Bliss

Hold on. This is very long, I'm sorry to say. I don't have much access to the Internet in Samoa. I do now and I don't think I'll have again until I'm in Fiji on Tuesday night. Don't read this post in one go. Take your time. 

First day in Samoa. My mood has been improving during the day. Now, while the sun sinks, behind some clouds, on the Pacific, I feel happier to be here. It's a "big sunny spells" sky. Above my head, golden clouds against a bright blue sky. There's no wind. It's very hard to see any movement up there. 

I arrived last night (Tuesday 11th June) rather late. In staying at a guesthouse, sharing the bathroom with a shy German guy and a Japanese guy who talks a lot in a broken English rather hard to understand. This morning, we shared breakfast with the family that owns the house, the children getting ready to go to school.

I've spent the day hiking. It wasn't great. My guide is a guy in his late 50s who seems bored with his job. I'm not sure we did the walk we agreed -or maybe I misunderstood what we were doing. On the positive side, he took me to the lava cliffs of the south coast, big waves dramatically crashing into them.

On top of that, he took me to the R. L. Stevenson museum. I walked up to his grave. Took the short, steep, harder path. Indeed, harder: the last cyclone (December 2012) caused a major landslide that obliterated the upper half of the path. That didn't deter me to continue -one of those rather stupid things men generally can't help doing. I arrived drenched in sweat, covered in dirt and happy. The grave is nothing special. It commands great views of Apia and its bay. I went back the long path, which nicely winds down following the slope of the hill. The museum, former house of Stevenson, is a beautiful colonial house.

This doesn't feel like Haiti at all. It feels very far away. I'm 11 hours ahead of the CET, 16 of Buenos Aires, 17 of the US East Coast. People are nice, and would talk to me on the street, but they don't seem to be not very warm. 

There are lots of Christian churches everywhere (and a Baha'i temple), and most house outside town seem to have big open halls where people go along there daily chores. Even the school I've seen today follow that open hall structure. It's the modern take on the traditional Fale. The other thing in people's gardens are their relatives tombs, sometimes very simple, other times big and enclosed and roofed. 

Second day. 

More hiking. We went to the Lake Lanoto'o. The walk was very nice:  hundreds of small white butterflies flying around, a beautiful fern forest, no sight of the killing vine.

The lake is nice, the crater of an extinct volcano. Famous for its gold fish, the grey variety now outnumbers the red ones, as overfishing for selling them in the market unnaturally favoured them. There is tilapia too -someone defied it was a good idea to let a few free in the lake. 

On the way back, after seeing some amazing views of the north and south coast from a hill, we found ourselves stranded as our motocross bike broke down. We got a lift on a local truck. 

I should be more empathic or sympathetic to my guide, Eddie, but I just can't. Tomorrow we hike again. Last one. 

Spent some more time in Apia. Visited the very small Museum of Samoa. Learnt about their woven matts and painted bark sheets, their tattoos and traditional dress (still very widely used). They seem to maintain a very strong and proud national identity, in the country and abroad. Modernity hasn't made much dent -yet. 

The best thing about my accommodation is the kids of the family. They're all very nice and smiley. Had a chat with the oldest boy in the morning. He wants to be an actor "in America", but accepts his father's decision and will try to get an scholarship to study Law in Australia or New Zealand. He'll still wants to pursue his dream, though. Will Hollywood be ready for a Polynesian leading man?

The best of the day came with and after dinner. Had a beer and a pizza at a very popular place (judging from all the take-aways). I listened to the band playing -out of my iTunes- at the ba next door. After dinner, went to the bar, ordered another Vailima and seat in front of the soulful singer, the drum player and the laptop. Next song was a fabulous "Boy From Ipanema" that would have made Ella proud -so much swing in her staccato. 

After a while, the two Kiwi lesbians (friends of the singer) and her fa'afafine sister invited me to join them at their table. We were the only audience -the rest of the patrons, all men, were too busy playing pool, drinking, talking and smoking. The singer would nevertheless talk to the public every now and then, with almost the camp irony of a drag queen. 

I didn't want to drink too much, as I suspect Eddie is going to be implacable with me tomorrow, so I left after my second beer and after her "Smooth Operator", her "Every Breath You Take" (that made me like the song again) and a playful "Feel Like Making Love" that would have made George Benson happy. 

Third day. 

The hike was great. We walked by the beautiful northeast coastline to the Bay of Fagaloa -so deep inland that looks like a fiord. 

The day didn't start very well. Eddie and my host sooner more than 40 minutes discussing how and from where to do the walk. Nothing was organised. So I told them I wasn't happy. Maybe I was a tad to hard on them, but as a result, in less than 5 minutes we were on our way.

However, I have to say, I feel happy and relax. There's something in the air that makes me take things easy and don't stress. Polynesian bliss? 

This is my last night in Apia. Tomorrow, I go to the island of Manono until Tuesday night (I fly to Fiji).