Pacific Adventure

The Final European Post

2011-10-19T22:04:00.000-07:00

Istanbul (previously Constantinople, Byzantium etc)
It was only just over an hour mini-bus transfer to the Kayseri (Caesura) airport for our Pegasus flight to Sabia Gochen Airport on the Asiatic side of Istanbul. The 50 euro transfer to the Sultanahmet was compensated by the cheap air tickets. The young driver put F’s hair on end with his constant texting, talking on the phone, driving right in the middle of the 2 lanes and speeding – glad we got there safely. We arrived in Istanbul and then had a one hour drive by car transfer to our hotel. The Turkoman Hotel is not listed on Booking.com but for total convenience it was excellent with roof dining overlooking the Blue Mosque. It kept us fit as there is no lift, it’s only drawback. It is situated in a quiet street two houses above the Hippodrome, between the two Obelisks. This is the quiet uphill side of the Two Mosques, the lower side neighbourhood has more noise with traffic and crowds.
Monday afternoon we explored the outside of Blue Mosque, the Arasta Bazaar and towards the Fountain between the two Mosques (Blue & Sophia). Then it was the main street with trams towards the Main Bazaar for a recon of future shopping expeditions. To escape the bustle we walked down a narrow side street and into shoe traders sanctum. It was Turkish barter as truckload consignments of shoes were broken down and deals struck, then repacked for shipping. Street after narrow street were packed with shoe boxes and traders. We collapsed back in our room with the cool air conditioner and a cold drink.
Tuesday was a half day cruise on the northern Bosphorus, we were transferred to the boat for lunch in a thunderstorm and we got to wear our GoreTex coats for the fourth time of our vacation. The rain had cleared by after lunch and we motored along the Bosphorus with three ½ hour stops at local villages, with the last at the start of the Black Sea. We climbed the hill to the old fortifications above the sheer cliffs, overlooking the slipway where we later checked out the bargain boats but our favourite was inconsolably beyond repair.
On Wednesday we did a Circuit of the Hop-on Hop-Off open air buses with a stop at Taskim Square for morning tea. The afternoon was spent lost in the Grand Bazaar with the carpet touts. F was concentrating on the prices of everything except carpets, mainly jewellery and pottery. We enjoyed a dinner next to the Hippodrome where chariots had raced some millennia before.
Thursday was Mosque and action day – spend those leftover Lira and Euro, nothing was to be brought back (or converted to Aussie dollar). First on the agenda was the Blue Mosque with it’s religious significance followed by the Agria Sophia (the largest building of the world for over a thousand years). The Arasta Bazaar took the last of the Lira as we had checked out our prices for the last of the pottery. The Airport transfer at 4pm for our Emirates flight saw us leave Turkey with a good feeling that we had somehow connected with it’s people, customs and land. The flight back to Samoa had few highlights except boring hours, which movie to watch (True Grit, Sahara, ….. ) and airport lounges at Dubai, Singapore and Brisbane. We splashed out for a few hours of sleep at the Airport Novatel in Brisbane and caught up with C&C, before our last Pacific leg.
So this is the end of Our European Vacation 2011, we have enjoyed the experience, the broadening of our outlook of this amazing planet, the friends we have made if ever so shortly, our memories will be helped by the twelve thousand plus images we have retained and the amazement that the planning and arrangements worked so well.
Thanks to those from Coolum & New York who recommended accommodation.
Back to the Pacific
R&F
Places we stayed –
LONDON – Travelodge Drury Lane, Covent Garden – two hotels opposite each other. Not on booking.com
They were actually cheaper than any other listing.
All others on booking.com (except Turkoman)
PARIS – Home Latin
AMSTERDAM – Hotel Prins Hendrik
Gronigen – Hotel De Doelen
Rotterdam – ART Hotel
Selcuk – Jimmy’s Place
Uchisar – TakaEv
Istanbul – Turkoman Hotel – website and email
Rhine Cruise (Amsterdam to Budapest) with Scenic Cruises
Car Rental – Sixth (Office in underground carpark outside Amsterdam Railway Station next to Van Gogh Coffee Shop
Our apologies for the late post as Blogger has had some login problems.

Pics from Istanbul

2011-06-14T12:08:00.001-07:00

Street Cafes in the Sultanahmet

Breakfast friend at roof-top dining with the Blue Mosque in background

Chain hanging above Gate to the Blue Mosque

Blue Mosque from the Arasta Bazaar

Obelisk in the Hippodrome, borrowed in 390AD from the Amon-Ra Temple in Karnak, originally erected 15C BCE

It was only a four hour Cruise (Gilligan's Island)

F sails the Bosphorus

Anchor and Chain

Flag and one of two Bridges linking Europe and Asia

Prospective purchase

Trying not to fall 70m into the Black Sea

Pics from Turkey

2011-06-12T11:35:00.001-07:00

Mary's House

Prayer Notes at Mary's House

BMW Single

Showing Carpet colours

Carpet Weaving and trimming the threads

Esphesus

Esphesus columns

Theatre

Library faccade

Selcuk Minnaret and Moon

Spices

Hittite jugs (we hope to get one home)

Church cave ceiling in Cappodocia

Chimmeny houses

Chimmeny house taken from Uchisar Castle (mountain)

Goodbye Europe - Hello Turkey

2011-06-12T10:53:00.000-07:00

I have posted some pics of our fellow travellers and the Scenic Staff. A quick summary - We bussed to Salzburg in Austria for a walk around the old town and the backgrounds of Sound of Music in the sixties- a beautiful town with stunning palaces( with rose-gardens) and buildings. We then had 2 nights in Vienna – another stunning palace area and the loot, majesty and ostentatiousness of Empire – on our second day there we had a bus tour into Slovenia where we saw the effect of the neglect and depression of the communist past. The little town of Bratislava is the most prosperous part of this little country due to tourism but is obviously still struggling. On our last night in Vienna we had a magical concert in the Lichtenstein Palace – an 8 part classical orchestra supplemented by 2 opera singers and 2 ballet dancers – just gorgeous and beautifully done. In our last little town in Austria we avoided getting caught in a huge thunderstorm (unlike some of our travelling companions) which blew through quite quickly. Other than that the weather has been superb – 28 degrees and sunny most days in this part of Europe – unseasonably warm but we didn’t mind.
After more somewhat larger towns of Germany, Austria (with T shirts saying “Austria - no kangaroos”), and Slovenia we arrived in our last port of Budapest the capital of Hungary for our last 2 nights. This is a really beautiful town on the river – on one side (the hilly side) is Buda and on the other flat side is Pest. Buda has a huge castle compound dating back to the middle ages and earlier – however you can also see the impact of WW2 with bullet marks in some of the walls. We walked this area and then went to the huge local market (built in 1896) where we had lunch with the locals on stools at one of the stalls – lots of local colour as well as tourist junk. We walked back to the ship for the last night – we had a Hungarian dance troupe and band and F dressed in a very strange combination. After dinner, the captain took the ship up and down the river for some stunning night photos.
The next morning we left our friends and our Scenic Spaceship and flew to Izmir in Western Turkey (via Istanbul) and then a car transfer to Jimmy’s Place in Selcuk. Our room was very large and on the fourth floor with a somewhat antiquated lift. Thursday was a full day tour of the Ephesus region with a dozen others. We started at the top of the mountain at Mary’s House (Mary Magdalene is thought to have lived here above Ephesus in her later life – it’s obviously an important shrine for Catholics), next was a walk down through the ruins of Ephesus to the old harbour (now inland by several kilometres). Ephesus was a large town of 250000 at its peak and so many of the ruins are still there – you get a real sense of the prosperousness and culture of the biblical and later periods. The Theatres and the Library were the most impressive – although the Colosseum was also pretty impressive – big enough to seat 23000 for gladiator and lion battles etc. We also visited the local Museum of artefacts from Ephesus. The most depressing was the Temple of Artemis (One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World), all that was left was some blocks in a dismal swamp. We saw a modelling of leather jackets and a demonstration of carpet weaving - in both cases we got the hard sell and managed to resist although the displays of carpets were just amazing - R was much more excited by the display of ancient BMW motorcycles as well as old cars - impressive and yes he took photos of them all . We ate a sumptuous, mainly vegetarian meal with dozens of other tourists from all over the world. After many hours we were released from our excellent guide and delivered back to our hotel for a quick drink, followed by an evening photo walk around the town followed by dinner. The small town had lots of eateries and shops all wanting to sell us goods but not being pressured about it – many of the older men were in the square playing checkers and chess or table tennis – not so many women about. The call to prayer has become a marker of time for us in this secular country where only about 20% are practising Muslims although 99% call themselves Muslim – a bit like Australia really. We also were treated to loudspeakers on cars promoting political parties as the national election is this weekend.
On Friday we were dropped at the Izmir airport for the flight to Kayseri on Pegasus Air (the Virgin of Turkey) and again a 70 minute transfer to our cave hotel accommodation in Ushisar in the middle of Cappadocia. Our hollowed out, rock cave suite is 14 by 5 paces, it is totally dark at night with only 2 small windows at one end and outside is a cave sunken lounge area, the doorway has a tunnel to another lounge atrium. The hotel (Taka Ev) is small with only 4 rooms for rent and the owner Morat and his partner can’t do enough for us (they have a free washing machine) . For this part of the trip we went upmarket and had our own tour guide for a day in his comfy car. Capadoccia is the central region of Anatolia (Turkey) and was the central point of both the Silk Road from China and the Royal/Kings road from Arabia/India/Egypt etc – so it was very important for trade etc. In the early 2nd – 5th centuries many Christians came to this area and hollowed out caves in the huge rock formations left by millions of years of volcanic activity. They carved out churches, monasteries, nunneries as well as houses with eating and sleeping quarters. In summer the temperatures here are in the 20’s and in winter they get snow most of the time so it couldn’t have been an easy life. Later generations of Ottomans wiped these towns out and the caves were largely unused but are now a national park with people allowed to live in some of them – it’s a huge area and takes your breath away with the beauty of the formations and the colours and shapes of the rocks – ranging from white to pink, brown, and pale green, (No black lava here, unlike Samoa). Lunch was at an upmarket Turkish restaurant with all the trim and was delicious – like most meals here we had too much to eat. After walking and ducking our heads (only for the doorways) for many hours, and visiting Churches, monasteries, refectories, houses and pigeon coups (for the guano) we returned with lots of digital images and some local pottery ( you may get to see these treasures if they make it back intact). Towns we visited around were Uchisar, Goreme, Zelve, Avanos (lunch), and Urgup.
Sunday – Today has been a rest day, walked up to the Castle (another huge rock with lots of carved out areas for living etc) which is the summit of the town and the highest point in the area, lunched in the town square gardens. Some people get a little claustrophobic sleeping in the caves, they sure are quiet although we can hear the rumble of the cars sometimes on the street 12 meters above. We really loved this part of Turkey and it is totally different form the Western side, so we can’t wait it see what Istanbul is like.
From Cappodocia (Thirty-one days on the Frog & Toad) Pics to follow
R&F

More pics from the Scenic Cruise

2011-06-06T09:48:00.000-07:00

Stairwell at Melk Abbey

Our table that is frequented by fellow retrobates

Boris from Jamaica instructs us in napkin collection, the staff are such great fellow travellers

Red, red wine (from an old song of the sixties)

Pics from Germany

2011-06-01T22:26:00.000-07:00

Our Romantic and Castle ladden morning photographing

Monument on hill over Rudesheim

Rosegarden in Bamberg for Tina

Main - Danube Canal

2011-06-01T16:56:00.000-07:00

The Rhine Valley – travelling up the Rhine from Amsterdam through Holland (briefly) and then into Germany – this is a feast of history. In the first few days in Germany we experienced views of castles, monasteries and churches – one after the other and all impressive and old. I now understand why my father said you didn’t know the meaning of “old)” until you came to Europe. This river has been the passage way for Europe since Roman times. Tax seems to have been a big deal in times past with 80 per cent tax being average, if you revolted, you and everybody else in the peasant class were massacred.
We enjoyed a dinner in the medieval castle at Marksburg – this 12th century castle is the only castle in this part of the world that is truly authentic – many others have been restored or rebuilt over time. The dinner included our own jesters – who sang, juggled and embarrassed people in the audience – all with good humour and lots of laughter.
The next morning we cruised through the most beautiful part of the Rhine Gorge – castle after castle – jaw dropping beauty and stunning views – all those ads on TV must have been filmed here. F was up on the top deck with camera in hand from 6.30 am to lunch. The ship travels at about 14 knots so the wind chill factor made it pretty cold – 2 scarves, coat and her Scenic blankie helped. F sat there without leaving and with new friends Lou and Nancye, who are on their second trip on this boat because they loved it so much. R played servant and plied F with breakfast, cups of tea etc . In the afternoon we arrived in Rudesheim where R went to the fascinating Musical instrument museum and then took the cable car to the Niederwald monument. F (who knows better than to go on high cable cars) wandered the town and found a few shops open – also walked through vineyards being trimmed by Polish workers in the sunshine.
That night we cruised through locks to Wertheim and again wandered this lovely town. Some of our fellow travellers chose a serious hike or a 25 km bike ride – they have real issues apparently – we are doing enough walking to exercise the body to exhaustion – but there’s always another church, monument or town square around every corner. We have had brilliant weather in this stretch with beautiful blue skies making for amazing photos – we are averaging about 600 – 800 a day so will bore you all at some stage.
Monday we came to Rothenburg after a 1.5 hour ride down the Romantic Road along the Rhine – this was a beautiful small town which has really retained much of its old character (It was only minimally bombed in WW2) – we wandered the streets after some German sausage and mustard (declining the sauerkraut) – also enjoyed actually getting up and walking some of the length of the town walls and imagining what it must have been like when defending your town was part of the normal activity. We all agreed this was a favourite town.
The next day another town (Bamberg) – and more monuments, castles and churches – they take your breath away with their beauty and the skill of people who built them. Need to reread Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett). F was on a shopping mission with lots of clothes stores open until 6pm and we had to catch a taxi back to the boat. We had afternoon tea in a rose garden and included some pics for T.
Wednesday we arrived in Nuremburg – and our first day of poor weather – drizzly day but maybe this is appropriate for this city which was the centre of Hitler’s propaganda campaign for the National Socialist Party. This time we did a bus tour of the sights of the city – first to the unfinished “Colosseum” – planned by Hitler to show off his new empire – we also saw the sites of the Nuremburg rallies – all of it chilled me. Our guide was a Welshman who is part of a large history association teaching people (especially young people) about the power of propaganda and the importance of tolerance. In 1935 there was one nationality only represented in Nuremburg – Germans. Today they are a multicultural society of 145 nations including many invited groups such as Turkish.
After this sombre part of this city’s history we then toured the Old town which dates to the 11th century and drove up to the castle which really gave you the sense of a fortified position that in the middle-ages had 2 walls and multiple internal defences to ensure its survival. After warm drinks we walked around the town, bought some amber earrings for F and then returned to the boat for a lazy afternoon.
In the past few days we have travelled through 32 locks (most at night) on the Rhine to raise us up to the level to meet the Main Canal. Fascinating pieces of engineering. We have then sailed on the Main River and are now on the Main – Danube stretch with another 12 locks including the tallest on the trip(up to 25m) – we basically go up about 1000 feet to the top and then down another 450 to meet the Danube – climbing over a mountain on a canal route – fascinating.
I have had discussions with the captain about training (of course) including training for the ship’s engineer (a diesel fitter) and the hotel staff and chefs. One of the chefs is an Indonesian who has worked the P&O line out of Brisbane including to Samoa. He is now on an 11 month contract with Scenic so he won’t see his family in Indonesia until the end. The captain on the other hand does 8 weeks straight and then 4 weeks off when he flies to his wife in China where they spend 4 weeks travelling through SE Asia - what different life stories there are out there.
From a cool and damp Germany (Just for today)
R&F

Pics from a - small town in Germany

2011-05-30T09:08:00.000-07:00

We missed breakfast and ate biscuits on our sundeck

Swans swam past our cabin or we motored past some swans

F in an art stall

For the BMW lovers of the world (& also Apple junkies, apparently)

A very small town in Germany

The swans again, I must start drinking less wine with the meals

Pics of Rudesheim

2011-05-29T03:02:00.001-07:00

Roman Centurian in Cologne, armed and photographed

Music box museum in Rudesheim

Music Museum

From hill above Rudsheim with monument to William

Vineyard from Cablecar

Another Castle

Another way to go DOWN the Rhine River, you wouldn't want to paddle up as the current is 6-12 knots.

