So, my trip experince started last Friday with my assistant telling me she would take me to the airport and just had to file something first. This was at 1. I told her I needed to leave by 230, but had some things to finish so I couldn't leave until probably just before that time. So at 145, I noticed that my assistant is dutifully playing Ma Johng. While this is a very important game, there was no progress on getting my item filed. At 210, I told her she needed to go NOW! Don Shaw needed to also file something so she was going to drop him off at ALJ court, file the thing I needed filed and pick him up and then we'd take me to the airport. At 230, she calls me from the wrong court and says that they clerks tell her it is at the wrong court. I told her that is because she is at the wrong court and that's the same reason that I asked her to go file my item at the correct court. After some communication problems, I told her to just forget it for now becuase I'm out of time and this thing isn't actually DUE today, so it could just be filed later. She says, ok, I'll go to the other court and hangs up, as I'm yelling, no! just come back. So at about 245, Don calls me and asks where his ride is. I don't know. It doesn't arrive, so I have to flag down a cab at 3 and rush to the airport. I was very angry. But, then I made my flight and was less angry so I just let it go since it would probably be pointless to even mention it anyway.
So, we made it to WS and were picked up by Maximo, who used to live here, but now runs a hotel in Apia. Friday night we hung out there for a while and then went to some bars downtown. It was pretty fun and weird to 1. actually go to a bar and 2. that people were actually there at the bar.
The next morning we drove to sliding rock. This place is in a creek valley about 20 minutes outside of town. You walk down to these falls and little pools of water. The water is nice and cool, which is a big difference from the ocean which is not cool at all. There are a few rocks there where the creek flows down and you can just use it as a waterslide. It is really fun. Here's a video of one of the runs.
Then we went to black sand beach beach. This beach is on the other side of the island from Apia. It takes about 45 mintues to get from Apia to this beach and probably 15-20 minutes of it is just this really bad road to the beach that is probably 3 miles long. Once you get there, it is very nice (I like). Most of the coast on Am Samoa don't have beaches, and the beaches that exist are really small. The black sand beach is big and sandy even out into the water (unheard of here). It is in a large bay and is a really beautiful place. Because of the bad road, there was almost nobody else there even though we were there on a Saturday with perfect weather. The best thing about this beach though is that these waves come in and just shoot you up onto the beach when they break- then they drag you back. They do both surprisingly fast. We did that for about 3 hours. A picture:
The next day, we went to a set of falls on the southeast portion of the island. You can jump off from different parts of the falls. I currently have big bruise from jumping off part of it. It isn't that I jumped from all that high, but in my effort to execute a proper cannonball I smashed my arm while gracefully entering the water. Again, nice cool fresh water.
That night we stayed at Lalomanu at the southeastern tip of the island. It is a really nice beach. The weather was mostly just great, but we didn't end up taking pictures until the next morning. We stayed in fales right on the beach- which are just mostly open air huts. They are about $25-$30 per person per night including your meals. It is good food too. We got there and hung out in the ocean for a couple hours and then hung out in the little deck/eating/bar area and drank some Vailima after dinner... til about 3. I did not feel #1 the next day.
The next day, we amazingly survived another day of Gonzalo's practicing to get our van onto the NASCAR curcuit and ended up (after going back to Apia) back at the southeastern portion of the island not far from Lalomanu. They have a group of fales on this island offshore that you can rent. To notify the guys with the boat to come and get you, you put up this flag and they are supposed to come and get you.
They did not come and get us. We got picked up just by chance because a day trip group was leaving the island. But once we got there it was really nice. You have this whole island to yourself and the area is extremely pleasant.
Sorry for the incompleteness. Please let me know what else you want to know and I'll get back to you.
Have a good weekend!!!!
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11 comments:
Nice to finally see a new post. At least you gave me time to back track and catch up on all the other ones. That "water slide" looks like a blast, and I am Jack's Total Lack Of Suprise you damaged yourself attempting water athletics.
With all that swimming practice Masser should be at least to an 8th grade swimming level by the time he gets back to the mainland. Keep it up.
Those are great pictures. I really love seeing them, so keep them coming.
And I do have a question for you. Do any of the bums of AS try to wash your car's windshield for you? And if so do you freak out and turn on you wipers and start yelling "NO, NO"?
Oh and Adrian says he's not posting for awhile because you never write anything on here. It's like he's talking to himself.
Also go check out George's website and watch his video.
