Mazu Adventures

I am posting this blog via our SSB radio, so as of yet I cannot upload any pictures. I will add pictures as soon as I have internet....

\Samoa August 15th - September 12

Our time in Samoa has been nearly a month. Not on our original plan but hey, we're cruising, all plans are written in sand a low tide. Originally we were only going to stay for about 10 days. We then heard that the annual �"Teuila Festival�" was starting September 1st so we decided to stay for that. I (Elaine) have been in Apia Samoa before in 2009 on my expedition with Mahina Tiare. I was excited to share with Mel all the places I had seen. I was here on the day of a tsunami and we had to run from the marina to higher ground. As it turned out the tsunami hit the other side of the island. But this year we were sad to hear that a cyclone hit Apia causing a lot of damage, one of the docks at the marina was damaged and not yet fixed, and much to my disappointment, the historic Aggie Grey's was severely damaged and is closed for repairs. So what did we do during our time here? What follows is a re-cap of our time here, in no particular order: Pot-lucks, Dock parties, and Happy Hours: We had a couple of fun dock pot-luck parties with an international flavor(s). There were boats here from, France, Norway, Australian, New Zealand, U.S. and Canada. The food brought reflected this and all of it was yummy. Pot luck parties are a great way to get to know other cruisers and to sample food from around the world. One day, Zach from the boat Wendy Ellen invited us to a Kava party on Dave and Booker's boat, Tortaquita. As they were heading to Fiji and Zach had lived there he wanted to show us the Kava ceremony so we would know what to expect. In Samoa, Tonga, and Fiji the people (men) drink Kava. A drink made from the ground up roots of a pepper plant. It has a mild sedative effect. There are lots of particulars on how to prepare and serve it so Zach demonstrated the process. The Kava drink is an acquired taste, I think it looks and tastes like dirty dishwater�... On Sunday most restaurants and businesses are closed in Samoa as it is a day of Church, feast, and rest. So one Sunday I invited Carla and Doug from Moon Dance and Dinah and Bruce from Margarita over for a pot-luck dinner. We have befriended one of the guards here named Tasi and he offered to bring us some Samoan food. In Samoa the men do the cooking and most of the cooking is still done in traditional wood fired Umu �"ovens�". He brought us roasted breadfruit, Luau (taro leaves cooked in coconut milk), poke (a raw fish, with coconut milk and onion), and chop-suey. Wow what a dinner we had. Happy hours: Many evenings we would all gather at �"The Edge�" bar at the marina for a cold beer. We really look forward to this as it is very hot and humid here and a cold beer really hits the spot. The conversations are fun and informative. We really learn a lot from our fellow cruisers. We share information on weather, anchorages, what stores have what etc. It is also then fun to run into each other later �"down the road�". Road Trip and Site Seeing: We went to the Robert Louis Stevenson house/museum. I had been here in 2009 and could not wait to see it again. The beautiful house and gardens have been restored, and there are many pictures of RLS throughout the home. The tour guides are very good. I highly recommend this tour. With Carla and Doug we hired a taxi and driver (Anchor, I forgot his Samoan name) to take us around the island. We saw, the lovely Baha'i temple and gardens, a magnificent waterfall, same in the cave pool, we drove through the village that was destroyed in the tsunami (I have pictures of it right after the tsunami) they have built and entirely new village for them higher up on the mountain. And we had a nice lunch at a restaurant on a beautiful beach. Anchor also told us of village life and interesting legions of Samoa. All in all a fun and informative trip. Cultural Village: In the center of town just near the Government building is the Samoan Cultural Village and tourist information building. Here on Thursday mornings they have demonstrations of various Samoan arts, traditions, and crafts. In the various fale's in the village you will see demonstrations on; weaving, tapa cloth making, wood carving, Umu oven cooking, tattoo, and a dance and singing performance. It is all very well done. The people in the various fale's are really working and making the items that are then sold or used in their families. The tattoo fale was very impressive, Samoan men get very elaborate tattoos from their waist to their knees. The work is done with traditional tools (I have pictures of them in the picture gallery), and it is a very long and painful process. The men who do it (it used to be all me did it) are said that if they have gone through the pain of this they are then well prepared to meet whatever other obstacles may come up in their lives, and that they are worthy of having a wife and become head of their families. The entire process takes over a month and there is a special ceremony for them after it is done. The tattoo artist is a revered person in the village and the art is passed down from father to son. You must be of the tattoo artist family blood to become a tattoo artist in Samoa. I also have put together pictures of the process for making Tapa cloth in the picture gallery, it is very interesting, have a look. The last demonstration is a dance, and singing performance. You also are served samples of the food that was cooked in the Umu oven. If you are ever in Samoa do not miss going to the Cultural Village. Teuila