Scenic Pearl onboard and away

2011-05-28T02:12:00.001-07:00

Dinner at our table

Life Jacket and Fire Drill on the sun deck

Van Gogh Cafe outside the Central Railway Station in Amsterdam

Cologne Cathederal

Marksbirg Castle

The Scenic Pearl on returning from dinner at the castle - Dining Room down and Lounge up

Rotterdam to the Romantic Rhine
Tuesday we walked out of the ART Hotel in Rotterdam to catch the train and water ferry but the wind was near gale force and cold, so it was back to get our skate board (Hyundai i10) from the garage, light the GPS and we were off to the windmills of Kinderdijk. After bicycling the canals around the windmills ( they were spinning without any sails set) we took a ferry across a canal and on to the Royal Delft factory. Then it was peak hour traffic back to the hotel for dinner.
Wednesday we negotiated our way back to Amsterdam, returned our skateboard and caught a tram back to the pick-up hotel for transfers. The Scenic Pearl is only three months old and has it all. The sumptuous food will add to your waist line very quickly with Hobbit first and second breakfasts. Thursday we broke away from the tour, caught a tram to the Van Gogh Museum for 90 minutes then a tram back to the Centrum for a cuppa at the Van Gogh Café outside the Railway Station. Friday was Cologne and again we struck out early for the Cathedral for photos and then a walk around before boarding the bus to have a tour and dinner at the Marksburg Castle. Around 700 pics for the day and 65GB in 16 days.
Saturday F was up at 6.30 and on the top deck for an extended photo shoot as we motored through Romantic Castle Rhine River. I supplied her with tea and breakfast as it was quite cool.
All our best
R&F

Groningen - Rotterdam - Kinderdijk - Delft

2011-05-25T00:25:00.000-07:00

Our GPS took us on a car ferry across a canal -

Netherlands

2011-05-24T01:36:00.000-07:00

Amsterdam – Our old hotel was just about opposite the train station, so we were quickly off on a tram to the Resistance Museum. This was something F really wanted to see – we found the photo of F’s mother collecting parcels of parachute dropped food during Holland’s domination by Germany. Not a lot of new information at the Museum that we didn’t already have but interesting to see it all in one place.
Then we walked back through the canals and narrow streets – the window ladies in the red lit houses beckoned the passing trade, we ate next to a canal and again walked in the evening light around the old town. Beautiful buildings , canals and reflections. Saturday we got our rental Hyundai 110, tried to navigate out of town, then set the GPS for Groningen and found all sorts of amazing places as we took detours. We stopped at Edam and found windmills and lovely views of the water. Then on to the huge dyke (30 kms long) that holds back the North Sea and keeps the inland sea as fresh water and stops the flooding of the polders – huge areas of reclaimed farm land. In Groningen city our GPS had some trouble with a blocked street and new roads – no matter what we tried it still kept taking us back to the same street which wasn’t open! We eventually found our hotel and the parking station – at this point the little car on the GPS was spinning in circles – we think this meant it didn’t like us anymore. This was the week of the fair, so the Gros Markt (town square) where our hotel was included the Ferris Wheel and doggem cars and all things mechanical with lots of lights, families and chairs with beer drinkers in the sunshine. One group of drinkers enjoyed us taking their photo and one Dutchman (with Samoan like tattoos) took the camera up on to the landing to take photos of us – a bit nerve wracking to see the camera disappear but all was well – he did come back and we had a good laugh. We made for the far side of the square, through the Fish Market area (more rides and stalls) and walked to the canal which borders the old town as a moat, and lots of barges and boats. We had dinner in an excellent Indonesian restaurant – the owner’s father worked the Dutch East Indies route (Indonesia) like F’s Dad before the war. Sunday was planned for driving around the old ancestral haunts. The GPS obviously didn’t know about many of the new roads and we even found ourselves in the middle of a paddock that according to the GPS was a highway (long gone). We eventually got to Veendam and the JG Pinkster Strasse – named after F’s uncle who was shot during the war by the Germans. We found the little church and the graveyard and walked around looking for the graves. We decided Irene didn’t want her ashes spread in the graveyard – instead F scattered them over the water by the church – so part of her has come home. We then set off for Staatskanal, Niuwe Pekela and Niuwe Buinen – most of the older parts have been rebuilt but we certainly got the sense of the life in small villages dominated by canals and boats and bikes.
Monday was a high speed drive to Rotterdam with a stop at Urk - a small town on the edge of the Zuider Zee with a very old light house- and a memorial to sailors lost at sea dating back to the mid 1700’s. By this time we had sorted out the GPS (or it had decided to talk sense to us) and arrived at the ART Hotel with no trouble and parked in their garage – probably couldn’t have done it without the GPS as there were lots of spaghetti junctions with motorways going in every direction. The train station was across the road from the hotel and we were soon in downtown. Shopping was high on R’s agenda and I needed a fan tray for the laptop that wasn’t playing the game – found a mega store of computer and related gear and F had to drag me out. F did some shopping as therapy. We walked back across the huge bridge over the Maas and had dinner at a Tapas bar, then took the train two stations back to the hotel.

Some Pics - untilted

2011-05-22T09:39:00.000-07:00

European Vacation 2011

2011-05-20T22:16:00.000-07:00

R&F’s European Vacation (Not to be confused with the Chevy Chase’s version)
The Flight (B777-300 from Brisbane to Dubai & A380’s on to LHR)
In one word NO-Sleep – back pain. The 777 was new, one week old and the storks of the screens were broken and had to be taped in place. We were lucky to have a bulkhead in front and enjoyed the extra leg room and chatted to a pregnant English couple returning from their honeymoon. They also let us adopt them so we wouldn’t be moved when another irate passenger wanted different seats. The food was excellent on the Emirates flights. We tracked over Darwin, Banda Ace, Nikobar Islands, Chenni, Mumbai to Dubai, arriving after breakfast at 0530hrs. Then it was on to London but our A380 had a malfunction after leaving the gate and it was four hours changing planes. At Heathrow we queued for Immigration and walked through Customs without any check of our luggage – a bit concerning. Next was the ATM for 400 quid and an express train to @@@@ and then the tube to Piccadilly and we emerged into the daylight with the statue of Eros in front of us. We caught a cab to our Travelodge in Drury Lane, Covent Garden. There was a dance competition at Albert Hall on the Saturday and the hotel was bedlam with dozens of excited British girls with old style rag twists in their hair and the hairdressers (mums and grandmas) going flat out in the lounge and dining room. We got our room and went for a two block walk around to get our bearings. The British Museum was just closing and we took some photos of the streetscapes and pubs.
On Saturday David arrived and we hugged, not having seen each other for nearly ten years. We all went off to the British Museum and then down Drury Lane to the markets for a cuppa. We then left David as we boarded our double-decker tourist bus for an excellent 3 hour tour of London followed by a boat ride on the Thames finishing near Westminster Cathedral, Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. Took hundreds of photos and got our bearings really well with this tour. Dinner was in Soho with David guiding us as we walked through the maze of alleys and narrow streets.
Sunday morning we again went to the BM to look at the Parthenon marbles, Greek and Roman history sections and the covered courtyard – beautiful building. We then went walking to Covent Garden and I went to the Transport Museum as F looked in the shops and stalls. Dinner was again in Soho with a walk around Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square.
Monday was window shopping down Oxford Street for F. She walked back along the Thames, around Trafalgar, Fleet Street and the Courts area – walked about 8 kms. David and I went off to do boy’s things – The Imperial War Museum and HMS Belfast. Riding pillion on his motor scooter was a hoot as I was taking photos with one hand and hanging on with the other. Dinner was Indonesian and then on to the show - We will Rock You (Queen).
Tuesday we walked to Trafalgar Square for two hours in the British Gallery – saw beautiful Monets Van Gogh’s and Pissarro – stunning building. Lunch at the Crypt under St Martin’s in the Field. Then it was F’s turn to go pillion – Court’s of Justice, Canary Wharf, Greenwich and the Meridian, The Mall and Buckingham Palace and Hyde Park. I struck out to Somerset House to the Coultard Institute for more art. Dinner was at Dum Sim with a marathon walk to the Mall, Admiralty Arch, the Crypt, Eros and finally back to our room and our goodbyes.
Photo count is at 3581 with some duplicates of RAW and Jpeg from our new Sony NEX5 (Wish we both had one). We think we have documented our whirlwind visit. David’s knowledge precluded our constantly referring to maps and getting lost. It was a real boon to our trip, we walked everywhere – the tube is expensive, our central accommodation was excellent. We were on the 13th floor and got some great shots. Travelodge was basic but with a hearty hot breakfast, and we only needed a top-up snack lunch.
Wednesday we had a Continental breakfast before cabbing to St Pancras for the 0653hrs Eurotrain to Paris, the last of the day’s cheap trains. It was a security check and Immigration before boarding, then a 2hour 20 minutes ride to Garde Nord. We bought 3 day (3 zone) Metro tickets at St Pancras with the last of the GBP while waiting to board our 0653hrs train. We are speeding across the flat plains of France with Buzz Lightyear dangling from my backpack above my head. It’s France today and a train to Amsterdam on Friday. The train trip was excellent – smooth and fast with a look at the French country side – lots of little villages – all buildings are red brick and red tiled and every village has a church spire. Lots of open green fields – greener here than England which needed rain (even the birds couldn’t build mud nests because of the lack of water and the TV was asking people to hose the ground to make mud puddles).
PARIS – the city of love
At Garde du Nord we first got some Euro and then the Metro to near our hotel and finally a taxi. Our hotel was in the Latin Quarter – 3 blocks from Notre Dame – 1 block to Boulevard St Germain - 2 blocks to the Left Bank of the Seine and 10 minutes to Pont de Neuf. A beautiful position.
Within 10 minutes of arrival we were off for the short walk from the Home Latin Hotel to Notre Dame. Absolutely stunning and breath taking building inside and out. The sun was out and Paris in springtime was at its best. We walked around inside (Free) even during Mass. You need some two Euro coins to exchange for the medallions. Then it was up the Left Bank to the Musee d’Orsey. We paid the extra for the Manet exhibition. There is a beautiful Café upstairs where we had lunch. The room was like a palace with huge chandeliers and ceiling frescoes – gorgeous. F’s favourites were the Monet waterlilies, bridge and garden, while mine were the Van Gogh’s and Manet’s boat scenes.
Then it was the Open Bus, Green (there are four, 29Euro for 2 days) tour up the Champs Elysee to L’Arc de Triomph round past the Eiffel Tower and back to our hotel – magnificent day and beautiful Paris. We ate banana crepes made in the local creperie in our room for dinner.
Breakfast was croissants and tea at a footpath café and then the buses all day (Orange & Green). Our tours included the Rodin Museum (10Euro) – where we walked through the gardens to see the main sculptures – Thinker etc. Then we had tea and more food at the little outdoor café in the beautiful gardens. It also had two Van Gogh’s and a Monet and they allow cameras, but no flash – stunning. Back on the bus we parked in the square with the Louvre on one whole side and magnificent buildings all around the 360 degrees – never seen anything like it – panoramas.
We then rode the busses again to L’Arc de Triomphe (Roof 10Euro) for magnificent panoramas with the NEX5. You can see the 12 avenues fanning out with beautiful greenery and the Eiffel Tower and Sacre Couer in the distance. Back to the Champs Elysees for late lunch sitting on the avenue at the upmarket hamburger joint – drinking in the atmosphere. Lovely sunny weather and about 22 degrees.
Then to the Eiffel Tower where we just walked around and took many photos of the stunning Tower which really is huge, and the colourful children’s carousel . The buses took us back to the Seine and we walked to the hotel, via some Roman baths. On the way we walked along the left bank and bought some prints of Paris from the little cart sellers. Dinner was at footpath restaurant with the English name of Twickenham. The day was finalised with a walk to Notre Dame, the reflections on the waters of the Seine, and the evening light .
Impressions of Paris – a stunningly laid out city with broad avenues lined by green trees and broad pavements. Easy to navigate with lots of signs. Buildings are all stunning in the French style – tall thin houses between the avenues with huge elaborate and well maintained public buildings – no high rise at all in the main historical and tourist areas. The Seine area is beautiful because of the stone banks and beautiful trees, parks and gardens are everywhere – lots of boats (tours mainly) on the River.
Things that have worked so far – 1 litre thermos for a green tea in the park or on the train – melamine plastic mugs - washing powder for hand washing clothes – pegs and plastic coat hangers for drying – backpack that takes a 1.25 litre water bottle (3Euro) – small notebook and two hard-drives for downloading digital images every evening (we each carry HD when travelling). The daily image tally is around 450, so there is going to be a lot of sorting out the best sometime in the future. The double decker buses in both Paris and London are excellent value and show you most things easily with good commentaries. Hop on and off to suit. The Metro has mostly stairs and is not suitcase friendly.
Friday morning was breakfast in the hotel, a taxi to Gard du Nord (15E) for the Thalys First Class train to Amsterdam (113E). The train is excellent and they fed us all the way – lovely views of the French and Belgian country side and then a short stop at Brussels.
And now on to Amsterdam – Francis is feeling a little like she is coming home.
Amstedam -
We caught a tram to the Resistance Museum and looked at a photo of F mother taken at the end of the war with parachuted food parcels. Little bit emotional for F. Then walked back along the canals, dinner and walked the RED light district where we are staying with the noise and crowds. Definately an ear plug night. Finally got a net connection. Will post some pics later.
R&F

Wednesday Snorkel with Offshore Adventures

2010-08-21T18:44:00.000-07:00

Clown Rock - just lots of clown fish

Ornate butterflyfish, Chaetodon ornatissimus (19cm/7in.), tifitifi 'ava'ava

Brent on the Bladefish scooter

OFFSHORE ADVENTURES' skiff

Coral Trench at surf break

Crown-of-thorns, Acanthaster planci, alamea

Clam shell in wave break

Brent and his Boat

Inside abandoned church

Chair and church

Coast and coconuts (The trees over the water are those that populate distant shores.)

On Wednesday I was part of a group that hired a skiff (40hp Yamaha) operated by Offshore Adventures with Brent at the helm. (Phone 7508825 – Surf – Fishing – Snorkel – Lagoon tours from Saanapu Lagoon near Virgin Cove Resort)
Our intrepid foursome enjoyed the snorkeling at two locations, and some tried out my Bladefish U/W scooter. Afterwards it was time for lunch at an abandoned village site and a tour of the old church (From the 1990-91 Cyclones). A great four hours on the water. Thanks Brent for an excellent day.
Cheers from the cool breezes of the Pacific
R&F

Sinalei Lunch and snorkel

2010-08-15T22:53:00.000-07:00

Dark-spotted Moray, Gymnothorax fimbriatus (80cm/32 in) papata pulepule, pusi pulepule.

Brittle Star - Ophiomastix sp.

Just back from a Sunday lunch at Sinalei Resort and Spa. Took the snorkel gear just in case the pass was workable to the reef dropoff. Actually it wasn't, with a fast outgoing tide and large swells making the board riders wish they had two extra surfboards to break in their week in Samoa. I snorkeled around the spring and started upending the dead corals - first was Pipefish and Brittle Stars then I found a small Moray Eel for some close up work with the wide angle wet lens and new INON flash. Had a great day, actually a bit cold here(26c) with the rain - I was under a light blanket before. Lovely days in the South Pacific ....
cheers
R&F

Coral Sea and GBR - another item off the Bucket List

2010-08-12T01:01:00.000-07:00

Sea Snake - up close and personal

Clam lip and friend

Potato Cod and friends

Lion Fish

Prawn on Night Dive

Hump Head, you can hear the bighting the coral (also nice eating in PNG)

Ain't love grand - swimming together

Sponge ?

Red relation of Clown Fish

The Shark Feed at North Arm ( You have sign another indemnity for this dive and stay seated on the Ampitheatre)

Coral Sea and GBR - another item off the Bucket List

Another Oncologist appointment and another great result, 15 months of Smouldering. Would like to set a world record, but that would be a lottery win in itself.

This time back in AUS I took off for Cairns and four nights on Mike Ball’s Spoilsport boat. Twelve NITROX dives and over 1500 U/W pics, great diving on Ospreys Reef. It was a bit rough getting there but worth the effort, crystal clear water. A great mix of twenty-three divers from all over the world with a superb staff. The hot towels at your dive station made life more amenable. Also the hot soup at lunch put the life back into you after a couple of dives. Dinner was at eight after the night dive, then there was the Hobbit first, and second breakfast after the early dive. I missed one dive – just a bit shattered. The Gekko Dive Computer worked out all the calculations and kept me safe and in the zone. The shark feeding was the highlight and brought memories of New Guinea and holding speared fish away from zooming sharks.

I flew back from Lizard Island (old haunt of ’93 - two weeks diving and camping) by Cessna Caravan to Cairns at 300 meters. Bought the obligatory video and tee shirt to prove it.

Came back to Samoa just 10kg overweight with an underwater scooter (Bladefish 5000). Have done the scooter snorkel tests and I am organizing more dives.