Beautiful photo's. When you stay at the fales, do you bring your own food? Sleeping mats? Is Meg there now? I just finished taking the RAD (Rape,Agression, Defence) System course offered by the Brentwood Police Dept. It is a 4-day evening course that you learn basic defence techniques to use if attacked. It is excellent. The last evening, two officers dress up in what looks like space outfits and we have a simulated attack. The participant (me) has a helmet, punching gloves, elbow and knee protectors on. We go into a room and are given a senerio and fight off our attacter. It is amazing how your adrenalin takes over and you do remember many of the defense techniques that you have learned. I would recommend that if any woman has an opportunity to take this course that they do so.
Carolyn, what is George's website address?
George can be found here.
Aaron: Looks and sounds like a fun trip. I've never seen a natural water slide like that. Have you ever watched Man vs. Wild - it's a ridiculous show where this guy gets dropped off in remote locations and shows how to survive and find your way out. There are a couple of episodes On Demand, but it sounds like Comcast hasn't quite made its way down there yet. Maybe Comcast has a feature on their website where you can watch it (probably not). Anyway the pictures of that island kinda remind me some of the places this guy has been dropped off. I will summarize the last episode I watched - I'm not doing this because I think anyone might be interested, but really just trying to waste some time at work. I am sick and it's Monday and I don't really feel like working so here goes: This guy's name is Bear Grylls - he's an ex British Special Forces guy. The last one I just watched they flew him in by helicopter into some extremely remote part of Alaska and literally dropped him on the top of some huge mountain. He wanted to pretend he was skiier that got lost. So all he has is a water bottle, a pair of skis, a knife and flint. He skis down this mountain until he gets to the bottom where it gets really rocky so he ditches his skis and starts walking through mountains in his ski boots. He comes to another really snowy part where he says he could walk down, but it would take too long and the weather was getting worse so he didn't want to be way up in the mountains. So he decides to Glicade (sp?) down, but he doesn't have an Ice Axe - he breaks a ski pole in half and uses that. It's so steep and long that he estimates he reached 50mph on the way down - it was ridiculous. Then he gets to start walking again in his ski boots over rocks and ice. He's walking along this glacier kinda poking his ski pole out in front of him hoping that he doesn't fall down a crevace. He finds some solid ground along side the glacier so he follows that until he comes to sheer cliff - no way down. He goes back to the glacier and finds a snow tunnel that comes out the bottom and makes his way down through this hole. Now he's off the mountains somewhere in AK. He takes off his outershells and decides to walk out in his inner linings. He walks all day, makes some shelter where he's pretty sure he's going to run into a bear. Then he goes fishing spears and salmon and eats it raw, scales and all - pretty sure it was still alive. The next day he walks all day until he finds some abandoned building with an old row boat that the thinks will hold up. So he puts it in the water and starts paddling with his shovel that he found for an oar. The Ice and stuff he's navigating through prove too much for the little boat and it sinks. While it's sinking he rips of his jacket and stuffs it in his pack and swims 200 yards through the coldest water that exists to shore. He said his camera man had a protective suit on. So he finally gets to land and gets to a point where he thinks a lot of fishing boats would go. He's right and they find him. It was way crazier than I'm able to describe and the amazon episode was even crazier. He free climbs down this vertical waterfall gets some illness where he's puking all night - sucks it up and gets out of there on hos own too.
Carolyn, I can't believe how big he has gotten. KC, he could totally take Gavin in a fight. Sorry....
KW, you seem to have more time on your hands than when you worked for that other outfit- What was the name? Oh yeah, Masser and Warren. Yes Aaron would think that show is ridiculous. But the other one: Survivorman is almost more because Les carries all his own camera gear and has to film himself walking away and then go back and get the camera and gear again.
If Aaron really wanted to see clips he could go to Discovery Channel and watch both show's clips. He could also go to Discovery Channel and watch Jared Hundley and Collin Murphy's spoof on Myth Busters. They even got it aired on TV.
So....do they have any major steel mills over there which would pay me enough to suit the lifestyle which I've become accustomed? Apparently Steelscape, and Grupo IMSA our parent company, has been purchased. I figure I need leverage for salary negotiations. If there isn't a steel mill, is there an industry which would pay me to do nothing but surf the internet all day and take copious amounts of smoke breaks?
I have seen that survival guy. He is pretty crazy. I haven't seen the skiing one yet though.
There's no steel mill here Brian but there are fish canneries. As long as you don't have to go to court, there's not a whole lot of working anywhere here as far as I know.
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