Final day in Samoa

Hi all for the final time in Samoa,

There isn't all that much to report today. It was raining this morning but we were lucky that the weather cleared up, so we enjoyed one final day at the resort. We had breakfast, and Eliza was very cranky! She must have been tired still as she slept for two hours post breakfast, so Rob and I went for our second included massages and then Mum and Dad swapped with us which worked out well.

Afterwards, we spent the majority of the day in or by the pool again. It was pretty quiet here today so we had the pool mostly to ourselves. We played with Eliza, enjoyed some drinks and reading, and Rob and I took Eliza into the ocean which she loved. There were lots of fish in the water below us that we think she could see too. Dad kayaked again and made it to a small island with some palm trees on it we could see in the distance all trip and he had said he wanted to head to. He saw some small turtles!

Eliza had another sleep after swimming for 1.5 hours and then we were treated to an incredible sunset right outside our rooms, which saw the sky turn orange and pink. It was really beautiful, we were so grateful to experience this as many other nights have been rainy and windy. The cruise ship from yesterday was headed to American Samoa today, and it seemed like the rain was blowing over that way so they probably got grey and rainy weather again. Funnily, despite only travelling 70km away they went 'back in time' a day due to crossing the International Date Line.

Tonight we went for a final dinner at the main restaurant here. There was another restaurant that seemed fancier that we wanted to check out, but it was set up for a meeting tonight. There have been lots of delegates around on quite a few nights here. We had a lovely meal by the pool, and Eliza was very excited to see her favourite waitress, Mata, working again. She lit up and made so much happy noise any time she saw Mata on this trip, it was so cute. We got a picture of them together. 

I am sad to head home tomorrow. It's weird on a resort holiday, as you become so familiar with the staff, facilities, buildings and routine here and then bang - you head home, and it's already a distant memory. We love our little girl so much and it's been so lovely to see her joy in experiencing a new place, and we have been so proud of how adaptable she has been and continues to be. Just like at home, we take her in all different modes of transport, to different places, around different people and she pretty much just takes it all in her stride napping on the go and smiling her way through life. We are very lucky and I'm excited for lots more adventures to come together in the future.

Thanks for following along for the first time in a while. It's been a great trip making memories with Rob and Eliza, and with my Mum and Dad for Mum's 60th. We've all had a great time.

Love to all
Claire
Xoxox

Cathedral, Cultural Village and Piula Cave Pool

 Hi all,

We had fun last night at dinner listening to karaoke which got very serious due to the $200 AUD prize. Mum, Eliza and I enjoyed dancing to Whitney Houston.

Today we woke to crazy winds and rain. The double glazed screen door blocks out the noise so much that we had no idea overnight! My rash vest had blown over towards the next building.

We met our driver, Richard, for our included day trip. He was born here in 1980, moved with his nine siblings and parents to the USA as a kid, and then moved back here right before Covid as his Mum’s brother was sick. Now he has met someone and is hanging around to see how that pans out, but he said he finds the pace too slow compared to living in California. Interestingly he said Covid took so long to get here that most people were already vaccinated, but that the lockdowns, curfews etc were still strict.

Our first stop was the Immaculate Conception Cathedral, which was beautiful. It was originally built in 1852, however, sustained such bad damage in the 2009 earthquake here that it was demolished in 2011 and rebuilt in 2014. The timber ceiling and leadlight windows were gorgeous. The first Polynesian bishop was buried inside.

Then we crossed the road and went to the Samoan Cultural Village. We had noticed a huge Norwegian Cruise Lines ship docked, and lots of the passengers were here. The cultural village wasn’t very good to be honest. Heaps of time was spent sitting around not being told what was going on, I think they weren’t used to having that many people come. We did some weaving of coconut leaves, then Mum and Dad watched a man being tattooed with traditional Samoan tattoos which apparently used to be done with a boar tusk and ink made from seeds, but is now done with needles and ink from America. Rob and I stayed with Eliza while this was going on as she had a nap. Then we watched some Samoan food being cooked over coals like Hangi in NZ. There was then meant to be a dance or something as well, but it was so disorganised that we decided we had had enough and left.

We ate lunch in the van and then headed to the Piula Cave Pool for a quick swim. This is a natural water hole while must be beautiful and blue in the sunlight, as it was beautiful and clear today even in the rainy weather. We all went in for a swim and it was really refreshing. There were lots of fish and apparently an eel (I swiftly got out once I heard about this!!). We found the rainforest toilet interesting, and luckily enjoyed our swim before many cruise passengers arrived.

Eliza had another sleep on the way back, but the car seat provided (yes you read that right!!) was forward facing so I had to hold her head the whole was so it didn’t flop around. Somehow she still slept well and woke just in time for our final TipTop ice cream at ‘Scoops’.

We learned a few fun facts today. Samoa comes from ‘Sa’ which means sacred and ‘Moa’ which means centre. Samoa is part of a heap of Polynesian mythology and has often been referred to as the ‘cradle of Polynesia’ as it’s in the centre of the triad between New Zealand, Hawaii and Easter island. The way of life here as we guessed is very centred around community, family and respect for elders. Richard told us all the graves in peoples’ yards are because families own the land and never move, passing it instead to the next generation and the next.

After our ice cream we headed back to the resort and showered and cleaned up before enjoying a drink at the bar. We could see the cruise ship heading away, apparently bound for the Cook Islands. The resort is noticeably quieter today, but apparently the prime minister of Samoa was here again today for another event. She was elected in 2021 and is the country’s first female leader.

Tonight we had dinner at the resort and then took part in trivia, Eliza's final nap of the day worked out perfectly so we could all play. We didn't win but we had fun!

Love to all
Claire
Xoxox