Tramping: Samoa part 3 - out and about

The roads in Samoa were very good on the whole. And with the sedate pace (35 mph/56 km/h speed limit) and sparse traffic it was a delight to meander through the beautiful villages. Samoa has a devolved system of government. There is universal suffrage but the 49 elected members come from the local matai or hereditary chiefs - and local village councils deal with civil and criminal matters. This can also include conservation initiatives where local communities can opt in or out.

There are impressive churches everywhere in Samoa. Over half the population is Protestant with a significant number of Mormons and Roman Catholics.

Church of the Immaculate Conception, Apia

Ruins of the old Catholic Mission destroyed by cyclones in 1990 and 1991

Vailima - the 5 rivers

One reason for a trip to Samoa was to visit the home of Robert Louis Stevenson. The Scottish writer settled here in 1889 as he sought a climate more suited to his constitution. It was here that he died in 1894.

Stevenson's bedroom and study

His safe, reportedly carried by 50 men up from the port

Sitting room fireplace - the first ever in Samoa

His tomb on nearby Mount Vaea

View of the suburbs of Apia from Mount Vaea

Stevenson was a beloved figure in Samoa and became known as 'tusitala' the teller of tales. He spoke out for the local people and encouraged them to avoid the exploitation he had seen in Hawaii, Ireland and the Highlands of Scotland. As Germany, Britain and the US vied for power they set off inter clan warfare but RLS supported self-determination for the Samoan people, writing letters to The Times.

The house was largely destroyed by the 2 typhoons of the early 90s. A rich benefactor bought and restored it, though the main staircase and the indestructible safe are the only true original pieces.

His epitaph comes from his Requiem poem:

Under the wide and starry sky
Dig the grave and let me lie
Glad did I live and gladly die
And I laid me down with a will
This be the verse you grave for me
Here he lies where he longed to be
Home is the sailor home from the sea
And the hunter home from the hill

Many houses seem to be blockwork and metal roofs but each family maintains a fale to use as a social meeting place and for guests. Large numbers of Samoans return home from overseas for Christmas. These fales are brightly painted as are the tyre planters by the roads (note the petal shapes cut into the rubber).

Rubbish is placed on these platforms for collection, presumably to keep it away from the dogs and pigs.

Wall of the volcanic rock that lies underneath everything.

The villages were beautifully kept. Some decoration was from the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting last year. However there is obviously a real pride - each village had its own colour scheme. We also noticed a lot of schools. In one village the men were playing kilikiti (Samoan cricket) across the road - each team in their colours but wearing the traditional lava-lava wrapped around the waist - and stopped as we passed.

The To Sue (big hole) Ocean Trench is the remnants of a lava tube. A subterranean passage brings in the sea water. The sea here is fairly salty so makes it very buoyant. This was a privately run attraction and very well maintained. We got here just after opening and were the first in the water. I can imagine it gets very busy in the high season.

View from inside

Pigs - roaming free like the chickens

New tastes - breadfruit and taro

So much is imported to Samoa but food like this is grown locally. However the ubiquitous soft drinks and processed foods that have led to an explosion of diabetes and other health issues.

The government run O Le Pupu Pu national park was meticulously kept and featured this great double waterfall and swimming opportunities.

Ben climbed down to the upper pool

I stuck with the lower pool

The buses were very colourful and all had names. Alarmingly some had spikes on the wheels!

Didn't see any rugby but Samoa did thump Tonga at rugby league while we were there which occasioned a lot of noise.

Ferry at dock on Savai'i. The cars are packed tightly together - so not a good idea to stay in them for the journey as you wouldn't get out easily in an emergency. Took about 90 mins to cross the strait.