Festival Named after the beautiful Teuila flower (we call it a torch ginger) this annual festival celebrates Samoa arts and culture. With dance, singing, Samoan arts and crafts, games, canoe races, and various nontraditional entertainments. On Sunday night we attended the choir performance. Various church choirs perform traditional hymns, some in Samoan sometimes in English. A great performance. Monday we attended the opening ceremony starting with a parade of participants led by the Samoan Police Band. We followed the short parade to the lawn of the government building where most of the festival performances are to be held. There was a great opening ceremony performance and welcoming speeches. We were then entertained by the games. Various villages had teams to compete in this relaxed competition. First there was a coconut husking relay race. The team first had to weave a basket from a palm frond. The next three team members need to husk the coconuts (using a sharp stick that is stuck in the ground, not as easy it may look) the last person husks the last coconut and carries the basket to the stage. All the while the village members are cheering on their teams. The next competition is a tug-of-war; this really got the crowd going. It was lots of fun to watch. Each day there was the same competition with three villages competing each day. Each evening there was a performance and/or a dance/singing competition. We attended the Chief FiaFia show, fun dance show demonstration various dances of Polynesia. Tuesday night was the much anticipated Siva Competition with the Manala competition (group traditional Samoan song and dance) and the Afi competition (the fire dance). The Manala competition is a combination of several traditional Samoan dances and songs including the fast paced slap dancing. Various village groups and church groups competed. The Afi is the individual fire dance performed by men and boys. There are 2 divisions, Jr. and Sr. We had watched the preliminaries the week before, this was the final. The fire dance is performed with a large �"knife�" that looks like a large baton. Both ends are on fire and the men perform fast twirls and spins with them making it look very intimidating. It is a big thing here to win the competition. These nightly shows and other parts of the festival are televised on the local station so all can watch. Savai'i There are two main islands of Samoa Upolo, where Apia is, and the larger island of Savai'i. While larger (the third largest Polynesian island after New Zealand and Hawaii) it retains a more traditional Samoan lifestyle. There are no large cities just the many small villages. Village life dominates here. People grow most of their own food on plantations. Fish in the waters and carry on a very relaxed lifestyle. There are a few small resorts here, a hospital, and a �"farmers and craft market�" and along with the many small village markets there is one large grocery store. We finally left Apia for Matautu Bay in the Northern part of the island. Here in this beautiful anchorage (with a nice coral free sandy spot to anchor) we found a small resort to bring our dingy to shore. The nice managers of this resort, The Savai'i Lagoon Resort arraigned a tour for us the following Monday. The tour takes you around the lower third of this large island. Sam our guide starts his tour at his own home in the fale (the round open sided structures in each village) and explains about the Samoan culture. The fale is used for family meetings, chief meetings, women's and men's meetings, and for guest housing. It is a very interesting culture that they steadfastly retain. We next drive to the monument of John Williams the first minister who brought Christianity to the Samoans. Then the hour drive to Cape Asuisai to see the Alofaaga blow holes. It is a spectacular site. The shore here is all rough lava cliffs and there is no reef to stop the surf here water surges through the narrow lava chasms before being vented upwards through the blow hole. The look is that of a geyser spraying up into the air. Its force is demonstrated by our guide who at the right moment throws in coconut husks. The force of the surge shoots them far into the air, very impressive. We then make our way to MuPagoa falls where we have a refreshing swim in the pool at the base of the falls. Before our return we walk on the lava fields. Sam tells us of how the lava went around one village and church there and turned to cover and destroy another village. The conscience of the superstitious Samoans is that the people in the destroyed village that God was telling them they needed to change their way. Samoan People: �"where are you going?�", �"where are you from?�", �"is this your first time in Samoa?�", �"hello, Auntie�", �"I hope you come to Samoa again�". We were always approached with these niceties everywhere we went, in line at the store, in the restroom, walking down the street, in the taxi, everywhere! Samoan's are FRIENDLY and they love to talk with you, and do things for you, as Tasi bringing us food. Several of our cruising friends were invited to a home for a meal (we were also invited but it did not work out that we went). All of this is part of �"The Samoan Way�". Everywhere we went we felt welcomed, they are truly glad to see you and help you and were concerned that we were treated well while we were here. This friendliness also encouraged us to stay longer than we had anticipated. We are now still at anchor in Matautu Bay where the weather has turned to very windy and rainy. We are now waiting for a weather window that will take us to Tonga. More from Tonga!