This update is only informational and not critical. No response is necessary.
1. I recently changed the profile of my mailing list called the Samoa Trip Group. I revised things like changed Al's name from "Jamoca Berry" to "________." I added two email addresses for Patty (work and home) and two email addresses for Sandy (work and home).
2. If anyone wants to add the email address of a friend who is interested like Winter, or a spouse like Francis, send me their email address and they can follow along and comment if they want. There is trip info but no Personal info like people's passport numbers.
3. We have a website! Go to your browser navigation bar and enter in:
afualo.blogspot.com
to get trip information. I will start posting these email updates to the web site, so you don't have to finish reading any emails, you can just go to the website and get any info you need. Remember, this is a web address. Go there, don't google it.
I worked especially hard on the maps. First go to the map page. There is a map for each of the 3 islands. Each pink point on the map represents a place we are visiting. (Cancelled activities are still shown though.) Click on the pink point to get a picture of the place, along with basic info about it.
Check back often if you like, I am adding and changing the maps all the time. You can also navigate and investigate the maps on your phone as well, if you're in church. hah!
Also, do not download the maps to your phone yet. Wait until after May 10, because the maps are only stored for 28 days on your phone.
4. Some of you were already grumbling about your assignments. Don't forget, you are just in charge of the assignment. You dont have to do all the work. So if you are in charge of making picnic lunches, you dont have to do it all by yourself, you can just hand out a task list of who prepares what meal when.
5. As you can see from the itinerary list, we have a ton of places to visit. Is it too much? It could be. I prefer to schedule and slot every activity, and then if we are too tired and don't want to do something, or if it is our 7th hike, or our 5th waterfall, we can just cancel it. It's better to overplan than to underplan and try to plan on the fly, especially when you have to consider that most places are closed Sunday, diving requires high tide, coastal walks require low tide, etc.
6. Sandy asked about puletasi. I think the best thing to do is to get measurements taken and order them at the flea market the first day we get there, a Saturday morning. I am hoping that we can find someone at one of the shops in the flea market, like below:
Then, when we come back from American Samoa in 5 days, the dresses will be ready for pickup. I hear it's about $30 for a custom dress. Tell me what you think. Also, dad would be thrilled to have a shirt made from the same material and have us all take a family photo. Maybe Alan should also pick up a set- I think Christie would look fetching in a puletasi.
7. I am considering an itinerary switcheroo. I didn't know that there is a giant clam sanctuary on Upolu-- it's not marketed at all, only one sign, and no one knows about it. There is nothing in the travel books about it, and I found out about it on the internet. If we do the clams on May 30, then we miss out on Taumeasina Island Resort. We would get a very-rare visit to big clams, but give up lounging beside a pool and eating a nice lunch. Here are the deets:
As currently planned: (Tues May 30)
Get up early 6am. Drive to Manono Island. Take a boat to Manono Island (20 mins)
Walk around Manono Island: (90 mins walk)
Return to Apia, drive to Taumeasina Resort:
Laze around and eat lunch at the pool,
or kayak in the small protected bay:
The day pass of WST40 (About $17) is good toward lunch poolside. You can also pay for an expensive massage, samoan style.
The rest of the day doesn't change.
Change Option: Let me know if you want to do this
We would still leave early at 6am. We would still go to Manono Island and walk around the island.However, after Manono, we would continue around the island for another 12 miles and 35 minutes. We would aim to be at Savaia at 10:00 for high Tide (at 10:05am). Then, we would look for this sign:
At the sign, we would park, approach the closest house, and pay the outrageous price of WST10 each person ($4.40), and they would show us out to the lagoon in back of their house. Since it would be high tide, we could snorkel over these: Clams of every color and size:
The giant clams can be seen by walking out into a large lagoon and snorkeling about 250m off shore. Truly spectacular - as large as coffee tables and a mixture of purples, greens, blues and reds. Over 400 in the lagoon. Definitely worth seeing. Toilets and showers.
Spend about 2 hours looking at the clams, then we drive to Malua Turtle Pool and Missionary Museum (Christian Congregationalist).
and feed them the papaya we brought from the rental home:
Then continue on with the day as planned (fire knife lessons, etc).
8. Al was worried about wearing clothing over her bikini. If anything, American Samoan is more conservative than western samoa, but I think a bikini with board shorts would be appropriate, or a bikini with board shorts and a tank top would be good, even in Am. Sam. Here is a nice pair of board shorts that would look great with a bikini top:
Let me know what you think: a nice relaxing day lounging by the pool and paddling the kayak in a breakwater bay, or giant clams and turtles!!
Check the blog for this email. It will be posted.
V.