The fortnight of visitors - Part two: Savai'i

Sunday came and we boarded the ferry to go to Savai’i, the largest of the Samoan islands. More traditional in some ways, there is no real urban lifestyle on Savai’i as there is on Upolu, where we live.  About 20-25% of the Samoan population live on Savaii. The terrain is more varied, and many of the attractions have formed from the island’s volcanic history. The last eruption of Mt Silisili was in 1911, but tourists we spoke to told us they saw smoke coming from the mountain that very morning. Yikes.

The kids sitting out the ferry ride from Upolu to Savai'i

Apolima Island- a volcanic crater with steep sides. On one side the crater has collapsed, leaving a small opening into the centre. A small village of about 20 people is located there. 

The ferry ride is a vast improvement on our previous experience in 2006. On the old ferry, there were bench seats. Wisened by years of similar travels, the locals ran on and claimed a bench by lying down on it for a snooze. We were left with minimal seating options for the then two hour trip, and ended up claiming the back of a rusty old truck. 

Savaii ferry circa 2006. Two hour trip sitting in the back of an old truck due to lack of other seating. 

Plenty of seats this time round, and no benches to lie down on. 

Arriving at our accommodation at Salelologa (which I say often, simply because I can), we found ourselves in a rainforest paradise, with the blue lagoon to boot (Lusia’s lagoon chalets, highly recommended!). Plans to get out and see as much as we could quickly went out the window as we settled onto the deck, cracked a few Vailimas and an obligatory cocktail or two. Paul and I raced each other to get at the hot water shower, the first either of us has had in almost three months.

Our preferred haunt at Lusia's. 

Tui, who looked after both us and our kids.

Even sitting a few metres from the water we could see the fish life around the deck and our unit- considerately placed right over the water, and right next to our beer garden/deck. Jumping off the deck, snorkelling, canoeing and eating rounded the day out nicely thank you very much. We also found ourselves getting excellent care from the host Tui, who immediately took the kids to show them the fresh water pool hidden in the trees, and bought back portions of Pulasami (coconut cream backed in taro leaves) from his family’s Sunday lunch so we could try it.  His stories about being bundled into cars to get to the family plantation, safe form the tsunami that hit on 29 September 2009 were very sobering.

Our unit, with ladder directly down into the water. 

Angel fish, or Scar as they were called by our kids (from Nemo).

Our friend the coconut thrower in 2010, $30 tala richer.

Same guy back in 2006. I am pretty sure the going rate back 

then was $10 tala. Steep inflation.

The next day we got out to the Alofaaga blow holes, where we paid 30 tala for an old guy to throw some coconuts into a hole and watch them emphatically being thrown into the air by the force of the waves. The drenching received by Paul and Mr Harte as they went out for a closer look made the 30 tala seem cheap for such entertainment.

Paul and Dave getting closed to the action at the Blow holes. 
A major drenching followed this photo closely.....

We raced back and the boys went off to the other side of the island to dive an 1800s wreck, still in tact and only a 2 min boat ride from the shore. The London Missionary Service boat had hit a reef when being driven (?) by their drunk captain.  Both divers proclaimed it amazing and amazingly cheap. Paul's blog (paulinthepacific.blogspot.com) will eventually fill you in on that one. 

We girls entertained ourselves by jumping off the deck with the children, repeatedly. Simple pleasures! Best invention of the day was Bella’s dramatic, gymnastic style entry and exits, which we all promptly adopted, and involved shouting "Pre-sent!!" with arms in the air. Vailimas and Samoan spiders were well earned that night. I discovered a pair of Angel fish swimming under the units, and lost hours watching them move through the water. A big rainstorm cooled the temperature and sent us all to sleep that night.

The drive to the lava fields. Such a chore. 

On our final day, we made our way back over the other side of the island to the Saleula lava fields. Highlights were the London Missionary Service church that was overtaken by a lava flow in 1905. These guys really could not get a break. Built in 1897, the lava flowed in the front door of the church, the heat bringing down the roof and smashing windows. The impressions of the corrugated iron can still be seen, along with patterns formed by the lava pooling and moving as it came into contact with walls. Graffiti dating from 1923 to the current day can be seen on the walls of the church. Very interesting sight, made more so by the well informed lady from the village who took us around. They are the only ones from the village that remain on their land. 

Our guide at the LMS church overtaken by lava in 1905.

Corrugation iron patterns in the lava inside the church.

LMS church (thanks for the suggested interp Monique- I think it works!)

We saw only a small portion of what Savai’i has to offer and fully intend to back again before we leave.  An hour long ferry trip back and we were back on Upulo, which bring us to part three of our week of visitors……. .