The Va’a is currently in the Vavau Islands, Tonga and is sailing back this week. The crew will have lots of whale stories to tell.

Samoa is going flat out with the tourist season and great specials. Last weekend was a long W/E for Father’s Day and we went to Seaside Resort for the Sunday night. This is on the north east coast and is very popular with the locals. Unfortunately it is a couple of hundred meters to the good snorkeling, Sunday I took a kayak and motored around with the scooter. On the Monday I took a float and the scooter. Just tie the scooter to the float for the photography – worked well, but needs quick releases, mounts etc.

F has been flat out and survived my time away, everyone wanted to take her out, especially for her birthday. I have to check the dates before making appointments next year.
My art has shifted from fish to sailing with a Va’a and a Tasmanian schooner currently in production.
Lovely weather in the Pacific
All from us
R&F

Vavau, Kingdom of Tonga

2010-06-22T20:04:00.001-07:00

Some pics from the Apia, Samoa to Vavau Islands, Tonga - Va'a Voyage.

From my FB -
Sailing to Vavau, the top islands of Tonga on a traditional double canoe(73FT) tomorrow - hope to make it in 4 days(Big winds - passage in 45 hours), then small plane to Nukolofa and Air NZ back to Samoa next Tuesday. Then I can tick off another Bucket List item. Bought a carton of M&M Peanuts for my crewmates - Samoans, French, Vanutu and Tongans and Aussie me.(It was actually 11 nationalities in 17 crew, also Japanese, Finish, South African, Canadian, French Polenisian, Tokalaeuan).
The other Va'a were from Fiji and NZ.
Hi to all, arrived in Vavau, Tonga yesterday after 2 days hard sailing up to 13kts in a twin canoe (Va'a). Bit seasick first night - slept on deck both nights and got a bit wet from waves, spray & rain - the va'a was an excellent thrilling ride. Vavau is the jewel of the pacific.
Flying home tomorrow ....

Got a twin Prop Convair, the fifties aircraft featured such luxuries as LEG room and six escape window hatches, carried their own stairs, ashtrays for the faint at heart, the luggage was behind the pilots who left the door open for that windscreen view, also good vibrations from those rotation props .....
The AirNZ back to Samoa was 1 1/2 hours late ...
EXCELLENT adventure with lots of tourist shopping and great friendships of the 70 odd involved on the Va'a and the support boats. Two great parties, one onboard and the other at the Tongan Beach Resort, Vavau. 9.2GB Video + Stills - Edit - edit - edit .....
Having fun in the South Pacific, back to water aerobics this morning followed by mud cake at Morning Tea - going flat out with life ...

Some more pics from Fish Rock from Ray - Thanks

2010-05-07T04:25:00.000-07:00

Camera with wide-angle lens

Floating around

Playing with sharks - up close and personal

Gift to Myself - Diving Fish Rock Cave - SW Rocks

2010-05-04T03:33:00.001-07:00

Fish Rock Cave - SW Rocks - out from Kempsey, NSW
The cave comprises The enterance from the south side of the Rock from the Boulders, depth 24m - into the cave - then up the second Chimmeny (18m along)- the dark Tunnel (62m) - then the Light Cave (25m) and exit on the NW side of the rock. Swim back along the west side to the moorings.
The sharks are in the sand trenches near the Boulders.
Excellent weekend with PRODive Milton, Fish Rock Dive, and accommodation at Costa Rica Motel; thanks peoples. Richard (ONC tomorrow)

Re-awakening of the BLOG after long absence

2010-04-06T01:59:00.000-07:00

Black Clown Fish (76.2x101 cm)

Beaked leather jacket

New easel

Dog

Unfinished Clown Fish, still needs lots of work ...

Lolumanu Beach pre tsunami

Turtle - split scene

Starfish and Black Clown Fish

Pig

"Groper" Bucket Dredge, Tangalooma Wrecks, Moreton Bay / Matai and Child in Canoe

Black Clown and annenome

Clown Fish

Dancing with the whiff of your own mortality does strange thing to a person. Having just been through the ringer with pneumonia in the right lung and looking at the very specky x-rays, it just makes you think – how close to the edge, this time. What about the next bout or some other infection. Six lots of antibiotics just to deal with one lung infection …… .
Anyway that is the sermon over and done with, been lots of stressors about lately.

To anyone who is following this blog ramble, my sincerest apologies, my time in the last three months have been taken up with writing and re-writing some events from the distant past. After several hundred re-writes it has been submitted as part of an application.
When something goes desperately wrong, you search your memory banks of places you have worked. What were the triggers of your spiral into un-health. Mine may have been working for five years in an un-airconditioned building next to chemical extractor fan from the next hut. Certainly working around F111 aircraft didn’t help.

Anyway back to the Pacific Story and it’s Adventure –
The last post was up to New Year – 2010 had showered us with visitors, some left just before New Year. Tonight my Grand Children turn up with their parents from five time zones away.
January was pretty good and most of February (only two lots of antibiotics), March was a total disaster health-wise.
F gave me a Flip HD Video Camera with a 10m U/W Housing. Just the machine for making logs of your travels and surf logs of your waves. An absolute top piece of kit. I have made a few video DVD’s of HASH and a Umu preparation (Hot Stone oven). Some student video things also are in the prep stage.
Samoa is getting back to normal with lots of re-building on the south-east coast. F has been excited that she has been a small part of expanding people’s horizons and opportunities.
My painting has expanded to larger canvases – 76x101cm (one finished and one to finalize) and preparing 76x128cm. The walls of the lounge room and hall keep changing colour and the bedrooms have been seconded to take the overflow. Never a dull moment around our place, as Black Clown Fish are all the rage. I have finally got a free-standing easel on wheels – just a dream to work with – lots of adjustment, certainly beats the old table bound easel.
I now have over 60 tubes of paint from 200ml to 37ml tubes. The latest efforts have been with knives instead of brushes, so the paint goes on thick with ridges and valleys. You don’t want to brush up against one of these in the dark, they can actually hurt uncovered skin.
The Grand-kids (B7, B3) turned up with their parents and have jumped off a waterfall and swum in the warm waters of the South Pacific – lots of other adventures await them …….
All the best from Samoa, hope you like the paintings
R&F

HAPPY NEW YEAR - 2010

2009-12-30T20:03:00.000-08:00

Well the New Year is nearly here – I have been FLAT OUT doing things – a quick AUS trip – some more pics and video to add to the Archives of Samoa – lots of socializing with the festive times.
I have had a good time cooking wise, preparing only a few meals in the last month.
Have we eaten good – YUM TUM !!! I can actually cook if need-be and had Rack of Lamb the other night – so I have the potential but it has been seldom seen. I have also been cooking Apple Pies, that have gone done well at parties with ice-cream.

This post covers the last couple of months – we arrived back post tsunami (the Tongan Trench earthquake), as life was just getting back to normal after some very stressful and hectic weeks for the humanitarian aid organizations. Purified bottled water was actually shipped in as all our suppliers were taxed by the disaster on the south and especially the south east corner of the island.
With all stressful events the survivors had tales to tell of tragedy and luck in their survival. For weeks later they just had to talk out their experiences and memories – I just listened to amazing escapes and tales of life’s chances. The sheer luck involved was just a matter of sometimes less than a meter to scramble and run. The first wave was 14 meters high, with usually two slightly smaller following. Wave does not actually describe a tsunami as there is no back to the slug of water, the ocean just moves up and flows over the land until it equalizes, flows back to the sea and repeats the process. Some people were washed inland, out past the reef and somehow survived the three slugs of water. Surviving the tsunami was a miracle in itself, the next was the lung infections from water and debris ingestion to say nothing of the wounds. Two things stand out from the stories – a NZ primary school girl alerted tourists that a tsunami was coming when the reef drained, saving many lives at Lalomanu. (She had been taught this at school.) Another Resort had a siren that saved dozens of tourists along another stretch of coast.
Samoa is recovering and the main tourist resorts are re-opening around the end of March with new buildings and refurbishments. The last tsunami from the Tongan Trench was in 1917, Hilo in Hawaii was 1946 and the Chilean tsunami (Largest underwater earthquake recorded) was 1960. So they are infrequent but you are mindful now of higher ground when on the beach.

I have become a bit of a video person with my HD Camcorder (with a Fluid Head Manfrotto tripod) and have given lots of DVD’s away, things that I have done are:
Judo World Cup Opening Ceremony – very specky mass dance from a local college,
A 40 Birthday Party – great Margaritas,
A building Opening with all the VIP’s
A Graduation Ceremony for 52 students – great food
A local Primary School’s Prize Giving day – hot sauna day (24 DVD’s)
I was fourth video camera for a local Variety Show and gave the production company 19 minutes of crowd reaction – so I can say that my video has been broadcast on TV (if only flash clips), it was a great night and meal at a local nightclub to boot.
The Blessing of the Samoan Va’atele (Double sailing canoe – 73 Feet), also the preparation for a short doco.
A family Christmas dinner and gift giving. (6 DVD’s)
Two HASH runs and after- parties.
Resort Christmas Lunch and Santa arriving on a Surfboard towed by a jet-ski.
Some underwater day and night snorkels.
A recent trip to Savaii, the blowholes were going OFFfffffffff.
Or should I say UPppppppp.
This time they were full coconuts the Martai was throwing down the vent!!!!!!!

The digital still collection has not been neglected as we hope to pass the 20 thousand mark by the New Year. At 13.6 or 12 MP it soon fills a hard-drive to say nothing of the HD Video and everything is backed-up to DVD each month.

November was just a blur to say nothing of December as I wrote a story of a two year odyssey from my ancient past. This has been refined and expanded and is now ready for the printer. The usual round of Christmas festivities started and I got to talk to diplomats from several nations at one social occasion. The Chamber of Commerce party was an interesting affair as I moved around several tables to talk to people I knew, then drove to the airport, had a nap on the back seat and waited for F to come through from Customs just past midnight.

We have had our third lot of visitors from AUS this week, with F’s daughter and partner over for Christmas. We took them to the highlights of Samoa – two nights at Savaii ; blowholes, swimming under waterfalls, feeding the turtles, snorkeling; and Christmas at Sa’moana Resort where we were part of a lunch for over 50 guests. Excellent food was served with hermit crab races at night for entertainment. The moral is if you get to pick, go for the small ones, number 22 won three times in a row and we kept making the circle bigger as a handicap. We lost 10 tala on our two “nag” crabs. No animals were harmed during or after the racing although a human handler was bitten at the starting gate drawing blood from one finger.
I also took the kids snorkeling at Palalo Deep in Apia with a huge surf running and strong currents. Being the gentleman I am, I also escorted two fair maidens on a snorkel tour and safely saw them to shore. Gee it’s hard to be humble with bikinis around !!!! And this was after showing three young ladies the Clown Fish at Sa’moana and swapping masks with one of them.
Gotta love the South Pacific.

I also got to attend the headstone dedication for Shafter (our ex-Monk and GM) from Apia HASH. I had helped build his crypt last November and afterwards we retired to his favourite drinking-hole for refreshments and nibbles. Hash again staged the Christmas Carols run behind the Fire Engine in fine weather this year. So the video is pretty good and I edited it to 70 minutes to get it onto a 4.7GB DVD at Standard Definition. F took 300 digital stills.
Lots and lots of copies to burn.

So as the EVE of a new year starts tonight and we get ours tomorrow – we look forward to Twenty Ten and all the excitement it will bring. EUROPE is high on our agenda.
2009 will stand out as a LIFE Changing year for me.
May there be many more years of health for us ALL.
To 2010 with a vengeance for a full life of good experiences and love.

I will post some pics in the New Year as we MAXED out our 500mb on the 7th of December.
Cheers from the Pacific
R&F

Tsunami in Samoa and AUS Trip

2009-10-10T00:46:00.000-07:00

We share the grief with all people of the Pacific and especially our home of Samoa, for the loss of life and destruction caused by the recent earthquake and tsunami.
While the devastation along the south coast of the island of Upolu was appalling, there was some consolation that it was low tide and daylight, both contributing to what could have been a more serious catastrophe.
F worked the phone on the Wednesday tracking colleagues and their relatives.
The Apia Hash was saddened by the loss of Godmother and thirteen relatives of another Hash member. Godfather was injured as their vehicle was thrown and tumbled by the waves as they tried to move to higher ground.
We had flown out the previous day and our friends house-sitting before flying out got to run out into the yard when the shaking from the earthquake hit. A few books and paintings fell and we await an inspection on our return.

On the MM front I got another three month PASS and got to collect $12 on Lotto. So it is around the Monopoly board again for me. As the blood tests accumulate my ONC is becoming a bit more positive in his yearly percentage of an All out attack by the Uruk-hai against the Walls of the Hornburg. (The Twin Towers – Tolkein)

I come back in early February for hopefully another good result !!!!! (As they say in the MM world it is three months blocks of life that you live in.)

Waves have been great at Coolum Beach – hand-boarded until I cramped on good waves on a sand bottom - riding right into the cliff on a full tide and timing a bounce wave to stop in time.
At Point 79, about 350 meters out from the surf club you can hear the whales singing on the bottom in about 25 feet of water. A really special moment to savor and reflect on !!!!
We watched whales playing in the bay at Mooloolaba on our first day as they were herded by jet skies trying to stop them from tangling in the shark nets.

So we return to Samoa next week with bodies overhauled, but only one truly free do-anything day. Our hearts are still in shock from the Pacific, Philippines and Indonesian tragedies.
R&F

Whale being chased away from the shark net at Mooloolaba - the big cat was replaced later by inflatables and jet skis

Our rest day was spent at the Eumundi Markets, an Art Exhibition at a local gallery followed by a walk along the Noosa River at Noosaville and Hot Chocolates at out old haunt Moondoggies Cafe

American Samoa Va'a tele visits Apia and Sinalei Reef Resort

2009-09-26T12:30:00.000-07:00

I was able to sail offshore from Apia last Thursday for a couple of hours and the Va'a tele was on the hard at Sinalei Reef Resort last Sunday for a lunch provided by the Samoan Voyaging Society(I am a member), some great shots and video.
Having fun in the Pacific - free trip around the Sun every year - Yahoo !!!!!!!

Offshore Apia in rain squalls - note rope assistant and snubber for shock on steering oar

Steering with traditional crab-claw sails - love the tatts

Twin main sails and a small jib set

Chicken's head on steering oar

Crew member - "Pirates of the South Pacific" ???????

Big oar and outboard well - 50hp Yamaha (IRON Sail)

Artwork is distinctive to each va'a and reflects the national designs

Sharp end

Head (DUNNY) is the front door on the hut - no standing room, bring your own bucket filled with sea-water to flush with. BIT CRAMPED

On the hard at Sinalei Reef Resort looking towards Coconuts Resort and Liquid Motion Dive shop and tours

Up to Road Switch Weekend - Savaii

2009-09-13T00:26:00.000-07:00

Up to Road Switch Weekend - Savaii

I have not posted for over a month and I apologise for my tardiness, it has been all hands on deck as I have tried to crush in as much living as I can between Haem/Onc visits. With MM although it is in the Smouldering stage it can turn on you at any time. I have joined a listserv on MM and I have picked up many tips on survival and coping – you live life in 3 month blocks.
On the Samoan front we attended a Samoan Ports Authority Tenth Anniversary Dinner and F got to present a large cheque to the lucky stevedoring winner. The entertainment was spectacular with groups from Hawaii and American Samoa. I was able to get some great digital of the fire siva.
Places we have been recently have included a weekend at Sa’moana Resort for a night solo scuba dive. I ran out 70 meters of rope to find the special spots in the afternoon and followed them with the still digital, then a night snorkel to retrieve all the rope. Lesson learnt is to make a reel for the rope so you don’t get tangled in the dark while trying to retrieve 70 meters. My other project has been Bucket-Cam. I mounted the video housing in a bucket, cut out the base for the lens, the side for the mirror view-finder, attached some tape lead for weight, some lights from polly pipe and O-rings, two 9 LED bulbs, battery packs and wiring from head-lamps, some plastic bottle bases for diffusers and you have bucket-cam. You can push it amongst the coral and video the fish and coral up close and personal. Unfortunately the housing is only good for 5 meters, but I am specializing in night snorkeling and low tides for steady video. I have also been videoing the local kids swim group at the Olympic pool. They love to watch themselves doing tumble turns and starts on the laptop.
Art Group has relocated to a new location with plenty of space for all of us. I am currently working on a 900x600 scene and a smaller avant-garde of a popular children’s book. In the works is a trypitch of a split scene mostly underwater. Other offerings include a free thrown post-modern canvas. So I am squashing tubes of paint and working wet on wet in oils with brushes, knives, toothbrushes, rollers and fingers and having lots of fun with our group. We break into dancing, at least I do, the music machinery is serious stuff with a valve amp and Warfedale speakers.
Also crushed into the social calendar was the Teulia Festival, we only made it to the Fuatassi (Longboat – traditional oars only this year) Race on the Friday morning.
Apia has had it’s share of ship wrecks and groundings in the last month – first a steel sailing yacht went up on the reef and sank as it was pulled off, then a container ship was up for 6 days(fortunately only the bow was stuck) then a fiberglass tuna boat got confused at night by the container ship aground and ran up on the reef for another total loss.
Road Switch Weekend
Samoa has just changed the side of the road that we drive on. So now we have a left hand drive Hilux and drive on the left, not looking forward to my first night drive(actually survived it) or Hash on Monday evening. So Samoa has just had a 4 day weekend, the schools are closed for the rest of the week, there are only a few buses around as they have to cut new doorways, the police presence is astounding with Red Cross workers on most major intersection, taxis’s are doing a roaring trade and everyone is wearing seatbelts, even taxi drivers – AMAZING !!!!!

