Samoa

Talofa from Samoa! That's hi to you and me.

Well where to start after my cock up of getting the transfer time in LA wrong the journey went very smoothly and I even got a spare seat next to me on the LA/Samoa flight so managed nearly 6 hours sleep which is a good job as my TV wasn't working and the one next to me didn't appear to be either so I played a bit of Who Want's to be a Millionaire when I was awake.

We arrived in Samoa half an hour early and after clearing passport control was greeted by 4 Samoan guys with guitars singing in the baggage claim area ... it was 5am!!!!! Bag came through fine and after customs and a quick trip to the ATM I managed to get a cab for the recommended price which to start with I was starting to think was quite expensive until I realised it was 26 miles to the hotel!! So as we drove the sun was coming up and my inital thoughts are that this is a truly beautiful country, where they take pride in their homes which are brightly coloured with lovely well kept gardens, they are also quite religious as there are churches everywhere and they love covering western songs in Samoan ... I can't tell you how many times I have heard the Samoan version of Lady in Red ... sung by a woman weirdly enough. So after a rendition of the Samoan National Anthem which the taxi driver sung along to and strangely reminded me of the Welsh National Anthem, we arrived at the Princess Tui hotel where I am staying. I will add some photos but I have to pay to use the computer here and I have limited funds at the mo as the bank is a swelteringly long walk away so will wait until it cools down.

The hotel is fine my room is lovely, the shared bathroom facilities are not so lovely but I'm trying not to think about it and the lounge over looking the sea with a wonderfully cool breeze is where I have spent quite a bit of time so far.

So yesterday I walked up along the sea wall and into the heart of Apia (the capital) and found the markets and a supermarket to buy some essentials. The exchange rate is 1 Tala = 23p (I'm rounding up to 25p as its easier) and things are pretty cheap here. I had lunch at a restaurant in the harbour called Gourmet Seafood, I'm not sure gourmet is a word I would have used but it was fresh and tasty and was only 24 Tala for a seafood salad, chips and a coconut (that was my drink, a whole coconut with a straw in it) after that I went to Palolo Deep Marine Reserve to have a look and lay on the rather corally beach there for a few hours reading my book and people watching, think I will spend quite a bit of time here as its peaceful and you don't get hassled, not that I have been yet.

I met a German girl in the hotel yesterday whose name escapes me but suffice it to say life's glass is very much half empty for this particular individual ;-) She spent the whole 30 minutes we were talking telling me about how awful Samoa is and that her 2 weeks here have been too long ... great just what I needed to hear having just arrived for 25 days!!! Don't panic though I have taken most of what she said with a pinch of salt as she has just come from 8 months in New Zealand, just as an example I saw her again last night before she went out and I said something about the geckos and she said be careful because if they poop in your food its toxic ... its was all I could do not to laugh.

It is beautiful here and I do like it but I would be lying if I said I wasn't going through a bit of culture shock so am just going to stay put for a few days and kick back and read and catch some rays so the updates might be a bit dull if they happen at all, but don't worry I'm fine and just riding the wave that I expected would happen.

Photos to follow I promise, love to you all xx.

P.S. Facebook is barred at the hotel so no updates for the time being I'm afraid ... I feel like I've had a limb cut off far more so then not using my mobile, how sad is that :-(