I first visited Samoa in 1980, but it hasn’t changed much really over the years. The population is around 190,000 and Samoa used to be under the care of New Zealand but has been independent since 1962.
When I was there, a plane came in twice a week to deliver and collect tourists, and drop off fresh food. Now there are flights every day from many destinations on Virgin Samoa, Air New Zealand, Polynesian Airlines, and Fiji Airways.
The Samoan Tourism Authority is a good place to start when looking for accommodation, package deals, and attractions.
You can stay deluxe, or at the other end of the scale, enjoy palm frond-roofed open beach fales
dotted around the islands' picturesque beaches. The fales don't have walls, so you have natural air-conditioning and the privilege to listen to the waves lapping at the shore, along with a mattress, sheet, mosquito net to keep unwanted visitors at bay and a refreshing cold-water shower nestled into the palm trees. Fales start around $70. An example of deluxe is Aggie Grey's Lagoon, Beach Resort and Spa nestled amongst 50 acres of tropical gardens and stunningly located on a stretch of white sand beach with a blue turquoise lagoon. This was one of the first sites where the Polynesian migrants landed when they set foot on the Samoa Islands some 2000 years ago.
Aggie Grey was born in Samoa (then Western Samoa) in 1897 and died in 1988. She was a well- known hotelier and founder of Aggie Greys hotel and resort in Apia Western Samoa. The original iconic Aggie Grey’s is presently undergoing a complete refurbishment following on from damage sustained by Tropical Cyclone Evan in December 2012. It is expected to reopen later in 2014, so I didn't include a photo. The old one was lovely.
Things to do:
Swim, snorkel, laze on the beaches.
Swim with turtles. Visit the markets for beautiful tropical fruits and fresh fish. Go fishing.
Or visit the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum. In 1889, Robert Louis Stevenson and his wife, Fanny bought 127 hectares (314 acres) of virgin land on the slopes of Mount Vaea above Apia and named the estate Vailima ("Five Waters")
because five streams crossed the property. They cleared an area of the land, and lived there in a small shack for nearly a year. The U.S. historian Henry Adams dropped in unannounced one day in 1890 and was appalled to find them dressed in lava-lavas and doing dirty work about their hovel.
The following year they built the first part of their magnificent mansion. When it was completed, the big house had five bedrooms, a library, a ballroom large enough to accommodate 100 dancers, and the only fireplace in Samoa. 72 tons of furniture was shipped from England, then hauled 5km from Apia on sleds pulled by bullocks.
A piano sat in one corner of the great hall, in a glass case to protect it from Samoa's humidity. They brought with them a damask tablecloth from Queen Victoria, and a sugar bowl used by both Robert Burns and Sir Walter Scott, as well as Stevenson’s prized Rodin nude, given by Rodin as a gift. In December 1886, RLS wrote to Rodin to tell him that the sculpture, “Le Printemps”, had arrived at Skerryvore, their English home in Dorset. Unfortunately it arrived with a broken arm and had to be repaired.
The Stevensons' lifestyle matched their surroundings. Oysters were shipped on ice from New Zealand, Bordeaux wine was brought by the cask from France and bottled at Vailima, and 1840 vintage Madeira was poured on special occasions. Now, instead of lava lava, they dressed formally for dinner every evening - except for their bare feet - and were served by Samoans dressed in tartan lava-lavas, in honour of the great author's Scottish origins.
Because of his wealth, the Samoans believed Stevenson to be a man of much mana,(power, authority, importance). He was a master at storytelling and took a keen interest in the Samoan stories and legends, as well as their customs, language, and politics. In appreciation for Stevenson’s support of the Samoan’s unsuccessful struggle against the Germans, they built a road from Apia to Vailima, After his death 1894, they cut the "Road of the Loving Hearts" to his grave on Mount Vaea overlooking Vailima. Stevenson's wife Fanny died in California in 1914 and her ashes were brought back to Vailima where they were buried at the foot of Robert's grave.
In 1990 and 1991, hurricanes severely damaged the mansion. Since then, a superb renovation has returned the house to its appearance when Stevenson lived here - although without the Rodin. I don’t know where that went…
No comments:
Post a Comment