So we caught the vehicle ferry to Savaii (The BIG Island) for three nights of rest and recreation, F rested and I did the recreation – double scuba dive with Dive Savaii on their flat bottomed barge. Five divers, four snorkelers and three staff made everyone cozy and enjoying the Juno wreck and coral drop-offs and gardens diving. I night snorkeled twice off the resort beach to a row of stakes for easy navigation – checked out the lighting system and added diffusers. The most unusual thing that I saw was a sea cucumber with it’s rear raised and emitting a white fluid (presumably either – sperm, eggs, or fertilized eggs; it was full moon). It was the only one doing this and on both nights. F got some great moon shots while she waited on the beach at the end of the dive.
F and I also visited the turtles with apple and avocado to feed them as we snorkeled with still and video going flat out. Things I learnt are – a turtle can get confused and try to mount you (this results in a piercing scream) and they can bite your leg (the expletives’ are then deleted as Trick Dicky Nixon once professed). So the stats from the weekend came to 667 files(555 still) and 5.05Gigabyte on the hard-drive after editing. Gotta get better at editing the video – can now do still capture from the HD video – fantastic stuff.
The early slow drive(max 38kph) to the vehicle ferry was wasted as the ferry was not running and a two hour wait was added to the one hour that you get there to queue (luckily we were third and got on the noon barge). We dispensed cold drinks from our esky and picnic set for stranded tourists.
So it was the barge that battered the swell back to Upolu Island with lots of rock and roll, upturned stomachs and video action. We enjoyed another great time on Savaii, love the wide roads, the lack of traffic and potholes and the friendly people.
Lots of small posts as I lost a 20 odd pic load - started again in smaller lots !!!!
All the best from the Pacific - having fun
R&F

F and the BIG Cheque

Dancing Group

Not the guy to mess with - BIG Spear

Siva Dancing - DO NOT try this at home

Siva Dancing in blur

More pics - Siva Dancing - Night Dive Sa'moana Resort - Night Snorkel Savaii

2009-09-13T00:20:00.000-07:00

Siva Dancing at SPA Awards Night

Bucket-cam prep

Clown fish at night

Sea Cucumber smoking at night

Fins in the rain (Arty Shot)

More Pics - Savaii - Day and Night Snorkel

2009-09-13T00:13:00.000-07:00

Rain on the water

Queen Fish

Coral at Night(See following Day Coral)

Me and Bucket-cam

Moon on water - Stevensons Beach in front of our Suite

More Pics - Savaii

2009-09-12T23:13:00.001-07:00

Fautassi Race with Traditional Oars (Part of the Teulia Festival) - Digicel Won again (Green Boat nearest from Don Basco College, this year with a male cox/rudder person)

Stranded container ship - Tugs keeping her steady for 6 days towing - Wreck of Fishing Boat just seen on horizon - Fautassi in training

Road Switch - Spinal Board at intersection - INTERESTING First Aid assortment

Mulifanua Wharf Eary Morning

Coitus prolonged

Bus(before change) Catholic Church on Savaii

Sina and the eel - Stevensons Entertainment Stage

Scuba diving with Dive Savaii
You can't see me

Follow the Yellow Fish Road

Coral

Light Hole in the reef

Wall of Clowns

Flavai and me

Dive Group on Dive Savaii Barge (Soon to have two new 40HP Outboards)

Juno Wreck and diver

Juno Wreck and fish

Turtle about to eat - Jaws wide open

Electric Anomoine - You can see the electric current arcing

Blue Christmas Tree on a Brain Coral

F's fingers and turtle

Turtle Savaii

Wallowing pig

Barge

Spray and we're still inside the reef entrance - portents of waves and spray to come

SPA Awards Night - 12AUG09

2009-08-13T08:57:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday evening I accompanied F to the Samoa Ports Authority Awards who were also celebrating 10 years of shipping and related services to Samoa. More story will follow but for the table next to ours here are their photos -

Hash Run 1475 (See following post for pics)

2009-08-10T21:47:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Hash Trash - Run 1475

Your official scribe is away so you are stuck with the incomplete scrambled false memories of Mr. Whippy.

Slippery, Susanne & Kiwi hosted Monday’s run at Slippery’s residence in Vaivase. There was limited parking space, but with creative parking we made do. Several were dressed in Christmas attire as per the theme and some completely forgot i.e. Mr. Whippy. The run started about 15 minutes late. The run started well but soon came to a screeching halt with everyone trying to find the trail that leads out of the Vaivase ravine. After 20 minutes or so, the troops gave up and made their own trail, eventually circling back on home. Some, like Lewinski and FBI did an extended run to help prepare for the upcoming perimeter relay.

The troops arrived back at Slippery’s. The keg was ready but soda missing. Lewinski recruited Mr. Whippy and they did an emergency run to take care of our soda drinkers. Snake cornered many, getting people to sign-up for Hash Cash. BB and Ring Ring accepted the Hare Raiser position, and quickly went about gathering all the scheduling materials and info from Snake and crew.

Tonight’s guest GM was Crash Bandicoot. Crash called the Hash circle and the awards began. There were a few new boots who are only here for this week. They sailed to Samoa and are staying at the Marina. They were in great spirits. We had about (6) retreads as well – was busy pouring the beer so can’t remember who they were! There were no new boots.

Crash commenced the GM’s awards. FBI was tagged for something, but Snake had to drink for him (the logic? Snake was the closest relative). Ray Charles was tagged for admitting that he didn’t drive his brand spanking new red truck last week because it was raining. Lewinski got tagged with a double down-down for arranging for Happy Feet’s care so that he can smooch Princess of Darkness, then later having the smooch marks to show for it. Kiwi, Suzanne, Slippery, and Son of the Bitch got tagged for confusing the troops with the trail they set. Tony Blair got zapped for his especially creative parking job using the local sidewalks.

Then the Monk showed-up. Cursing and shouts announced her entrance as she tackled a tree. The Monk quickly called Michael front and center. Recalling Michael’s spirited visiting and enjoyment of Samoa’s tourist hang-outs, the Monk named him Strangler. The Strangler was especially naughty during his naming, feeling-up the Monk! After the Monk peeled-off the Strangler, the Monk pointed to Heather and called her forward. The Monk spoke about Heather’s affinity for making and wearing all sorts of hats and thus named her the Mad Hatter. Then the Monk spotted Susanne. The Monk recited Susanne’s history of bloodletting and the Monk being inspired by the latest hit at Magic Cinema, Lesbian Vampire Killers (this can’t really be a movie can it?), named Susanne the Vampire Killer.

After the naming, the Monk did a pole dance, followed by a farewell down-down.

Then the floor for nominations opened. Crash got tagged for a huge photo in the paper for which he quickly retorted, “it’s about time we got somebody else in there.” And there were a few more nominations of the usual variety. The former GM, Eveready announced that he and Karaoke will sponsor one of the Hash perimeter relay teams – Team Desirable. He said that although they may be in New Zealand during the run, that they will be with us in spirit. He also said that he wanted team Desirable to wear the color PINK. Crash then called-up the Hair and the Hosts, and finished with the customary down-downs.

At that point Slippery and crew handed out candles and Christmas song sheets. Godfather then led us through a brilliant set of Christmas songs. Once complete, the circle closed, and the forces rushed the table of yummy food.

On On!

Mr. Whippy.

Christmas In July

2009-07-31T00:37:00.001-07:00

Apia HASH 1475 “Christmas in July”

This is just a bit of a summary of the happenings of that evening, but first I must address some other matters. I am currently in Perth playing with the grandsons, had my Tea Leaves read in Brisbane and I can feel the faint vibrations of the orc army of Uruk-hai moving from Isengard in my direction (for the followers of Lord of the Rings – The Two Towers). While this was not the news we expected, we live in interesting times and my Bucket List is in formulation. I had blood and urine taken and lots of x-rays (I can now officially glow in the dark)!!!

"Christmas in July" HASH and three naming ceremonies.

As HASH has grown since I first started, more than one person is hosting except for the BYO on the first of the month. So Susanne, Kiwi and myself joined forces to host “Christmas in July” that is a quaint Aussie tradition. So we went the extra mile in the food preparation and the theme of the evening. I will let the pics tell the story of a jovial and happy time for all those who attended and helped "Float the Keg", more pics will eventually appear on the Apia Hash blog.
Reporting on the machinations of the South Pacific from Perth, Australia
On On
Slippery and F

Ready for the onslaught
50 liter Keg - Temprite - iced coconuts - flowers from my hospital stay - esky for the soda - mugs tackle box - bush knife - jug for pouring beer - rubbish bag

Plate of extras - cheese pineapple pieces biscuits and peanuts

M naming as "Strangler" He can't keep a tune and strangles the singing

Susanne's naming as Vampire (not sure of the exact title bestowed), for giving blood actually they thought she was taking blood at the uni.

H's naming as "The Mad Hatter", that was the last of our flour in the casscade, followed by such potions as tomato sauce, oil, egg, shredded paper and beer

Sassygirl trys her hand at poledancing after hard work at the naming ceremony

Godfather was Mr Music for the Christmas songs

Some Pacific Wanders were encouraged to come to a night they won't forget for a while, on their way from Florida back to AUS in a motor yacht.

F and Snake sing along

Check out the tonsils, lustily singing without a shave(I was flat out cleaning, buying the chicken and meat, preparing the chicken and cooking up a storm in the kitchen)

Hare and Host Down Down (F called for a whipping boy and Strangler obliged)

Hosts - ?? Vampire - Kiwi - Slippery

Last but not least the Dessert - Whisky Chocolate Cake - Icecream and Fang's custard

Apia News and Hospital Holiday

2009-07-20T06:44:00.000-07:00

Hospital Holiday and a 101 Course of Pain Management
Snorkeling Report
Have been snorkeling at Piula Lave Tubes in the cold fresh spring water, swam the swim-thru a few times and took some pics of an Aussie family who were visiting. Also swam the rope course off-shore. The following Wednesday I took some friends to Sa’moana Resort for more video and still action. Again the Black Clown Fish nest was a prime target.
Got some good shots of a turtle asleep wedged into the reef off Sinalei Reef Resort. He got quite a surprise as the flash went off in face, then it was mad fining to keep up and dive down for more shots. Had a lovely lunch and desert before leaving for home.
USNS Richard E Byrd
Apia has had the largest ship in port recently the USNS Richard E Byrd, I was able to take a tour over the Logistics Ship that was here on a goodwill and humanitarian visit.
Hash Activity
Hash has been a flurry of social occasions with Snakes 1000’th run and a dump truck trip up a mountain for 50 hashers and one stroller. There were two trails, the easy one back down the paved streets for the walkers and for the runners more climbing to the summit and a scramble back through scrub and taro patches on the west side followed by paved roads back to the Snake Pit for a double keg of joviality and friendship. Even F came along to the Snake Pit to support me home after a few downdowns.
Some excerpts from the Hash Blog-
The trail led up and up into the hills and a few energetic hashers were soon slowing down, particularly when one of Snake’s false trails had been “tampered with by local pickaninnies” according to Tallyho. Nevermind, the trail was re-acquired but many needed help up the next steep slope. Some of the greyer hashers even needed help from a hash mere! As the pack came out onto the top of the hill we were greeted by a delightful twilight, which was ruined by the fact that the next stage was a near-vertical drop down the slipperiest slope in Apia. The number of falls were immeasurable, but Mr. Whippy, Poumuli, Heather and others touched their mulis on the mud. Slippery fell so many times we were thinking of using him as a surfboard. SOTB simply sledded down the hill on his muli. It was slow going, mainly due to congestion at the trickiest spots, but we made it. It was on home down to Vaitele Street and back to the Snakepit.”
I was a bit knackered and called for a taxi and Godfather accompanied me –
“Tallyho had now recovered his wits and described with shock and horror how he had seen two seasoned hashers chariot riding on the way back. Slippery got no mercy, but Godfather asked for leniency, as it was his first such offence in 28 years of hashing. He got a small one as a result, but showed his usual good style in delivery (editor - the GM was merciless and handed both Godfather and Slippery double-downdowns).”
At the next Hash I complained that the reference to a surfboard was totally incorrect-
“The GM called for nominations. Slippery complained about the reference to surfboards in the last blog, as he has never owned a surfboard. To demonstrate, he showed the hash what he does have, namely a boogie board and something he described as a hand board. Tallyho denied his request for an award to Poumuli, as no respecting hashman would admit to needing a hand job to get up.”
And consequently I got the down down awarded against me.
Check out the blog for the full report and my photographic skills when a little under the weather –
http://www.apiahash.blogspot.com
Hospital Adventures
I somehow got an infected sinus in my left eye socket, we were attending a formal dinner but left early to make the Medcen Private hospital for a shot in the buttock. I was admitted the next day and spent 4 nights on a drip and buttocks resembling a pin cushion. Not a very rewarding experience as in typical Samoan style there was no hot water and cold showers make the 4 minute shower rule redundant, and you needed at least two a day to feel refreshed. The TV had no remote but this was compensated by the fact it would only tune to one station. The room did have aircon though, although it was a battle with the staff who like 19c and my 25c. So I finally passed my course in extreme Pain Management and was released on Sunday.
Monday is Hash and we are hosting –

Welcome to Apia HASH Run No 1475
5.30pm Monday 20 July 2009

It is the mid year and time for
Christmas in July.

You are invited to come along suitably attired in
Red and White or Yellow and Green.
Elves caps are essential.
There will be some singing of Christmas Songs by candlelight,
good food and much enjoyment of Hash fellowship.

This HASH is at Slippery and F’s residence.
(see map below)

The last (TOP) white house above the Main front gate of NUS
(turn up the hill off Vaivase Road).
Our house is opposite the Primary School.

This Hash is sponsored by Slippery, Susanne (Vampire) and Kiwi.
Come along and enjoy a Little Winter Wonderland.

On On, Slippery.

Piula Cave swim thru

Double down down for Chariot Riding

Esky Lid bag

Old tri shirt from the dim past

Surprised turtle

USNS Richard E Byrd

Pilot's Tee Shirt

Engine Room

Dinner Party

2009-06-28T21:54:00.000-07:00

Dinner Party and BD Party
Last weekend we went to Vavau Beach for Saturday nite of constant rain - woke to morning to brilliant sunshine - swam, snorkeled, lots of U/W video (first dive – washing machine on full tide – second, fogged lens – third, cotton wool on the housing lens – YOU learn by your mistakes in LIFE), invited to 12th Birthday lunch - met lots of people(50) who are interconnected with people we know - excellent day on the beach, rained from 11.30am, no one cared it was still 30c, water 28c.
The week sped by and on Wednesday I hired a Tuson wagon and went to the south coast at Sinalei on the full moon/solstice low tide but with huge seas running. The pass was a turmoil of raging water coming from the lagoon to the ocean – NOT the place to snorkel. Where there should have been dry was a half meter of water going at 6 knots. So I packed up and went back to Apia and the Palolo Deep where the .16 meter low tide had the reef exposed on two sides. All the fish were in the deep and I had to separate them to snorkel and shot some excellent video – saw my first black tip shark albeit a 1 meter specimen – I don’t have to exaggerate as the video tells the story. Tried to push him into the wall but he had a keen sense of survival and exited stage right with a flick of his tail and is just a blur on the 40 inch LCD.

Hash on Monday night saw me in a tizz as I couldn’t find my old faithful runners, so the new (2yrs old) New Balance had to be worn and the pic tells the whole story.
Comments from my Facebook page follow :

Nice shoe ...... hope you took out the inner sole .....

Sorry R-- it is against the rules to remove the inner sole - toe jam and all you drink the Vailima, just one full shoe. I have misplaced my old scungy runners and so wore my New Balance - a tasty choice with just a hint of foot odour.
I was a bit worried about the S of O match - it's 5.21am and I just checked the score - Maroons AGAIN !!!!!! Roosters in full crow - they start at the bottom of the valley and then they all crow together - dozens of them. Beautiful morning - windy and 27c - waiting for dawn. Myself and an engineering officer from the US Navy at hash. excellent night.
Facebook comments:
wheres your tan ????

