Trip journal - day 7
7 September 2005
Up early, packed. Went down for breakfast. Hard to believe our last in Apia. The hotel staff hovered over us with even more attention this morning. Lots of papaya, bananas, Milo, eggs, toast, and juice. The hotel owner came to tell us goodbye. We piled in the van and took the 30-mile trip to the airport, faithful Delilah at the wheel. Sini began singing “Goodbye, My Friend” inserting Delilah’s name. We sang along. I could see her tears in the rearview mirror. It was just as we were approaching the airport security gate. We paid our airport tax ($40 [Samoan “Tala”] per adult), took pictures. We made our way through security and immigration and out to the waiting area, then the short flight to Pago Pago.
Sini and his brother had a van and an SUV for us and our luggage. We drove for about ½ hour through Pago Pago, around the harbor, past the tuna packing plants, and to the village of Auto ("Ow-ooh-toe"). We went to his brother’s place and essentially took over two houses. Cindy, Caroline and I shared a room.
When we first arrived, they gave us traditional warm papaya soup and banana soup. We had an umu (“oo-mooh” -- BBQ on the beach) that evening. They cooked beef, chicken, octopus, ham, taro, potato salad, and we also had raw fish, and cream tuna with plenty of cold soda and bottled water to drink.
During dinner, the mom and three daughters danced for us. The cement floor of the little cooking fale collapsed and one of the women and men went down with it but were unhurt. Apparently the sand had eroded beneath it.
Sini showed us how to weave a basket from a coconut leaf. His brother, the family’s chief, showed us how to weave a plate. He said you heated banana leaves and put on the plate, and then put the food.
One of the young men climbed a coconut tree and knocked coconuts off. Sini showed us how to open a coconut, we drank the juice, and ate the meat for dessert. Then we took turns singing. They sang Samoan songs for us, and we san “Oh We Ain’t Got a Barrel of Money”, “When You Wore a Tulip”, and other family favorites. Caroline and Mindy sang solos, and Mom and Dad sang a love duet.
Two of the younger members of the family played games on their cell phones (kind of an anachronism as we sat on the beach in a tiny village having a traditional Samoan meal).
Dad spent a lot of time talking with one of the brothers (Sgt Misi) who came over with us on the first flight to Pago Pago from Honolulu (they are back from Iraq on leave, but will go back to Honolulu on the same flight with us, and then to Iraq).
We went to bed, and I know I slept because I woke up so many times. Cindy and Caroline shared the single bed and I slept on several blankets on the floor.
Up early, packed. Went down for breakfast. Hard to believe our last in Apia. The hotel staff hovered over us with even more attention this morning. Lots of papaya, bananas, Milo, eggs, toast, and juice. The hotel owner came to tell us goodbye. We piled in the van and took the 30-mile trip to the airport, faithful Delilah at the wheel. Sini began singing “Goodbye, My Friend” inserting Delilah’s name. We sang along. I could see her tears in the rearview mirror. It was just as we were approaching the airport security gate. We paid our airport tax ($40 [Samoan “Tala”] per adult), took pictures. We made our way through security and immigration and out to the waiting area, then the short flight to Pago Pago.
Sini and his brother had a van and an SUV for us and our luggage. We drove for about ½ hour through Pago Pago, around the harbor, past the tuna packing plants, and to the village of Auto ("Ow-ooh-toe"). We went to his brother’s place and essentially took over two houses. Cindy, Caroline and I shared a room.
When we first arrived, they gave us traditional warm papaya soup and banana soup. We had an umu (“oo-mooh” -- BBQ on the beach) that evening. They cooked beef, chicken, octopus, ham, taro, potato salad, and we also had raw fish, and cream tuna with plenty of cold soda and bottled water to drink.
During dinner, the mom and three daughters danced for us. The cement floor of the little cooking fale collapsed and one of the women and men went down with it but were unhurt. Apparently the sand had eroded beneath it.
Sini showed us how to weave a basket from a coconut leaf. His brother, the family’s chief, showed us how to weave a plate. He said you heated banana leaves and put on the plate, and then put the food.
One of the young men climbed a coconut tree and knocked coconuts off. Sini showed us how to open a coconut, we drank the juice, and ate the meat for dessert. Then we took turns singing. They sang Samoan songs for us, and we san “Oh We Ain’t Got a Barrel of Money”, “When You Wore a Tulip”, and other family favorites. Caroline and Mindy sang solos, and Mom and Dad sang a love duet.
Two of the younger members of the family played games on their cell phones (kind of an anachronism as we sat on the beach in a tiny village having a traditional Samoan meal).
Dad spent a lot of time talking with one of the brothers (Sgt Misi) who came over with us on the first flight to Pago Pago from Honolulu (they are back from Iraq on leave, but will go back to Honolulu on the same flight with us, and then to Iraq).
We went to bed, and I know I slept because I woke up so many times. Cindy and Caroline shared the single bed and I slept on several blankets on the floor.
posted by Barney at 6:52 AM
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