Thursday, August 11, 2011

Samoahhh! [Part 1]


Sorry for the delay in posting our holiday pics. I've had "issues" with uploading photos so I'm posting instalments.

Sadly, our holiday to beautiful Samoa has come, and gone. As we unpack our bags we discovered some shells, coconuts [yes] and sand found their way back with us. We were expecting a hermit crab to crawl out of Ruby's bag but it didn't – she would have loved that. Here's a recap, from the beginning...

Eager to start our holiday, we arrived at the airport a little early. We wanted to make the most of the Koru Lounge as it has become an important part of the overall travelling experience for the kids. They certainly had the chance to experience it this time as our flight was delayed seven hours! We had plenty of time to do the whole duty-free pamper thing, eat, drink and play on computers but even after that was all done, there was still time to bunker down and try to get some sleep.


Finally, we boarded the plane and after a [comparatively] short flight, we arrived in Apia, Samoa. Our driver was there waiting for us which was a relief and he took us straight to our hotel.

Tanoa Tuisitala
Moments after arriving, I ran into my friend Amy from Mt Eden; it is a small world after all. As I checked-in I was told there was no record of our booking?! I was beginning to wonder if this was going to be the Holiday from Hell. Luckily, it was sorted out quickly, we were given a room with breakfast thrown in as a sweetner – to our relief this was the last hiccup of our trip. Any frustrations quickly dissipated over a few drinks with our Mt Eden friends. The girls had some playmates for a while so everyone was happy. We made the most of the pool, beds and air-conditioning; there would be no such luxuries at our port of call.

Poolside pics:
In the minivan that took us to Taufua – and yes, some of us did get a bit too much sun:

Taufua Beach Fales
Even though they'd seen pictures on the website, I wasn't sure how the girls would react to our new abode. To my relief, they loved it. As soon as we arrived they thought it was a really cool place; which it was. As far as the facilities at Taufua go, it is exactly as you see it on their website but what you don't get from the web is the warm and friendly reception. With breakfast and dinner included, I was pretty happy. At meal times, everyone sits together at long tables and a variety of dishes are placed down the centre – there is a real sense of being part of a big family. You can't help but meet people a learn a little about their lives.
Inside our fale before we moved in! Yes, this is where we slept for six nights. All of us. Together. On the floor.

The view:

Our fale from the outside. The girls spent a lot of time playing under the fale; mostly with a colony of hermit crabs!

Treasures found:

Sunset:

Cocktail hour on the beach. Rum and coke? G+T?

Relaxing:

Much of our time was spent snorkelling.



Playmates.

Gin, chips, book, view – it's enough to put a smile on a girl's face!

One of many hermit crabs.

Ava took a liking to pawpaws.

The girls making leis for the fia fia night.


Traditional Samoan dancers at the fia fia.

Breakfast Taufua style.


To Sua Trench [Tourism Samoa should do something about re-naming this spot].

The looong ladder is not for the faint-hearted. Anyone can do it; just don't look down!

Sipping on a coconut.

Marine life at Taufua.




Watch this space for Part 2.

1 comment:

  1. wow - beautiful photos - amazing place
    even I would sleep on the floor for a room with a view like that !!!!
    what a memory making holiday ..........
    ps - love the photo of the hermit crab

    ReplyDelete