I do look a bit pale against the CPO, local palangi's avoid the sun here, only tourists have tans. Anyway it's been raining for weeks, dry wet and a damp dry - typical. Ran out of water last night as I don't fill the tank in heavy rain because of the muddy water in the pipes.
HASH was a sendoff for Crown of Thorns our wonderful Whale Researcher, so it was a bit special with lots of competitions (I didn’t qualify for the kissing comp) and give-away’s – I got pink fur lined handcuffs (anyone into bondage) apparently for some in digression in the dimm past.

Away from Hash - Another FB entry :
Yummy Flame Snapper for dinner tonight, cooked in the Webber with string beans and avocado dressing. Went to the Fish Market at 6am and waited till 6.45am for a right size fish. Think I over-paid at 30 tala, home cleaned and scaled it, cooked in lime slices wrapped in foil. Such is life in the tropics.

THE Dinner Party
We had our first dinner party on Friday evening with 7 guests – I cooked my FIRST quiche and it was vegetarian, found our nine plates and one platter for cheese biscuits peanuts and pineapple– went to Giodarnos for 3 Pizzas and 3 Tropical salads, 10 Roti breads from the Curry House, some prawn rolls(From a friend) and Dinner was served. Washed down with a couple of wine packs (they were left over’s from a sendoff), some Vailima and for desert friends brought a cheese cake and someone else - homemade chocolate icecream. WAS IT GOOD !!!!!!! YUMBO
Unfortunately I tried to show my prowess at a Balance test on the Wii Fit program – failed dismally ( I was 8 years older and my previous was 18 years younger) and blamed it on the wine and SC.
The Wii got a workout and a 14 year old got to the end of Quantum of Solace with ammunition to spare - all on his first try – I go down in the first garden.
On Saturday evening there was a triple Birthday Party and we took over a whole restaurant for an excellent evening. Unfortunately F was not feeling well so I sallied forth alone for a great evening.
From the Pacific and Samoa
R&F

Sorry for the jumbled list - blogger is having some problems and I can't see the pics only code.
With USN Ensign at Hash

My rendition of the blowholes on Savaii ( F in pink - Matai in blue)

Beaked Leatherjacket rendition

Shoe drinking - mild toejam aroma

With Ring Ring at Hash

Mr Whippy on the trail

COT and Godfather (winner of the over 40's hair competition)

Masi Masi on the cutting board

Flame Snapper in the market

Flame Snapper in the kitchen

R and R(her birthday)

At the jibe mark

At the jibe mark last Saturday

The meaning of Life - Part 2

2009-06-11T04:21:00.000-07:00

Back from AUS – Life is run at a hectic pace.

I want my hammock hung from two trees and just to relax, watch the day go by at a leisurely pace.
But life is not like that – life has been a race the last few weeks. First it was getting everything ready to go to AUS, people to farewell who were leaving permanently, things to buy from the closing down sale, lists to compile for shopping back in AUS, lists for friends, cleaning and running the fridge/freezer down in case of major calamity (friends had their refrigerator turned off by tradesmen and came back to mould hell after several weeks away).
We survived the OFF island experience and caught up with lots of friends and relies. I was able to complete most of my “to do” lists. The body has had a complete overhaul and has been prodded and poked and I even caught a couple of waves before the “Low” weather pattern decided to turn the surf into a foam zone and flood bits of S-E QLD and northern NSW. We are grateful that we decided to not go up to Fraser Island for the second week, instead we stayed at Coolum, had a day at Australia Zoo (aka Crikey – Crocodile Hunter) and had a night up the range at Toowoomba before the last weekend in Brisbane.
It was good to catch up with my swim group the “79ers” at Coolum Beach.
We flew back with suitcases overweight, duty free bags hanging off out arms and backpacks bulging to a bedroom of mould. I dumped the bedding and stripped the spare for a better nights sleep. So it has been washing everything in sight and cleaning mould in the kitchen, and it was only 18 days away. Apparently it was a wet 18 days in Samoa.
This weekend is Independence Day celebrations with lots happening and Fautasi races on Monday (Rowed longboats).
That was as far as I got by Thursday evening when F gave the “Mr C” email from my doctor. SEE previous post.
It was a gut wrenching time back in Aus – the waiting was the worst. The end result is that I’m going back the end of July for a specialist appointment. Most probably have Monoclonal gammopathy of unknown significance (MGUS) which is the precurser to MM. Chances of moving to MM vary, statistics include lots of old people who die of some thing else and skew the results, so that they look good, as low as one percent per year, others quote as high as 10%. At least it explains all the illness I have experienced lately – the immune system is non-existent and will never repair even minor scrapes. I just have to extremely vigilant around sick people.
On a lighter note I got to go to the American Impression and Realism exhibition and the Caravan and Camping Show. I enjoyed both – the art was not “ball tearing” but I picked the best of each room and then started again – the best of the best. Two hours to the exit. I didn’t buy any posters which is unusual, the full catalogue was too heavy. After finally trying to get in to see my selected specialist on his last day for a month, I found a net connection and bought a ticket home and made the check-in with 5 minutes to spare. Bne-Syd-Apia. Got a row to myself and a lap extension for a 2 hour sleep. F was waiting for me at arrivals and somehow I was first thru customs after being the last off the plane. I had a lot of bags and bundles to juggle – typical Samoan.
I got Art Group organised, did loads of washing and washed the floors for the children tomorrow. Now have 7 framed digital canvas prints to hang – YAHOO.
That’s about it from the Pacific – weather 25c Still – beautiful night
R&F
If the pics appear(they are text at the moment) - the old hag is called "The Visitation" and was the door keeper in the old Art Gallery. As a child we went the gallery so the older boys could check out the nudes, but this old girl frightened the "little Richard" of the group. She gave me the willies !!! This was about 1959 and I was 7. The museum was next door and we played in the old WWI German tank, it was a lot more fun, I was't interested in nude women - until later in life.

Life's Meaning

2009-06-06T03:39:00.000-07:00

Sorry that I haven't posted in the last month. We had two weeks at Coolum Beach though F worked the first week and we veged the second, returned to Samoa loaded with things, lots of chocolate to a house of mould and crashing laptop. Lots of washing and cleaning, bought a USB keyboard to get it running. Had a great week(sang and danced to the Blues Brothers DVD at Art Group)until Thursday evening and the email you never want from your doctor. The following is from my Facebook post -

The question at the top of the text box is " What's on your mind?" In the last week I have gone through a rollacoaster of emotions and feelings after being told that my latest blood and urine tests showed some abnormalities, makes you pretty small in the scheme of things and you ask the question WHY ME?

You can also ask the question why not ME!!!

After finally talking to my AUS GP I flew back to AUS at 6 hours notice for a bone marrow biopsy followed by a Nuclear bone scan, preliminary results are encouraging - "I am NOT in denial". I may have Multiple Myeloma or a hopefully a precursor to it, I'll take the precursor. More results from the bone marrow will come in over the next 3 weeks. I'll post results as they become available. May the Force be with you. Ri

I have just checked the HASH blog (www.apiahash.blogspot.com), one of our GM's daughter's died this week from a vehicle accident, what a lovely beautiful girl taken from us in Samoa,

rest in peace Desirable.

I am still in AUS waiting, hope to be home by next weekend.

ANZAC DAY Courage Endurance Mateship Sacrifice

2009-05-07T02:07:00.000-07:00

ANZAC DAY – COURAGE – ENDURANCE - MATESHIP - SACRIFICE

On the preceding Friday there was an inaugural Twenty20 cricket match between the High Commision’s elevens. Check out the aussie team tee shirts (the words are from the Kokoda Trail Memorial). It was an excellent afternoon with the Kiwis short by 11 runs, although they were awarded the catch of the match with their team member literally losing a leg in the chase(he went down in fall, lost a leg and promptly repositioned his sock on his stump crawled to his leg and put it back on, stood up and returned the ball).
That evening we returned to the Blue Marlin so I could again check out the lobster and watch the sun set. YUM
Saturday it was off to the airport at 3.30am, the ANZAC Dawn Service at 5.50am as F got the students their accommodation, breakfast and Yacht Club for the start of a Laser checkout course for me from 8 to 11.30. Lots of go fast stuff to set up and drills to master.
This was actually my first dawn service( I have done a couple of day services) with a Police Contingent and Band, about a dozen wreath layers, lots of Samoan dignitaries with a short march from the main Great War Memorial(Clock Tower) to the Samoan Mother’s Memorial opposite the ANZ Bank. I was interviewed by TV3 afterwards as I waited for a lift home, no one I know saw the TV3 News and it may well have ended up on the cutting room floor.
There was am Official Reception and Flag Lowering Ceremony at the HC residence in the evening. The food was prepared and served by Tourism and Hospitality students from APTC. The flag was lowered by the daughters of the HC’er and the Ode read by the daughter of a RAN officer. Very moving and an excellent evening with the 2up school in full flight as we said our goodbyes and departed.
On Sunday, we took some friends to Sa’moana Resort for lunch and a swim in the pool, a very relaxing day. The Hash run on Monday had some problems with rain at the beginning of the run and finding the flour markers that were washing away. All was well in the end with some wading involved for those who actually stuck to the trail. The food was again exceptional with a pig, fish, chicken, sausages, salads and spag bol with cake for desert. Absolute feast !!!! I counted 56 in the circle and the keg was floating early with a large contingent going on to party at HQ (Alais - Cocktails on the Rocks). I have become the defacto photographer for Hash with lots of pics posted at www.apiahash.blogspot.com

Sorry that I didn’t post the above but the weeks have been hectic and the net was down all last weekend for an upgrade, still waiting for the fibre optic to kick in as it’s been connected to the island for a couple of weeks. I have completed a 10 hour course on sailing a Laser at the Yacht Club, is my body sore from ducking a raging boom that was trying to break my skull, a inherently unstable boat that capsizes at the shift of my weight and trying to compete with 12 to 14 year olds that are half my weight and have the flexibility of youth, my only advantage is I can just hold the center board on a capsize and up the boat came and I had lots of practice at that as ropes got tangles, jibes happened that I did not initiate while clearing the rudder of weed( a very tricky maneuver) – but it was fun and I was the only old guy.
My other project this week was doing a mapping and sounding survey for a friend. The GPS and software got a BIG workout and I was in the water for three hours on Sunday morning on the low tide driving stakes, running 30 meter lines and taking water depth measurements. It covered an area of 4500 sqmtrs with about 30 waypoints.

Cinco de Mayo Run - Hash Run 1464
I just have to mention Hash again as it was a Mexican Tequila night(lick the salt, shot of tequila, suck the lime, followed by the Valimia beer down down) with a sax playing. An absolutely fantastic evening, I took 180 pics and kept 132. I counted 46 in the circle and the run was up a mountain with climbing skills required, I missed a tree root and had a big slide, living up to my “Slippery” title and got to check out the tequila and beer combination.
Weather wise the “wet” this season was a “dry” and we are enjoying lovely tropical days and cooler nights (sometimes you need a tee shirt to stay warm).
All our best from the tropics
R&F

Lewinski POD HASH
Manager of BOC Gas reveals that he has been in Samoa for over 12 months and not attended HASH - He looks worried - he had reason to be worried.

The tucker

ANZAC Day

Lowering of the flag at dusk and the Last Post

2up school in action

The HiComm Cricket Match Friday 23APR09

Cinco de Mayo Run - Hash Run 1464

Lick the salt - down the Tequila - suck the lime - drink the Valiama

They went the wrong way - "On Back" was the call

Pics from Easter

2009-04-21T01:33:00.000-07:00

Easter Break
The last couple of weeks have sped by. I have recovered from a multiple poisoning episode from pressure blasting our front stairs that are not under cover and had several years of mould attached. Everywhere I had a skin break I got an infection that was only brought under control by strong antibiotics. Other house maintenance besides the new handles in the kitchen has been the finalization of the painting of the bathroom/toilet with only the white trim to be completed, it looks really good and makes living here more pleasant. There was only a skereck left of the blue/white blend.

I have joined the Samoan Voyaging Society and am on the executive. We have the inspiration to go traditional voyaging around the Pacific in a 70 odd foot twin canoe. Check out the link in “My blog List” on the side bar of the blog. We have applied for a Vaka from the Okeanos Foundation and are currently getting our submission together for assessment in early May. I hope to be involved in training in Radio Procedures and more recent navigation concepts such as GPS and Charts. The inflatable has been out on the harbour collecting GPS waypoints for map calibration and sounding mooring sites. I have also joined the Yacht Club and my inflatable was rescue boat for the Opening Day races. The kids sail Optimists(like a Sabot) and then graduate to Laser and Hobie Cats. No shortage of wind when the Trades kick in, sailing is two hours either side of a high tide as they sail in the lagoon in the lee of coral banks offshore.

Our Easter break was spent at Sa’moana Resort and I kept 732 pics and deleted several hundred. I found a nest of Anomie Fish and got about 30 good pics from several hundred. As nearly all were shot blind that wasn’t too bad, fish don’t like co-operating with big underwater swimming objects. F went snorkeling three times and really enjoyed herself. On the way home we had lunch and a snorkel at Aganoa Black Sand Beach (pronounced Anganoa – you put an “n” in front of “g’s”). This is a delightful bay tucked behind an ancient lava field headland on the south coast. Unfortunately the water has a lot of silt, so the pics inshore were a bit off.
I have also been invigilating exams for a TAFE student. Seven half day exams are starting to tell on both of us, the chocolate supply is about to run out. I am going to the AGM of the Library Association of Samoa next week and have met a library volunteer from OZ working at NUS.

Last weekend we had a staff do at the Blue Marlin and I scoffed half a crayfish – YUM. Some Aussie volunteers are helping in upgrading this establishment and the food was excellent. Sunday evening we said farewell to a Couple returning to Oz with dinner at Giordano’s. So it is the constant movement of friends On and Off island. Speaking of travel, I have been on alert to go to Auckland for sea trials of the first Vaka launched on Easter Sunday. We plan to be on the Sunshine Coast the second week of May and hope to catch up with friends, I still miss a good wave(with an exit strategy) on a handboard.
Cheers
R&F

Blue Marlin

Yacht Club - Opening of sailing season - our inflatable, morning fishing afternoon rescue craft

Airport - my second home

F taking group shots with lots of digitals

Coral at Sa'moana Resort

F snorkeling at Aganoa Black Sand Beach

Black Clown-fish at Sa'moana Resort

Underwater Pics and resorts

2009-03-26T02:11:00.000-07:00

Virgin Cove Resort - very back to nature - set around the bay

The top accommodation fale

Underwater Pics and resorts

The weekends have been filled with activity, except for F getting sick from her Fiji visit. Places we have been to recently include an afternoon relax on the beach at Aggie Grey’s Lagoon Resort (www.aggiegreys.com), a lunch with friends at Seabreeze Resort (http://www.seabreezesamoa.com/), and a weekend away at our loved Sa’moana Resort (http://www.samoanaresort.com/) and a lunch at Virgin Cove Resort (http://www.virgin-cove.ws/). All are different with various levels of opulence from the get back to nature of Virgin Cove all the way up to the Lagoon with bar service on the beach and an in-pool bar. The new underwater digital has clocked up over 3000 pics with about half underwater. I have a growing gallery of the best u/w. I have sent these to turtle researcher I met at Hash for his appraisal.
My week has evolved into a steady round of things to do.
Monday is clean, wash and recovery from the weekend and Hash.
Tuesday is Morning Tea with the Ladies followed by Water Aerobics.
Wednesday I volunteer at the Children’s Library at the Main Hospital. I play jigsaw card games with the children. Although I don’t speak Samoan and they have very limited English, we communicate and have great fun. My favourite game is Opposites (Fat/Thin, infront/behind). I have also arranged to have a database program written by a friend and have installed and tested it. The records are being loaded and it will help with stocktake and searching of resources. The Library is sponsored by the Samoa Association of Women Graduates who arranged the main funding from Canada, Australia, NZ and a local phone company. There is a Library Aide employed fulltime (sponsored by a local mobile phone company) and 3 volunteers. As it was only set up last year everything is reasonably new. The workload varies from week to week depending on the children that are admitted. The burns cases are frequent with open fires in the villages. To most children you are the first palangie that they have had contact with, so they really appreciate your efforts, but to others you can be a bit daunting. You do what you can.
Thursday is Art Group at our house, we stop to go to water aerobics and I am on the go from 7 to 7. I run the main lounge aircon and we all enjoy the musical DVD’s blaring from the sound system. We have lots of fun that can break into dancing and singing. I offer a pickup and evening shop on the way home for the art group.
Friday is clean and wash.
The monthly bills all have to be paid at various locations around town– rent, water, electricity, phone and from this week Pay TV. We have access to 2 systems, direct to your own dish(14 channels) or a UHF rebroadcast(4 channels - ABC, BBC, Movie, Doco). We went for the UHF as the installation is a lot cheaper.
Anyway life goes on in the Pacific.
Cheers
R&F

Aggie's Lagoon Beach - easy afternoon

Horses at Satitoa, Nuutele Island in background.

