Savai'i

Brisbane, October 18:
We have had too slow an internet connection to get the pictures uploaded, but have written posts every couple of days, and I have been able to organize my pictures pretty regularly. Craig needs better internet to get his pictures from his phone into the albums I have started, and is trying to get some of his included.

Forgot to say this earlier today.  

                                                           SAVAI'I

After one night in Apia, we rode to the ferry, which took us to Savai'i in 1.5 hours. It was a little choppy midway,  but Craig did well.
Then we had a wonderful tailwind the 34 miles to our beach fale in Satuiatua. Staying here was my idea - a tropical experience, by the turquoise sea, and the coral reef. Craig knew I love falling asleep to the sound of the surf. No bugs! Food is included, our hostess, and her family + village staff, are again all super nice. It is obvious how much effort they put into keeping everything clean, and to make our experience a pleasant one.

Many people in Samoa have a New Zealand connection - moving there for work, or for education. Many move back home, to e.g. care for elderly parents, or to more efficiently manage the role of being the Chief of his clan, which includes managing all land use, for some 100 people in the village. Craig also talked to a local woman who had spent 8 years in Alaska! Close to as different as it gets. Another young woman in American Samoa had spent 10 years in San Antonio, TX due to her husband's job. They had moved back last year, and she said "you can't take the island out of me" - a saying I liked.

 Link to Savai'i


 We have ridden 55, 46, and 54 miles over the past 3 days (some 80+, 70, and 80+ km). Some hills, but despite me being 'dead', and struggling to maintain my new body position, I am pleased as this is the most I have done in the past 2 years. Hopefully things will get better still!

Today, Saturday, we will do nothing, except read, write, snorkel, chat with our hosts, and maybe with the group of NZ youngsters who checked in yesterday. Their instructor explained they are here as part of a high school class on Outdoor Education. He booked flights, and the students, in groups, planned the itinerary, staying within a budget, and all land transport. We were impressed such a useful, and fun class exists. We had the morning to ourselves, as they went off on an excursion.
 
Our hostess' niece, and other presumably village girls, work during their school break here at the fales. The niece just started college on Savai'i, studying business management and accounting. She hopes to take over this business. Her friend is studying computers. They are very sweet and pleasant, and always wear beautiful clothes.
Saturday evening we guests were invited to experience a true Samoan dance performance, incl. the Fire Dance. The hostess' niece was the female star, and a local young man came home to Savai'i to dance the lead male role. All kids in Samoan villages learn traditional, beautiful dances growing up, and both lead dancers were excellent! The young man teaches kids to dance, and works in Apia performing these dances. Craig thinks we would have paid $100 a ticket to attend something similar in e.g. Hawaii, and here they asked us to give a voluntary donation.

A local woman a few villages north of here (which is how many people count distance), offered us shelter in their guesthouse one day during a rain storm when we were biking. She sent one boy to get coconut, and baked breadfruit for us, and fortunately I had some gorp left from Hawaii, to share. She brought out the tatami (straw)mat she was weaving, to continue her work. She said it would sell for some $1200. Like Craig said - it is doubtful she gets anywhere near this much herself. Some 10 kids, mostly small, hung out with us, and were friendly, fun, talkative. The 11-year-olds spoke some English. We learned the word 'tofa', which means bye bye in Samoan. This is what we hear little kids call out when riding through villages.

The villages own the land, but at a couple of 'tourist attractions', a local family collects a fee. One girl happily told us, her family keeps all but 100 Samoan tala ($40), which goes to the village (presumably/day). We had paid 5 tala each, and there were at least 20 other tourists when we came to the water fall.
Only a handful of little kids have run out to beg for money along the road, and we have followed what I learned from my Nepal experience, which is not to encourage such behavior.
Tomorrow we get a ride by a local man, a friend of our hostess. He works for a Samoan Outdoor Co., which supports cyclists riding around the island. We pay him privately to take us part way, and then we'll ride the northern part of the island, which we haven't ridden yet, to our last night's stay on the opposite side of this island.