Go Samoa

Manu Samoa rugby game.

I don't want to sound like a broken record, but I am feeling quite melancholy about leaving Samoa tomorrow. To be completely honest it is not Samoa that I have become so attached to, but the group of friends I have made here. Granted, they are on boats so there is a good chance that I will run into them somewhere down the line, but it is always hard to leave.

I have not had a group of friends that I could go out to the bars and shoot pool with, or just kick it with, in a long time. And I have missed it. I am in no way writing off the friends that I have made along the way - in fact I am excited to get to Tonga because I have friends arriving there who I have not seen since Mexico. It will be fun to rendezvous. But like I said before, leaving always sucks (unless we are in some really lame place, which is not often).

Ok, enough whining. Let's see: on Saturday a bunch of us went to the Manu Samoa vs. Australia Western Force rugby game. It was great! Of course I had absolutely no idea what was going on but fortunately Sean (my Saffa boy) explained the game to me play by play. I like it better than football in that there are very few pauses, which keeps the game moving fast. We cheered Manu Samoa, who killed the Aussies, drank lots of beer, and had a good time. After the game we all (my parents included!) went to our favorite bar to drink more beer and shoot pool. I think that night I passed out before 11 PM, way earlier than the 2 or 3 AM that I have been staying up until for the past week. Like I said before, those South Africans can party.

Speaking of parties, (I know I know, that's all we do around here) the Teuila Festival is happening this week in Apia. There are singing and dancing competitions, fire shows, and typical cultural events. I must say that it pales in comparison to the French Polynesia Heiva festival, but it is cool nonetheless. There are lots of traditional food stalls set up, but of course Lars and I ate hotdogs the first chance we got. Gimme a break, I have not eaten a hotdog since the 4th of July, and I have eaten plenty of taro and turkey tail to last me a lifetime.

Yesterday Mom and Dad did the last provisioning to stock up on food before we leave for Tonga. Apparently there are very few supplies in Tonga, so we got lots of fresh food, meats, cheeses, and good snacks. We are going to be very popular with our friends who have been in Tonga for a while and are living on beans and rice. I wonder what the beer situation is like in Tonga?? It is probably expensive and hard to find. Shit. Maybe we should go get another case.

Whereas I am melancholy about leaving, I am excited to see what the next port brings. You never know what is going to be around the next corner. And so I say goodbye. I hope we meet again, somewhere on down the road.