Seabreeze with R,F, E & H

This fish is the subject of my next painting

Only a one leg Duck Dive, chasing an elusive fish

Restaurant at the end of the point(nearly typed - universe), very nice

Sa'moana Resort - Lion Fish, Prawns (reminds me of B1 & B2), pool reflections looking east, blowhole and swing, chairs at the pool.

Pamela Stephenson (Billy Connelly’s wife) as guest speaker talking on sex.

2009-03-11T06:53:00.000-07:00

Pamela Stephenson (Billy Connelly’s wife) as guest speaker talking on sex at Plantation House to about 40 women and two lonesome males. It was a fund raiser for a Special School. Great moring tea afterwards. R&F

Double downdown R&F

2009-03-07T18:42:00.000-08:00

No she doesn't drink beer and called for a second to skoll it !!!! Vailima Beer is OK, it's the 7% Export stuff that rocks you.

Where did February go !!!!!

2009-03-07T18:08:00.000-08:00

Where did February go:

It all started with a Pink/Red Hash run on the previous Monday followed by a BYO BBQ. The Pink lamington cake laced with rum was a bit special. We have had our first visitor, who stayed for his first three nights with us to get established. He was here to body board the best shore breaks, and appreciated being picked up at the airport at an ungodly hour of the morning but was a bit apprehensive of the Hash circle (not being a beer drinker, I took his downdown for being a visitor).
For Valentine’s we dinned at Bistro Tatau with excellent food (including deserts) and service on Friday evening, Saturday was a student dinner at Giodarnos Pizzeria and Sunday we were off to Lolomanu (40 tala gets you a park and a fale, 15 tala for fish and chips, with coleslaw for fish feeding, Rule #2 of the Pacific – Don’t eat the coleslaw or Potato Salad; Rule #1 Only Bottled water) for lunch and a snorkel followed by a quick body board session at Pudding Rock (18k east of Apia) on the way home. Pics of our visitor on a wave. Also went to the 25th Jubilee Ball for NUS, see pic.
F went to Fiji, so I had a snorkeling weekend off Sinalei (stayed in a hut at the surf camp next door, 4 hours in the water @ 110 shots/hour), with the best shots of 3 Spotted Eagle Rays. I filled the rest of the week with painting doors and doorways, washed walls, curtains and a general tidy-up. The place looked good for her home coming. So our house is nearly finished, still some paint left for the bathroom walls and the front door. Thursday Art Group is booming and the Water Aerobics is popular. Went to a Ladies Friday Morning Tea (fundraiser for charities) at Plantation House with Pamela Stephenson (Billy Connelly’s wife) as guest speaker talking on sex.
Hopefully I can load the pics.
R&F

Slippery in a skirt !!!! Going to the NUS BALL

Pudding Rock

T on a wave, break across from Pudding Rock

Hash 1454

2009-03-02T00:11:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

Check out the Apia Hash link with a photo album:

http://www.apiahash.blogspot.com/

Have fun, we did - 53 were in the circle and a great night.
No pics, blogger isn't playing the game.
R&F

St George's Hall Portico, Perth (arty shot)

2009-02-22T13:44:00.001-08:00

Perth Photos

2009-02-22T13:31:00.000-08:00

Perth Trip - C in new pool

2009-02-18T04:31:00.002-08:00

Perth Trip - C in new pool

2009-02-18T04:31:00.001-08:00

More pics

2009-02-14T18:40:00.001-08:00

More pics

2009-02-12T23:55:00.000-08:00

Back from OZ

2009-02-12T05:31:00.000-08:00

Back from Oz

It has been a hectic week – we returned to the usual mould around the house – lots of washing in very good fine weather. I have joined Aqua Aerobics that is after Tuesday Morning Tea ( another male has joined the group, someone to talk diving with) at the HiCom Compound Swimming Pool (presently just me and 12 women). Missed the Thursday session because of the art group where I started two new works of scenes from our Savaii trip. With oils it is best to have a few on the go together and do a bit on each. Art afternoon tea was for five and a two year old. So I need to find a folding table on Saturday to accommodate all the budding artists of Apia.
Oz Trip
I was able to get to Perth and have an excellent 10 days with my grandkids, their new pool was appreciated as the temperatures soared to the high 30’s. Great to relax in the cool water and watch the tennis on the ceiling mounted LCD in the cabana. We got the canoe out and paddled on the Canning River across the road and fed the ducks. So it was hard to leave with C starting Grade One, but I was joined by F at Brisbane Airport for the night trip home to Samoa.
Last weekend we joined a group of eleven for lunch at Sinalei Resort (there was also an art exhibition), I went snorkeling with M out to the plate corals and found a turtle asleep under an overhang. We swam around a bit for some pics with my new Sony digital (W150, 8mp;5x) in a housing. Our Blogger connection has been a bit erratic so the pics will be loaded when it stabilizes, two pics of some surfers heading to a break off Sinalei. So everyone enjoyed the day and we met some people who know people we know, the old six degrees of separation is still working well. I did the Apia dropoff run after a late afternoon tea at our place.

R&F

2009 - Start of a new Year

2009-01-18T13:22:00.000-08:00

2009 – A new year living in Paradise.

We finally got the inflatable up and after New Year it was launched for a run to the fish market and out to a coral cay offshore. After a run around Mulinou Point we came back to see a rather large storm cell descending on us. So it was a scramble to beat the rain and wind as we stuffed it into the tray of the ute. It now resides on a pulley system in the rafters under the house.

I caught my first taxi (Why run in rain when you can cheat!! ) at Hash last Monday as I found myself a lonesome dove jogging in rain squalls a long way from the keg. The leaders finally got back after visiting the Royal Samoan Golf Course some great distance from the keg. (What had not been explained to us, was that there was no return run as a truck had been dispatched to pick us up, the few who made it to the truck were so cold waiting that they elected to run all the way back). There was lots of fine food and the numbers doubled after the run had started (who likes running in puddles and rain squalls).
The run was at a house reminiscent of a “canal residence” with wide covered verandahs behind an island with stunning views of the reef and the island. The keg was gone and floating by 8.00 and I was offered a lift home after only one down down for supposed-oddly chatting up a “mare”.

It has been a “torrid” social week for me, last Friday I met a new arrival in town for lunch a walk around town and quick shop. Saturday was a Dinner Party with expat friends from the Sunshine Coast followed by a Dance Party with Hash people. Of the 20 odd dancers there were 8 nationalities, a mini UN. Tuesday was Ladies Morning Tea and another drive around and a shopping expedition for some new arrivals.
Wednesday I launched the inflatable early and took two boys trolling along the coast inside the reef on a full tide. They enjoyed their experience manning the O/B tiller as I monitored the lures. We stopped at a coral cay for morning tea and left with a gecko to add to one of the boy’s captive breeding program at home.

Thursday was Art Group and we had one extra and had a great time. I finished my beach scene of Lalomanu Beach and sealed some small scenes from a popular children’s picture book to give to grandchildren and friends. At afternoon tea “we” (F actually got home for a few minutes) gave the painting and a copy of the book to “S” who is two and her dad had to read it four times that evening before bedtime. A tribute to children’s love of repetition of a good story.
Friday was a ladies farewell lunch at Paddles and I was not the only male but only one of three. I was also able to get a disc of the Christmas Hash and you can check out some pics of my naming ceremony. Friday night we invited some local friends for our first BBQ on the deck. It was an easy social evening as we chatted as the marinated steaks bubbled away on the BBQ. We cheated a bit as the tropical salad was from Giordano’s Pizzeria. An excellent end to a hectic week.

We are packing for a short sojourn to Brisbane and I am having a week in Perth with the grandkids. No post next week.

All our best
R&F

Pics from the Christmas Hash – Non-regulation Elf headgear (Cost of one Down Down) – Let the Naming begin – Egg, beer and flour – The Vodka concoction – Clean up next to the fire engine – post clean-up – Mr Whippy back-chats the GM - Confused AC/DC, beer:vodka;champagne –The Maestro looks on. - My second painting effort (Lalomanu Beach, alias the Gold Coast) - Pipe repairs Samoan style - Group at waterfall - D,H,R&F,I.

Savaii (The Big Island)

2009-01-05T00:21:00.000-08:00

Savaii Trip
After Christmas lunch at Sinaeli Resort with friends, we packed for our trip to Savaii Island.
On Boxing Day we were up early to catch the 8am vehicle ferry from Mulifanua to Salelologa. The Hilux was already packed and we drove out past the airport to the terminal and joined the queue. There are two ferries, a large one (which we were on) with through deck and air conditioned lounge upstairs, and another basic barge. After a 70 minute crossing we arrived at Salelologa Wharf and drove west to Afu Aau Waterfall for a swim and snorkel, next was climbing the largest stone mound in the Pacific at Pulemelei (Tia Seu) Ancient Mound. Not the track to take after rain with two and a half k of low 4WD, we climbed the mound for a view to the coast. It reminded me of the step pyramids of ancient Yucatan. The Alofaaga Blowholes were our last stop before crashing at our accommodation. The old matai (village elder) who throws coconut husks into the holds has the best job on the island. He laughs throughout the session and charges 20 tala. On big wave days he uses whole coconuts. Most of our pictures have the husks out of frame as they shot up high into the air. After lunch at his beach fale we drove to the northern tip of the island at Fagamalo and our large fale at Le Lagoto resort. (www.lelagoto.ws )
This is the best accommodation on the island with air conditioned fales in luxury mode. The roof was traditional with plait weaving and heavy beams supporting the roof and no internal supports. We went snorkeling off the beach and I went for a double dive with the local dive shop situated across the road. www.divesavaii.com There is the wreck of the Juno - an iron sailing ship that ran up on the reef in 1881 and was deposited into the lagoon after a cyclone some years later. She is in remarkable condition with the bow spit at 22 meters and the stern at 14. You can swim about the trusses and beams and marvel at the fish life. Second dive was closer in on a reef drop off. Fish sighted were a large Maroi Wrasse, cod, turum, a couple of turtles and an electric anemone, anemone fish and so on. We also experienced feeding and swimming with turtles. They loved the paw paw that we saved from our tropical breakfast. F got a huge buzz from this and we went back a second time for more photos. On our drive to the most westerly piece of Samoa at Cape Mulinuu (the place where the souls of the dead pass into the underworld) we stopped at the Dwarves Cave for a caving experience. You enter a hole in the ground and enter an underground lava tube the size of a railway tunnel running at an angle into the ground and finally a flooded section. This is an experience for torches and footware that can get wet. So we enjoyed our getaway on the Big Island – things that impressed us were that there are a lot more bicycles and most of the roads are in better condition as there is less traffic. Everywhere you went over Christmas the villages were trimmed for the surge of family that were visiting. This led to lots of smoke in the weeks before as the hedge trimmings were disposed of.
We avoided the New Year’s crowds for a quiet celebration at home watching TV.
Hope you all had a safe and happy break.
R&F

Christmas Message 2008

2008-12-21T21:33:00.000-08:00

F and R Christmas Message 2008

Christmas Cheer from R&F – our blog is at :
www.pacificadventuresamoa.blogspot.com

Check it out if you haven’t already.
2008
Our year has been filled with lots of adventure and travels – Beside our main adventure and shift to Samoa, I have visited Fiji briefly for a week. F has seen a bit more of the Pacific with such memorable destinations as two trips to Port Morseby in PNG and instructions in how not to get a mozzie bite and four trips to Fiji but seeing little of either country.
We have settled into the tropic lifestyle and are steadily improving the house. We now have a third source of water that actually works and keeps our tank full. The rains have still not kicked in with only occasional showers and storms. Our other major source of enjoyment is a “real” lounge. We were able to purchase a secondhand 3.5 and a 2.5 seat lounge suite. This had filled our lounge room and made our home life so much more enjoyable. Oh !! To stretch out and relax on a soft lounge with a fan cooling you, watching a DVD – sheer luxury.
We have been very lucky with our power supply with very few interruptions while you hear horror stories from other parts of town of spoilt food in fridges and freezers. We lived for three days without water, but it could be carried from the next house and I filled every container I could find and ran the hose out for most of the distance.
I have made a diverse range of friends nearly all women. Beside attending the Women’s Morning Tea at Paddles Restaurant on Tuesday mornings for a chat on the latest gossip and what’s happening (there is also a broadcast email), I have been part of an art group and have nearly finished my second oil painting to decorate our house. My art teacher had an exhibition at a local restaurant and our art group was part of the 35 who attended the opening night. I have made lots of friends at Hash from a diverse range of countries and cultures. I have come to know the airport as a second home as people come and go at all hours of the night as we meet and greet. I am looking forward to more aqua activities next year with some scuba diving, u/w photography and fishing. We also hope to add some international travel to the itinerary.
My macro cooking skills are expanding – I have cooked for two dozen hashers and have been promoted from goffer to cook (although I did have assistance from Ian from PNG, as we manned a BBQ each) at the end of year BBQ catering for 51. It is not just the cooking but knowing where to buy the required items.
My children are both ending 08 on a positive note with D in London being granted a 5 year extension to his visa. M&G in Perth are well settled with a new swimming pool for their boys C and A.
F has had a year of some very low lows and some great highs including of course our move to Samoa. She is looking forward to 2 weeks holiday here in Samoa and the opportunity to see a little more of this beautiful country. She also passes on her thanks and love to all those who have supported her through this tumultuous time.

We will be enjoying Christmas Dinner at Sinalei Resort with expat friends and are booked on the barge to Savaii (the big island) for 5 nights at a resort.
Comms – we now have Skype to landline ( at times this can be problematic so if you get a call and can’t hear us, we may try again).
We wish everyone a wonderful Christmas and New Year and look forward to great times ahead.
All the best to everyone – love R & F.

Hash Christmas Carols, my naming ceremony

2008-12-21T20:01:00.000-08:00

F and D at a farewell festival (It was only three bowls of Karva)

Hash Christmas Carols, my naming ceremony – F attends her second Hash

8Dec08 Hash
I was part of the Apia Hash Christmas Carols Run, I didn’t run except the first part and then hitched a ride on the Fire Engine as the Hash of about fifty ran through downtown Apia and stopped to sing Christmas Carols at five different restaurants and night clubs. Santa dispensed lollies to children, vehicles and buses, security personnel, and patrons of the various establishments. The fire engine had flashing red lights, a wicked screeching siren and of course a clanking bell with hashers running fore and aft in their elves attire. Were else in the world can you ride a fire engine in the capital city and have such a good time.
We were rewarded with a glass of beer each at the establishments for our efforts of singing accompanied by Godfather on his ukulele. Unfortunately it started to rain after the third stop and the long run back from Paddles restaurant was in torrential rain. As we entered the driveway of the host the person in front of me on the side of the fire engine jumped off – I now know why – a cascade of water from a gutter sans downpipe. If I wasn’t completely soaked before I certainly was after passing under this waterfall. The night was memorable for me and also F– down downs for hosting last week’s hash, for wearing my yellow and green jesters hat and not Santa’s red regulation ( although I pleaded that I had a Santa tie around my neck and a red balloon tied to my hat – to no avail). Next was my naming ceremony – as I knelt before the omnipresent MONK (no flares burning or Dame Edna’s glasses) a quarter pound of flour was rubbed into my hair with cooking oil and beer and other potions, next was the naming – I shall now be known as “Slippery” within the circle – then the drinking of the “Bats Brew”, a somewhat jellied vodka concoction and skolling Vailima from a rather small nipple attached to a large breast mug. It was now time to arise and take my place in the circle. I quickly adjourned to a tap to remove the goop from my hair and shirt (easier said than done). After a few more down downs it was time for tucker and the odd ale (this was a double keg night to really celebrate Christmas, donated by Shafter’s family). F took a somewhat inebriated “Slippery” home for another shower. So endeth the day. Pics to follow.

The lead up to Christmas has been hectic –

Last Sunday we accompanied several friends to lunch at Sinalei Resort. On the way we stopped at the Papapapaita Waterfall. While “I” and myself snorkeled out offshore to the plate coral gardens, the rest of the crew enjoyed the surroundings. Then there was lunch and a swim in the Sacred Dog Spring at the end of the jetty before the trip back to Apia. An enjoyable day for everyone.
R&F

Pics - Papapapaita Falls, sorting the snorkeling gear at the restaurant, plate coral gardens, snorkeling the dropoff, Sacred Dog Spring (note the fresh water gushing up).

