Friday, August 31, 2007

More Samoa photos

Hello, back in Canberra, the weather is lovely and as always its good to be home.

Here are more photos from Samoa which more or less capture everything done during the holiday...
first one is Andy and Zoe at sliding rock pools- you basically sit at the top of this waterfall and go down it like a waterslide
This is where I stayed from Tues-Fri last week, sleeping in this beach fale and lying on the beach and snorkelling every day. Its a pretty social place too so met lots of fun people.


Lalomanu sunset after the afternoon rain.

The fire dancers at Lalomanu in all their shiny-ness...
Kayaking with Manda out to Namua island

Manda and I sitting on the tomb of Robert Louis Stevenson (author of Treasure Island) after climbing Mt Vaea


More Samoa

The opening ceremony of the South Pacific Games at Apia Park. Very exciting, just like being at the Olympics :)

Jimmy and Zoe discover sand at Aganoa Black Sand beach


Sunday at Aganoa black sand beach

On Carolyn's recommendation Manda and I spent my last day in Samoa at the Sinalei day spa with all the pampering, plunge pool, massage, facial etcs. This is us in the plunge pool
Last night dinner to thank Andy for all his lovely cooking at Andy's favourite Apia restaurant Bistro Tatau


Monday, August 20, 2007

Samoa!!

ok, I know it has been a long time since I have posted anything here and thank you to those of you who took the time to complain about my silence! Over the last 6 months I've basically been hanging out in Canberra and surrounds, a good few weekends in Sydney, one in Melbourne and a couple at the coast. Life has been great! but seeing I wasn't spending much time in airports as I used to I thought I would let the blog go for a while. Anyway, here I am finally updating the blog from Samoa where I am visiting the poolberts (aka Amanda, Andy and Zoe). Given they are good bloggers themselves I thought I better get my standards back up.

So I arrived in Samoa last tuesday and followed the Amy Wells rule of holidaying which is to spend at least the first day entirely asleep/ in bed. Got up at 5pm just as Amanda got home from work and cracked the first gin and tonic. There have been a few daily gin and tonics since then, after all it is the tropics, one needs a bit of quinine dont they? On Wednesday ventured down to visit cousin family Adam, Carolyn and Eliza who just happened to be here holidaying and spent a nice afternoon at the beach lying around, having a swim, and shared my first Vailima (local beer) with Adam and Cal. Since then, well, have been spending more time lying on the beach, swimming and drinking gin and tonics. I'd like to tell you more but that's about it! ok thats not entirely true, poolberts have taken me to see some lovely water falls, ocean trenches and a traditional dancing evening, but the best thing so far was just spending a long weekend in some little cabins (kind of like the shack) on the most beatiful beach and yep, like I said, doing nothing but lie on the beach, swim and drink gin and tonics.

Anyways, here are the photos to prove it, and a couple of Manda, Andy and Zoe. Zoe by the way is a complete delight, very happy and fun, always smiling and squealing with joy at whatever takes her fancy, usually my glass of gin.