Journals, week of 05/27/96
Jen Kaufman aboard Concordia, May 27, 1996An Adventure In Western Samoa
The bus pulled up by Concordia shortly after colors. We had quite an adventure planned for us. The pastel colored buses with palm trees decorating the sides was captured on film by many of my classmates. A communication problem left us with one bus with seats for twenty for the whole Class Afloat group. One thing that we have learned while traveling is to be flexible so we made the best of the situation and all crammed on board the bus. The cool air and the scenic surroundings lifted our spirits. It was a short drive to our destination, the sliding rocks. We spent some time sliding down the wet smooth rocks to the pools below. We did some cliff-jumping as well. After a picnic lunch, we boarded the bus again, this time for a longer ride. A Fanta and Coke stop refreshed us before heading off to the next destination, the beach. The first thing we noticed when we arrived were the rows and rows of fales. Fales, thatched cabanas on the beach where visitors can stay, are abundant in Western Samoa. The family we visited prepared a meal for us and made a huge campfire. We were assigned a fale with three of our classmates where we slept comfortably. The beach was beautiful with white sand and very blue water. We had a very enjoyable time on the beach. It was a great way to relax after a few hectic days aboard Concordia.
Lindy Yeates aboard Concordia, May 27, 1996
Beautiful Beaches
The drive there was beautiful. The road wound through the lush forest, through small tribal villages and along side the turquoise water. This road led us to our destination, which was a small resort on a white sand beach. The beach was lined with primitive huts. They had no doors, no windows, just a roof, support beams and a raised floor with mats on it. From the huts a white sand beach led to the water. When you entered the water it was as bright and warm as the cloudless sky that surrounded it. Far off in the distance, the waves rhythmically broke over the reef. As the sun started to fall and night approached the sky started to light up with thousands of brilliant stars. When we went to sleep, exhausted after a full day of activity, the air was still warm and inviting but much cooler than earlier in the day.
Lisa Feldman aboard Concordia, May 28, 1996Making a Trade
The natives of Fanning Island are very friendly though it takes a warm smile from a visitor to initiate their kindness. As we walked down the only dirt road on the island, I asked Non, our translator and tour guide, where I could go to find some coconut syrup. I explained to him that I did not have any money but had some things to trade. He said that it wouldn’t be a problem and we pulled off into a small village. It was fascinating to see how the people live in thatched, wall-less huts and though we had seen similar ones on other islands, these were genuine, not constructed for tourists. Non brought us to the head of the family and he gestured for us to sit. Because of the language barrier, Non arranged everything. I gave them a pair of uniform shorts, two T-shirts, soaps and baby powder or two liters of ka mai mai. I left after taking a picture of the huge family and they asked me to send a copy. Without an address this could be difficult, but one never knows on such a small island. We left with big smiles along with two water bottles full of the thick, sweet dark honey.
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Concordia ||
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