Hash and batching

2008-12-07T18:25:00.001-08:00

Hosting HASH and batching
Well it finally rolled round to my turn to host the HASH, unfortunately you never know how many will turn up. So I was told to assume around 25 – 15 chicken thigh/legs (cut into 3 pieces each), 5 of which I put in oven bags and boiled in orange juice; 48 sausages and 6 chicken franks; I also cooked a large beef florentien (mushroom, tomato and basil) with rice accompanied by loaves of bread, crackers and cheese, corn chips, and sliced onions. A feast for the 24 who turned up and then there was the huge slab of chocolate cake and ice cream for dessert. The uni security guys also fared well when I took them a large platter and later the leftovers. The last hashers left after 9.30 completing an excellent evening, the new Monk was not able to attend so my naming ceremony was not on the agenda, although I scored a myriad of down-downs. I locked the gates as the last hasher left, stacked the chairs, pots and pans upstairs and retired to a shower and crashed, just a tad inebriated. Unfortunately F was away in Fiji and missed the fun.
So this has been a batching week for me and I got to go fishing and swimming on the weekend. The water was cold being spring fed into a lava tube with resident fish so it was a short swim and snorkel as I arrived late and it closed at 4.00pm. It is situated on the grounds of the Piula Methodist Theological College at Saoluafata about 25 k east of Apia. On Sunday evening, I tried flicking lures on a headland where I had seen locals fishing, 40 minutes produced no strikes and I had an alternative invitation to join friends at Giordanos Pizzeria and they have the best tropical salads. Although last Friday, I joined the girls for an up market lunch, it was for a send-off, at Bistro Tatau. Their tiger prawn salad was also very YUM. As you can tell, I am not much at making salads, so I scoff them when out on the town.
Tomorrow I am going snorkeling at Palolo Deep Marine Reserve.
I packed all my gear into a shoulder fishing bag caught the bus to Beach Road and walked the k to Palolo Reserve, 3 tala gets you access to a shower, toilets, well kept grounds with lots of tables and fales and two small beaches. So I snorkeled for over an hour, showered off and ate my morning tea as I dried off. It was just beautiful to dive with the schools of small turquoise fish and get some exercise. The Deep has seen some fatalities as you are swimming in a bowl on the reef, and on an outgoing tide it rushes out through passes to a lower sea level and can be quite treacherous. So I only snorkel on the last of the incoming tide and usually only in the finger closest to shore. (Thanks to Google Earth for the image) This rule must be applied to any lagoon and reef situation. A family from Germany was very impressed when I gave them some cheese pieces to feed the fish as they snorkeled with their young daughters. Then it was some shopping and a taxi home.
The NUS bus is becoming less frequent with only one bus operating since exams finished. I fear the Green Machine that I featured previously with the shattered wind screen has found a resting place or a make-over (Some say a good thing as the rear axel seals were leaking, that makes brakes not want to work, and the bald rear tyres would not help) to be replaced with the Han00k Tires flag bus, that lacks even a sound system and a driver who travels down to town in neutral. He also clashes gears frequently, this jars my teeth to say nothing of the gearbox.
The Primary School across the road had their end of year prize giving today, 3 large tents were erected on the oval for students, guests and dignitaries. One girl scooped the awards with prizes for English, Samoan, Maths, History and Local Studies. Although there is an emphasis on education in Samoa the main cost is the compulsory uniform that precludes poor families from sending their children to school. So one uniform has to last a student several years. The school across the road has very good local support that was apparent today and I always say Talofa (Hello) to everybody when walking down the street. The PA system was an awesome affair but the music was a good selection mostly in English, they love a bass beat that can rattle windows at some distance. So from next week there will be silence where there is usually some class singing or reciting tables, usually trying to out-do another class. Everybody sings the national anthem at the flag raising with a drum section emphasizing each important phase of the morning assembly. School hours are from 8am to around 1.30pm with two short breaks.
I finally competed my first oil painting and have hung it in the lounge room, it’s a just hatched turtle with a split scene.
R of R&F

Tribute to Shafter (The MONK)

2008-11-23T15:34:00.001-08:00

The MONK
Shafter puts the case for a Down Down on a fellow hasher at the Tafatafa Beach run.

Hash Farewell- The Monk – “Shafter”

The Apia Hash has lost one of it’s “Characters”, a person who moves outside the square, one who embraces life, shakes it and touches those within the circle.
Please refer to:
http://www.apiahash.blogspot.com
I spent time on Saturday being a goffer, building a crypt/grave in the Samoan style. First you dig the grave, thankfully we were able to get a backhoe in the day before, then lay a concrete footing around the edge, brick concrete blocks to ground level and fill the blocks with cement and cement the floor (with drain holes) and then make 4 removable slabs for the roof. As goffer I screened the shell grit in a drum with screen wire to get a fine sand to use as brickies loam, mixed and poured cement, held the tent down in the rain squalls and kept the GM supplied with diet coke.
I was looking forward to kneeling in front of The Monk (for my naming ceremony) who always looked so good in his rendition of Dame Edna with a smoke flare burning, OH!!! the gumboots (as long as you didn’t have to drink from them), the gloves, the purple cape and the evil Bats Blood brew. He carried it off so well !!!!
The funeral service on Monday was from 10am to final burial around 3pm. Then it was back to the Yacht Club for the Hash run and circle. Unfortunately I was sick, missed the run but not the down down for being thoughtful in bringing the diet coke on Saturday. Such is life, any excuse for a mug of Vailima, even those who turned up late in relatively new runners where drinking Vailima through straws from their footware.

Not much news
It has been a rainy weekend with evening storms up the mountain, I have been tinkering with the TV antenna and have improved the reception somewhat. Local channels are VBTV, 1 and 3, Chinese CCTV, Morman BYU, and 2 is religious. News on 1 and 3 have an English edition after the main Samoan news. International news is from NZ and is repeated over breakfast. There is also pay satellite available with a large upfront cost of buying the dish.
I got to the fish market very early last week and bought two Red Snapper that were baked in lime and wrapped in alfoil on the BBQ ( Two very YUM meals). So we are not starving and the banana/lime run to the local fruit veg market is becoming a habit after breakfast.

Our water situation sees our tank filled on the weekends when the tower tanks fill at the uni, so far we have had no new leaks to confront in the poly piping.

Thanks to those who leave comments on the blog we look forward to them.
R&F

Back from AUS 12 NOV 08

2008-11-12T23:39:00.000-08:00

Back from Aus. 12NOV08

We are both back from a short stay in Aus ( with overflowing suitcases). The garden plants have shot up with the occasional storm rain. The diesel power plant has had some issues while we were away as the hydro generator has been offline due to lack of rain. This has caused the diesels to run excessive hours with two generators going offline. So we are enjoying power rationing on Upolo Island. We have been lucky and only seem to have interruptions overnight, other parts of Apia have day interruptions. These last a few hours and new parts have been flown in to repair the power station. This may add some stimulus to the building of a new facility that has been planned for some years.
While I was away F ran out of water in the tank and had to get a tanker in for a refill. I have found the leak after some digging and put on a temporary patch with a clamp and some garden hose. Other maintenance issues have been attended to including new lock sets for the 4 screen doors with locks sourced in Aus. Our art group will have some new brushes and oil paints. Also in progress is a BBQ bench on our verandah for our baby Weber.
I have removed the glass louvers and side mechanisms from the kitchen windows ready for painting. Actually got the first coat on this afternoon. When the white trim is finished we will have a very smart looking kitchen.

HASH
Last Monday’s run was near Apia Park Stadium, there were some problems with the run like the tide was “in” and although a valiant effort was made to piggy-back the girls across the flooded causeway the rest of us except one male who will remain nameless (Snake) ran the rest of the run with soggy boots. When accused of this misdemeanor he dunked both boots into the ice tub holding the keg, at least his feet were chilly while ours were hot and smelly. The keg had leaked into the ice filled esky and was not salvageable, so we sent for another. My contribution was two down downs, one for missing 3 runs and another for missing a protest march for the imprisonment of a Samoan national in the US for travelling with a US passport with which he was issued.

Cooking
The Weber is no longer a virgin as tonight I cooked chicken legs in pineapple juice accompanied by stir fried frozen vegetables. Actually it was pretty good.

Plumbing
The plumber turned up this afternoon and we dug out the split pipe and while cutting it out, the next T joint gave way (no glue in the joint) so we fixed both problems. A lot of the plumbing (white polly piping with little or no glue in the joints) can survive with local water pressure, but when confronted by an electric pump at higher pressure either leak or blow off. So by just fixing leaking valves I have upped the pressure on the system and leaks have started to appear or got worse.
Social Scene
I made it to the Ladies Morning Tea at Paddles on Tuesday. There was a very large cruise ship in, the “Amsterdam” with lots of palangi (white) tourists in town. I avoided Macas and rushed the shopping for a sanga at home. Tomorrow is art group and I can dispense some new brushes and oils.

R&F

Pics - Fuipisia Falls, back of house, swing at Sa'moana Resort.

White Sunday

2008-10-15T23:28:00.001-07:00

White Sunday
Well we survived the White Sunday long weekend, each day we tried to do something different. Arrived at Sa’amoana Resort Friday evening just in time for Fia Fia night that started with a Arva welcoming ceremony of “carva” followed by a traditional umu (underground) baked meal. Then it was singing and siva dance by a local village group.
After a lazy Saturday breakfast it was into the van bound for the Sua Trench. (The surfers had a 5am wake-up call for the boat trip to the break where the boat is moored outside the surf.) After climbing down to a secluded beach I snorkeled back to a cave entrance in the cliff and two underwater swims into the hole with the ladder and climbed back out. Then it was a short walk to another trench and 5 meter jump into the water and another underwater swim through the cave to the surf and back again. It was a very low tide and only a low surge pounding the rocks. The climb out is through a tunnel in the cave. Then it was time for chocolate cake, fruit and water then the drive back to the resort.
Sunday we walked (with our golf umbrella and a water bottle) to the local Salamumu Methodist Church for White Sunday (Children’s Day). This is a celebration of children in all churches with special treats and lots to eat afterwards. The children put on skits and were all dressed in new mostly white clothes. Afternoons were spent around the pool and relaxing.
Monday morning we took a double ocean kayak for a paddle along the coast for a swim and a snorkel in front of the resort for F. The afternoon was a Hash run at Tafatafa Beach with the run starting at 2.30pm. We ran along the beach and track towards Nuusafee Island then it was through the scrub to a road and back to the coast road for a couple of k (a bit hot away from the beach breezes), then a shortcut back on a muddy track to the beach and an umu put on by Godfather, coconuts and free bottled beer. F already was sipping from a coconut when I staggered in and as there was limited beer (3 large eskys) I missed a down down although lots didn’t. Then it was into the food served on real china plates. Talking of Hash, last Monday we presented Samoa Lifeline with 3000 tala from our fundraising, it can be a lot of fun and friendship (not to mention the gumboot drinking) along with a more serious side. So we finally got back home in the dark to get ready for another week.
This week we got the 5.1 sound system installed and sound checked, and the broadband is in at last. I picked up canasta at Ladies Cards although some of the rules were different and I actually won a couple of hands. I started an oil painting of a turtle at art group on Thursday (11-4) and hope to finish it by Christmas. Gotta brush up on Mahjong.

R & F

Pics: Arva ceremony (welcoming each guest in turn hence the list), Fia fia meal, F and Anzac, Sua Trench, Coastline looking east and west, blowhole, pool cleaning with a difference, Hash.

Fiji Trip

2008-10-02T21:54:00.000-07:00

30SEP08 (Waiting for a modem and an internet connection at home)
The House
It’s Friday today, we have been in our house for two nights, the dogs in the area can really go on a barking spree at times and then the roosters chime in anytime after 4.00am. There is also a large diesel generator that has a low rumble 24/7. Reminds me of my Uncle Claude’s farm situated out on the Darling Downs. We will get used to it and it will be just part of the background noise. Our street is a dead end further up the hill so the traffic is minimal. We have a view of the next bay east of the harbour and are on a good rise with the University grounds over the back fence, so the ocean breeze is refreshing. The place has the equivalent of 24 sets of ceiling to floor louvers so the breeze can flow through, although it is a bit of a cleaning task. We are just camping at present with minimal kitchen and bedding stuff, waiting for our boxes to arrive. I cooked spagbol last night which went down OK with a cuppa and lamington for desert. Our first cooked meal in the house. Gotta join that gym !!!!
All of the maintenance issues have been fixed on our house and our tank is filled with town water (we now have a private pipeline, although it is only a trickle into the tank) and a 20 liter bottle in our dispenser for drinking.
On the social side I joined the Ladies Morning Tea at Paddles Café overlooking the harbour on Tuesday, as the token male. It was just good to find things out and swap information on where to shop and what was happening in Apia.
Monday night was a rainy Hash and there was a last minute change of venue and just a road run until Godfather decided we needed to add an extra long block, a coconut never looked so refreshing. At least it wasn’t in the swollen creeks and scrub that was originally planned.
I also got to play lifeguard for a two year old at Paloa Deep as we counted coral and rocks and dropped them back into the water.

Next week we will be in Fiji so I hope to see some of the sights as we drive from Nandi to Suva and back, hope I can adjust to driving a right hand vehicle again.

Well we are back from Fiji, 3 nights Nadi, 3 in Suva and an evening in Nadi waiting for the midnight flight to Samoa. Night flights suk !!! On our way to Fiji it was up at 2am, taxi booked for 2.45am, flight at 5.35am, I am not a morning person. Unfortunately I booked late and Business Class was the only seat available, so while I was in food and service heaven, F was back down the isle and because of turbulence didn’t get anything to eat or drink. We crashed at our hotel to emerge late Sunday for a drive to Nadi and Port Denerau ( a copy of a Gold Coast canal and marina development, about 1500 rooms in Hotels, shuttle buses etc.)
I went on a day package to Mala Mala Island, which was good value, although the coral was not a patch on Samoa. This was probably because of siltation from the mainland as Mala Mala is one of the closest islands with about a one hour run from Denerau. Overall I enjoyed myself and met some interesting people. One interesting person we ran into was Colleen Hewitt (Hair – the musical) as she signed a guitar and talked to a singer in a shop. In Suva I visited the Fiji Museum and read about the waves of settlement of the Pacific in the last 5000 years. The war clubs, cannibalism and the utensils for eating humans were a bit ghoulish (see the background behind Colleen), I didn’t buy any wooden forks for eating eyes and brains.
On Saturday evening the hotel had a dance and fire troup, some pics attached.
We flew back from Nadi and returned to our house at dawn to be awoken by amplified reverb music from a sports carnival on the uni oval, so much for sleep, it was time for breakfast anyway and shopping and checking out the volleyball comp. After a late sleep-in on Sunday we went to Sinalei for lunch and a snorkel, a lazy day before work starts again for F and I prep and paint the kitchen.
The Kitchen looks good in Sky Blue(it was on special), next is to do the white trim. I painted it with a brush, so I’m waiting a while for the next step. Also my left shoulder is missing some bark from a stumble on slippery rocks on Monday evening’s Hash run or should I say a marathon through jungle and cow paddocks. The teaming rain on the run back was just a relief, they did warn us to bring a change of clothes.
R&F

Fifth Weekend and a bit of luxury

2008-09-14T22:53:00.001-07:00

Our Fifth Weekend
Saturday morning was spent recovering from seeing people off from the airport (up at 1.30 and back to bed at 5.45am), then it was breakfast at Sydney Side Café and shopping for our house (a bottled water machine is a wise move).
Sunday was spent enjoying Sinalei Reef Resort and Spa (an opulent five star resort with ALL the trim).
www.sinalei.com
Unfortunately we were just there for lunch and desert YUM !!!
We both snorkeled the fresh spring pool in the reef at the end of the wharf (F was nipped by a fish on the leg) and fed the myriads of fish. While I snorkeled out over the reef and enjoyed the turtles and walls of plate corals(very speckie), F walked along the beach past the surf school fales to Coconuts Resort (www.coconutsbeachclub.com). After another drink and desert, it was time to pay the tab and head back to Apia to prepare for another week.
R&F

Pics – Sinalei Sign – the lunch restaurant – the spring pool is at the bottom of the steps on the wharf (looking east) – even the dogs need to cool off (fun toys at Sinalei) – looking west to Coconuts Resort – one of the fish (I think it was this one that bit me, says F)

Our Week= Walk for Life

2008-09-14T02:07:00.000-07:00

Our week
We got the keys to our house this week and I have spent lots of time cleaning it top to bottom, there were some maintenance issues outstanding and these are being rectified. Our main problem is that the untreated water supply is from a local spring. This is also a very dry time of year, so they have a tank under the house to get you over the dry times, we are hoping for rain to refresh the spring. Also our house doesn’t have gutters so that is not an option. Just down the road the Apia town supply starts.
Walk for Life
Friday, I participated in a “Walk for Life” in support for a Lifeline counseling service, it was also Hash’s charity earlier in the year with “Music for Life”. I have included a photo of some of the English Medico’s I had met at Hash (We had 17 medicos and about 28 locals on Monday’s run). The Walk was 3 kilometers through town starting at 4.30pm with the Head of State (a spritely 72 year old) leading the way and setting a cracking pace. The PM’s speech was very funny as he had the crowd laughing about 6 times (I initially thought he was a comedian to entertain the crowd, he was so good.) Traffic was at gridlock as over 1000 people walked down the roads in a procession nearly one kilometer long. The worst was into the western sun, the road was HOT and the reflection was sauna strength. The police band accompanied us the last couple of hundred meters and it was a carnival atmosphere as we walked down Clock Tower Road to the Government Building to bottled water, 2 bullocks on the spits and lots of food and entertainment. I was given a free Tee shirt as I raised over 50 tala.
Green Machine
I caught the “Green Machine” bus today, the windscreen had been attacked with a hammer, gave it the roaring 20’s sort of look, so I enclose a pic (NUS – National University of Samoa). The etiquette is you get a seat (wooden- no padded vinyl here), failing this you sit on someone’s knees/lap, next is sitting in the isle, it is impolite to stand (there is no head height anyway). I gave my seat up to a lady with a child, and moved down the bus and squatted until a girl jumped into the lap of the girl next to her to give the “palangie” a seat, I was very appreciative. They are all uni students and are so polite and friendly. I talk to uni students whenever I can and listen to their story and of course they are interested in Australia. As I hope to be teaching some English later, on a voluntary basis, I am interested in their access to computers as resources will have to be on the intranet.
So I am trying to absorb the spirit, feel the pride of the everyday people and immerse myself in Samoa, so different a place to what I have come from.

