All the way around the world

This trip as inspired by the book "Nafanua: saving the Samoan rain forest" by Paul Cox. Here I am posing with the sign and the book : )

Li’I suggested that we make mango otai for our Saturday excursion around the island (which he didn’t end up coming on : ( -he had to take care of his uncle). It was only my 1^st time but it turned out quite good : ). Li’i sometimes lets me have taxi rides for free… this worries me because I don’t know what it means. The kids just informed me that I said ‘hun’ to a guy at church and he now thinks I like him. I remember starting the habit of calling people ‘hun.’ I thought it made me sound kinder and more country. I think its time to let this habit go as its making me out to be a whole lot kinder than I am prepared to be.

            One of the first trucks to pass us had written on its tailgate “king of rap.” Bishop proudly turned to me and said with a laugh ”oh ya, he’s the one who wraps all the gifts for Christmas!” People always say “beautiful the houses” when trying to say “the houses are beautiful.” I think it’s a cute English mistake.

 

Lovers leap- After taking our picture Mala said “quick lets get back to the car before someone charges us for looking” but there was already a kid at the car who wanted $10 tala for looking at the rocks. I find that sort of thing incredibly frustrating. If it was something that required an actual fee for upkeep – like they had toilets or a nice ravel path or even picnic tables to be used- then I would understand, but being asked to pay for a stop along the side of the road is just a rip off. If I hadn’t have been with people who spoke Samoan I would have just drove off. I think… I don’t actually know as I’m a lot braver in my mind than I am in reality : )

Didn't actually go to the blowholes, but Mala wanted a picture : )

 The metal spiral staircase on the one side of the canopy walk. Mala waving at us from below.

 Do you see how the walk is made out of laders placed end to end with boards on top? Ya, I felt safe : ) lol

 View from way up top. The canopy walk is attached halfway up this 300 year old tree and so you actually climb about four more stairways to get to the very top.

 Jarome coming across a second time - so proud of himself for doing it twice

 

  Sorry but I don’t have pics of a couple of things we drove past to fast to take a picture of. They are: a boy with a load of coconuts so heavy on his bicycle handlebars that I’m quite surprised it didn’t topple forward. A red dented wheelbarrow full of coconuts sitting on the side of the road. A very colorful boat floating on pristine clear turquoise water. And an RV camper parked halfway into a Fale… this is by far the most bizarre thing I have seen in Samoa.

Swimming with Turtles... or rather just putting our feet in with them : )

       

            Another humorous thing to the side of the road was the fale labeled “Joseph Smith 32.’ Apparently it’s a  resort owned by members and they have named their fale’s after all the prophets. Why not? : ) We passed 4 sets of missionaries on our little trip : ) It was  such a pleasure to spot their white shirts surrounded by green foliage.

While we were driving around I realized “I live in Samoa.” Its an odd thing to realize after 4 months of being here. When you first get to a place it’s the sentence that’s most played in your head but after time it wears off and doesn’t faze you as much because it all just becomes normal to you.  I’m trying to make the most of my last couple of days here… but I have to be honest and say that I woke up this morning and the first thought that entered my mind was “only a couple more days!” I am ready to go I guess.

Sorry I didn't get any other pictures of the lava flow - my cameras battery died just after this picture : )

            It only takes about 3 hours to drive around the whole island but you would have thought it was a 13 hour flight by the way the kids fell asleep in the car and everyone was completely existed. I guess for people who view a 15min drive as long it really is a great deal of time to be in a car. I’m exceed for our 13 hours drive from WA (with our new dog once!) I get to the mainland : ) Always something exciting just around the corner I suppose : )