all the way back to Auckland, New Zealand to change the plane towards Roratonga. In addition, we will cross the international time zone which hopefully doesn’t end in a jetlag ???? More about that in our next blog.
Air Samoa – Over the top
Cheers,
Ueli
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