The Sweet Sounds of Samoa

Samoa is one of those places that gets lost in the shadow of the South Pacific. We decided to begin our adventure here only a couple months after the tsunami struck. It's hard to say what we expected upon our arrival, but can honestly say the experience exceded our expectations. From the moment we arrived, the friendly nature of the Samoan people was overwhelming. The capital city of Apia was our first stop. Hundreds of taxi cabs and buses packed to the ceiling with people filled the streets. We tried to rest, but the constant echoing of dogs barking and roosters crowing kept us awake well into the early hours of the morning. It was unlike anything we've ever experienced, but somehow the people and animals manage to co-exist. Our next stop was the larger more cultural island of Savaii (also in Samoa). This is where we discovered the true meaning of Samoan culture. We spent our time at Tanu Beach Fales in the village of Manase living in a tiny beach fale only a mere 30 feet from the turquoise water. We were treated to a fiafia event our second night there, which was incredible! This was basically an hour or so of authentic Samoan singing and dancing peformed by all members of the Tanu family. On Sunday, we attended church and listened to the beautiful singing voices of the church-goers as hymns accounted for well over half of the service. We're not really sure what any of the words meant, but the perfect harmony was very joyful. After a week at Tanu, we ventured back to the main island of Upolu and spent a couple nights at Virgin Cove on the edge of the rain forest. A portion of the resort had been destroyed by the tsunami, but not nearly to the extent of other places closer to the southeast side of the island. We were again kept awake by chickens and roosters lurking somewhere in the jungle. Oh, and there were also the heavy rains along with the pitter patter of lizards and geckos climbing all over our fale! At dinner, we were serenaded by a very talented string band, composed of young boys from the village. They seemed to love American music as we heard several renditions of familiar songs revamped in Samoan style. Our trip was soon coming to an end and we ventured back to Apia for our last few nights. While relaxing by the pool on the morning of our "second to last day", Alison looked at her watch and commented on how it was the last day of November....wait a minute....our flight is today and we're supposed to be on our way to the airport! Stay tuned to see what happened next...