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My final day in Samoa was a slow one. I had a bite to eat at Aggie Greys and wandered downtown into Apia Market where a reverend filling in as a salesmen tried to make me a convert. Later, I walked along the harbour and cast my eyes out to groups of rowers practising against a backdrop of yellow and pink as the day came to and end and with it, my time in Samoa.
Having already experienced Savaii, I was ready for a taste of Upolu – and specifically, its idyllic south coast. So, leaving my luggage behind in Apia, I jumped in a minibus, and bounced for 45 minutes over the rugged inter-island road to reach Virgin Cove – yet another rudimentary but profoundly pleasant collection of beach fales positioned right next to stunning Polynesian coastline.
The people of Samoa are among the most friendly I’ve ever come across. They are bronze in colour and often very large in size, yet they seem to possess a genuine innocence to the outside world. Despite having no modern comforts, no guarantee of food every day and little income, they always manage a smile. Unlike most other places, their warmth is without any ulterior motives.
Journeying around Savaii is an intoxicating experience. For this is not just an island of sun, sand and sea. Actually exploring it is an adventure. Waterfalls, blowholes, lava fields, deep caves and thick rainforest – they all await. Better still, there are miles of lush, tropical landscape to traverse – which on a sunny day radiate with the most intense colours and hues you’re ever likely to see.
Following my day of rest around Apia, I set off again and took a starlit taxi ride 40 miles west to Mulifanua port, to catch the dawn sailing to Samoa’s western most island – Savaii. It was amazing. Never before had I seen such a bright night sky. The silence, too, was remarkable – like a placid stillness engulfing the whole island. London, Tokyo, even Sydney – they all felt like a world away.
