Upolu, Samoa
I told Matt on our way to Samoa that I'd be surprised if Brett didn't give us a typed itinerary of planned events and possible activities. I wasn't let down. Here are a few of the little excursions I have yet to cover during our week in Samoa.
Robert Louis Stevenson is a famous Scottish author who ended up settling in Samoa (of all places) in 1890. The Samoans called him "Tusitala," which means "Teller of Tales." He built a beautiful home which he called Vailima, which means "Five Waters" -- because five streams crossed the property. He and his wife lived there for about four years before he died.
The Samoans had really taken a liking to Robert (we're on a first name
basis), and treated his body and burial with great respect. They buried
him at the top of the hill next to the house, Mount Vaea. It's a
beautiful area. I can't imagine what it was like to live there a
hundred years ago. Here are those cute Macdonald boys heading up to the
house.
When we got to the house-turned-museum it had just closed. So we opted to hike up to the grave site. Alvin, Josiah, and Tasi were well familiar with the trail. We stopped at the head to take their picture (handsome boys). We stopped again so Josiah could show us how to swing on the vines from
the trees. I'm grateful that no cameras were flashing when I thought
I'd try to take a Tarzan, too and ended up pulling the whole vine out of the
tree.
I also didn't want to miss this photo opportunity of Matt. What tourist...?
Since Josiah, Tasi, and Alvin had hiked up several times, they were extra excited to show us the short cuts they had found. They would run ahead and then wait for us, well, at least wait for us to be in view again before they would take off.
Brett and I wanted it to look like we were pretty tired from the hike, so we posed for this picture.
But this is what we actually looked like for the entire hike.
It really was a great hike that had a beautiful view from the top. Josiah, Tasi, and Alvin wanted to go exploring, so they headed off into the bush. Brett and I held down the mount while Matt followed the boys and their exploring.
Matt and I spent some time wandering around Apia, stopping in shops and walking through the vegetable and souvenir markets. Matt and Brett wanted to do some cooking, so we gathered some things that looked interesting and some things that looked familiar for them to play with in the kitchen.
Brett and Tufa live on the church compound called Pesega. It's a large area, several acres, I'd guess. There is a school (K-12), the church's offices, a church, the temple, lots of housing for employees and missionaries... you get the idea.
Brett and Tufa have a
little playground literally outside their front door. The kids could be
outside playing and in full view. Here are a few shots of the kids on
the playground. Sadie looks awfully comfy on Uncle Matt's lap as they
swung (swang...swinged...?)
This was my favorite shot at the playground:
Of course there are amazing beaches in Samoa. Brett, Matt, and I took a drive around the island of Upolu one afternoon because there is a different feel to the "country" away from the business of Apia. We stopped at this beach to walk around. Good grief, it's like a postcard!
Later in the week we packed lunches and headed to another beach with the whole family. It was a little cloudy, but that didn't stop anyone from having a good time. Josiah and Alvin were in the water within minutes. The water was warm, but once you were out it was a bit chilly. I told Josiah and Alvin I wanted to take a picture of them, so they stood up and apparently got the chills (photo 1). I told them they looked cold and they wanted to look tough, so they tried to act warm (photo 2).
I told them they didn't look very tough, so this is what they come up with...
Very tough, boys, very tough!
Meanwhile, Brett and Tasi had started working on a sandcastle. Well, Tasi was working on the sandcastle. However, Brett looks very content there with his little shovel and bucket.
Here's Tasi working on a sand-angel (the tropical cousin of the snow-angel) in the rain.
Sadie and Faina had a good time in a pink toddler floater... until it started to rain. Then she was ready to snuggle up to mom.
Once she was warmed up she was all smiles. I took a bunch of pictures of her. How cute is that face!
This was my favorite picture of them all.
We had a wonderful trip to the islands... simply wonderful. Matt and I have talked many times of the people and experiences we had there. It was a dream for Matt and I to be able to celebrate our first anniversary in beautiful islands, with dear friends and family. Life is happy.