Pics - Clock Tower (built as a Great War Memorial) with the Government Building in the background, a High School choir as part of the Opening Ceremony, Medico’s on the walk with the Catholic Cross just at the side, The Green Machine (NUS bus), a photo for my grandsons in WA – Grandad drying his hands at a BBQ (Assistant Goffer).
R&F

The weekend (No 4)

2008-09-08T18:21:00.000-07:00

First three pics ate SW corner, four pics are Return to Paradise Beach, Sa'omana Resort lunch and pool laps, Large yacht in Apia harbour and Binny bus.

The weekend (No. 4)
After finally getting away after noon Saturday (as someone had to go into work) we drove west past the airport and around the western end of the island to the south-west coast. This entailed traversing a new road over a bit of a steep hill. Some of the pics show the view. Then it was on to the main road and we decided to try something different and selected “Return to Paradise Beach” thinking we could eat there as they sign said “Catering and Receptions”, a bit of a mistake! Anyway we had some provisions of crunchy bars, cheese and biscuits. We survived until we got a pizza on the way home. By the way the beach was pretty good, snorkeling was Ok and I found my first anomie fish living in an actual anomie. I also found one on Sunday.
Sunday was a bit of navigation failure, but we got to see such sights as the correctional facility and the dump as we tried to backtrack on yesterday afternoon’s tramp. Anyway after many accusations on who’s stuff-up it was, we made it to Sa’moana (our stamping ground of a fortnight ago). We went for lunch, met all the Aussie crew who run the place (one guy lives 9 houses up the street from us in Coolum), met a couple cruising the Pacific in a 62 foot ketch, had a snorkel and then laps of the pool. We finally left as F had finished her book, it took us over an hour to get home as we stopped to buy two cakes for a sendoff tomorrow (nobody had chocolate lamingtons – DAMM). I washed the vehicle and cooked an omelet for dinner followed by a Scoops icecream cone on our walk to the harbour. There was a very big racing yacht anchored out there (5 spreaders) holding up a very tall rig. Obviously couldn’t get into the marina because of the keel depth.
So that was our weekend.
Shopping in Apia
Shopping – Unlike Aussie where it is usually a one stop shop like Wollies or Coles, here it is different. Shops get there merchandise from America or NZ or Aussie, so I shop in up to 4 or 5 shop to get the things we need. Anything with a sugar or fat load is very popular, diet anything can sometimes be hard to source, especially UHT light milk. We have found a bakery that does the occasional loaf of multigrain bread that we like, so we try often and sometimes score a loaf. If you see something on the shelf you buy lots as it may be months before it is restocked, although this is getting better.

The Bus

Also I catch the local bus from the Uni to town, this one is the Binny Bus, note the handle for his nose, the flashing skulls on the rearview mirror, there is an awesome sound system behind this cloth façade, reggae and rap are popular. They don’t get many “palangie” (white’s) on their buses, so I am a bit of an attraction.

having fun

R&F

Hash, Jazz and Fautasi races

2008-09-04T16:48:00.000-07:00

Scoop Oars, HASH and Jazz

The second race, this time with scoop blade oars. Also this week was my second Hash run/scrub bash with Apia HHH.(Drinker’s with a running problem.)
Apia Hash House Harriers - http://apiahash.blogspot.com/

On my first run we had about 25 locals and 20 5th year Medical Students from all over the UK. I got to chat with doctors from Scotland to London, it made my first run an enjoyable one. One thing about Samoa there is always plenty of food and we were able to feed the interlopers, but the keg ran dry by about 8.00pm. The first run was in the suburbs, but the tarmac soon gave way to rocky creek beds, village backyards with pigs and dogs, a fence line next to a golf course, another creek-bed and finally back for a cool coconut juice and Vailima beer. One thing I learnt on this night, never admit to new running shoes, you will regret it if you do.
This week’s run was a different story, along the top of the mountain above Apia. I caught a taxi, but it was defeated by the steep climb and I was passed to a second taxi to complete the mountain trek to the Church of the Three Hearts near the top. The run was along roads, through villages and scrub bashing along trails, only patches of a beautiful view of Apia, unfortunately it was obscured by rain and mist (it keeps you cool). I was wearing my new Hash tee shirt(BRIGHT RED), I though they could identify me if anything ever goes badly amiss, I also carry 20 tala for a taxi home if I really get separated from the pack in the backblocks. We finally made it back for a BYO tucker ( First run of the month), mandatory cool coconuts to drink (I opened my first nut with a very large bowie knife, they are young nuts and have a clear refreshing nectar) and then the keg. The BBQ was finally going after the gas bottle was sorted out and after many down downs of glass mugs we enjoyed the feast, the keg gave out about 8.30 and I got a lift home. Funny thing is, I have never drunk that much beer, most of it was as a BBQ accessory but what the heck, the Vailima stuff has won some awards and you must support the local industry. At least I am getting to know the layout of Apia and up close and personal with some of the locals as we run/walk/stagger through their taro patch.
Tuesday evening was the Teuila Jazz Night at the Hotel Kitano, we had tickets for the show only, (20 tala) and ate in the pool restaurant, love the seafood here, fish and chips for 22 tala. YUM The jazz ensemble was from NZ and they were very good, a thoroughly enjoyable evening and as they said it wasn’t "Country", which is the usual fare here. I was deeply impressed by a rendition of Roberta Flack’s “Killing me softly with his song.”

Scoop oars
I planned to get there an hour early but the race was 90 minutes early, such is life in the Pacific, there is always next year. I did get some pics, the Digicel boat(Green/yellow) had won again. Some pics show the crew change over( a scratch crew took it to the boat ramp), and then the winning crew boarded trucks for victory laps of Apia festooned with their sponsors logo, Digicel (Digital phones). The woman cox/captain was Zita Martel and the boats are called fautasi. Her crew comes from a local Technical College and the race is over about 5 kilometers so it is no sprint event.

Having fun in Samoa

R&F

Some more Pics

2008-09-03T14:43:00.000-07:00

One of the Choirs, stalls at the Teuila Festival, a Samoan girl at one of the stalls wnated her photo taken.

Teuila Festival

2008-09-02T18:15:00.000-07:00

Thing that we have been doing in the last week:
We both have been snorkeling at the Paloa Deep, F enjoyed her experience swimming with the multi coloured fish and the coral bommies.
I finally got to take F on a tour of the fish market on Saturday morning, we also visited the vegetable market further uptown.

We went to fundraiser Pirate Night at the Yacht Club on Saturday night, some pics to tell the tale.
This week is the Teuila Festival named after a red blossom. It encompasses many activities from choir singing, dance, singing, traditional cooking, jazz, Samoan long boat rowing, markets and activities and a Miss Samoa Pageant. We went to the Hymnal Choirs on Sunday evening, represented were seven choirs from the major religions of Samoa. It started with a youth choir of about 60 and the choirs just got bigger, eighty, one hundred, etc until the last was estimated to be around the 400 mark with a brass section thrown in for effect. The singing was in Samoan and the effect was fantastic, each choir had been practicing for at least a month and they gave their all to the three to four songs they presented. The hall seated over one thousand and we were all given bottled water and a snack box.
Monday morning was the Samoan long boat rowing races. About eight teams competed an approx. 3k row, finishing in Apia harbour. This race was with traditional oars, Thursday’s race will be with scoop oars. I actually missed the finish and only saw the last boats finish. Apparently the lead boat thought they had crossed the line and stopped rowing, to be pipped by another boat coxed by the only woman in all the crews. The chants, war-cry’s and singing were fantastic to hear. There was much raising and lowering of oars to celebrate.

Second Weekend - the SW Coast

2008-08-24T01:24:00.000-07:00

Some pics - the morning laundry in the sink of out Motel room. A village church.

Just back from the south west coast, we spent the day at a very up-market surfing resort although it suits any holiday. The grounds are immaculately presented, the pool is magical, the food scrumptious (I had the calamari and coconut rice with side salad), and the snorkeling pretty good with lots of different species of fish. The whole resort is environmentally friendly with composting toilets and large accommodation huts. After lunch we walked east to a lagoon behind some small islets and met some locals who where netting for mullet. Then it was a swim in the pool and finally time to leave for a late afternoon drink at Agie Grey’s Lagoon Resort near the airport. Checked out the dive shop, ST$195 for a double dive.

Dinner was leftover spagbol with toast. Samoa is not the place for a diet, eating out is relatively well priced especially seafood. I found a bakery at Farmer Joe’s that sells fresh lamingtons for ST$1.00 that’s about 47 cents in Aus. Enough said. We are both joining Health Attack Gym and I have Hash on Monday evening, wish me luck.

Sa'moana Resort www.samoanaresort.com

Sign, sign everywhere a sign; chilling out at the restaurant; even F swam in the pool; typical coastline around the resort; surf break in front of the resort; the magical pool.

The Second Week in Paradise

2008-08-21T18:43:00.000-07:00

This week has been filled with interesting things to do:

I had my first Bali Belly experience, not good (First Aid Kit pills did the trick)
Blocked ear canal (Swimmers ear drops from the chemist)
My first bicycle ride to town with a milk carton fashioned into a rock repository ( for the dogs) and wearing my bike helmet which created a bit of a sensation (obliviously not that many helmets here.) I joined the Nelson Public Library for 10 tala and checked out most of the collection (3 books for 2 weeks).

The pic is of the sea wall in town and the dogs that hang out there. I bicycle along the path which is better than playing with the road traffic and the dogs.

I went to the Palolo Deep Marine Reserve near the Apia Wharf this morning on the last of the incoming tide for a snorkel. I hired mask, snorkel and fins, looked at the map, got directions to swim to the first pole on the reef and snorkeled for 90 minutes. The Deep is a large depression in the reef and the sides are covered with corals and fish on the drop-off to about 10-15 meters. While it was good to be back in the water again, it was the things I found that amazed me, I had worked the east side that had the best coral and then crossed the hole to the harbour side and came across first a divers knife and later a mask and snorkel. Obliviously someone had had difficulty here in the last week. The ebb tide race can be quite strong with several signs along the front street testifying to this. So it was a happy soul that finned back to the beach.

There I met a spearo who was going to go spear fishing around to the wharf area. Albert was from New Caledonia and was attending Bible School. He was well set up with a fish float, very long spear gun, knife and spearo fins. He invited me along but I had already been in the water for 90 minutes and the prospect of another 90 was a bit daunting, so I wished him well.
So it has been an interesting week so far, Saturday we are going to the south west coast for an explore.

Some more pics

2008-08-17T17:14:00.001-07:00

Some more pics: Looking north from Lemafa Scenic Lookout on the easterly cross island road

Fales at Lalomanu ( every scale of comfort - no walls and matress, walls and matress, walls and bed, ensuite and bed) breakfast and dinner included.

Taufua Beach Fales ( http://www.samoabeachfales.com )

South east coast exploring

2008-08-17T01:23:00.000-07:00

Saturday 16AUG08

Today we drove to the South East Coast of Upolu Island. We visited the Fuipisia waterfall for some pics and braved the mud and tree roots to the head of the falls.

Then we drove east along the south coast with the sea and fales on one side and villages on the other. We snorkelled at Taufua Beach Fales in Lalomanu village which was sponsored by the Red Cross. They also have a excellent restaurant and the fish and chips filled us up, so it was packed noodles for dinner.

R&F

Arrival in Samoa

2008-08-15T14:44:00.000-07:00

Travel

After much last minute packing and lots of cleaning we put our unit in the hands of a Real Estate agent to rent. We unfortunately lost 3 empty packing cartons off the roof of our 4WD in the main drag of Coolum Beach in our last minute mad dash at getting away. The moral is never put anything on the roof as you never check there. Drove to Brisbane on our last afternoon and had dinner at South Bank on the river for F’s daughter’s birthday and family time. Our first leg was to Aukland (NZ) in 3 hours, one hour to get our tickets, then nearly 4 hours to Samoa and the previous day as we crossed the Date Line. So it was a double Wednesday for us. Our accommodation driver was waiting as we emerged from Customs for a leisurely drive at night to Apia(35mph/56kph Highway Speed). Finally crashed at midnight, after a tiring day but we were here in the tropics with the air-conditioner on for the first night’s sleep.

My first day was spent walking the streets of Apia, lunch of a chicken meal deal at Macas (no skinny chips here) and they have the only toilet facilities that I can find in town. Taxi back with my bags of groceries, SAT 2.50. Went to get our Drivers Licenses’(SAT 100) in the afternoon and found the bakery for some multi-grain bread. Driving left hand vehicles, it’s tight right and loose left at intersections (a slight change of pace from Aussie)

The barking dogs kept our second night lively, so the air went on at midnight. I got a lift to the Uni and checked out the Library, then caught the local bus to town (60 sene) and finally walked to our accommodation (1 hour). I did this again in the afternoon, in practice for the Hash run next week with the RAN crew from a frigate that will be in town. Had my first night drive to Giordanos Pizzeria for take away, no dings as yet. The 4 litre diesel is very forgiving for my botched gear changes, my right hand will get better.

More photos when we get a better connection.

R&F

Short Holiday in Kingscliff

2008-08-06T21:49:00.000-07:00

After a week of packing boxes, 38 for Samoa and 35 for storage we needed a holiday. So we drove about 3 hours south to Kingscliff, very similar to Coolum Beach, but a change and different sights to see. Each day we did something different, a day in Byron Bay and bought some Tee shirts, a morning in the rainforest at Natural Arch, a waterfall in a cave, a morning photographing Cabaritta Headland and a walk around Rainbow Bay. We enjoyed the Tibetian restaurant in Kingscliff and fish and chips at Byron. After a family reunion in Brisbane and a great dinner at JoJo's we came back to the cleaning and residual packing, just how much can you squeeze into a suitcase and haw many to take or send airfreight. Questions ????

So I have been ocean swimming each morning, water 18c, beautiful sunshine around 22c. Samoa is 27c water and 28c this time of year.

We are both looking forward to our adventure next week when we fly out via Aukland, NZ.

That's about all for now.

R&F

More packing and preparations - 3 weeks to go

2008-07-21T02:30:00.000-07:00

Last Friday our cat Apache went to friends with two young children and she is settleing in to life in a country town at Fernvale. This week is preparing our life into two - boxes to Samoa and boxes for storage. We have decided not to store much furniture and are giving most to children in Brisbane. We are also preparing our unit for rental. Next week we are off for a short holiday to Kingscliff in northern NSW. Then it is back for final needles, furniture removal and cleaning.
RF

Samoa Adventure

2008-07-17T04:45:00.000-07:00

Hi,

This is our first blog, we are relocating to Samoa for the next three years, so it's a time of packing, discarding the junk and rearranging the way we live. We live on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia.

The thing that we will miss most is our boat, we cruise the Queensland coast islands usually in September when there is less chance of rain.

That's about all for now.