Welcome!

Welcome to my personal travel journal! If you don't know me, that's OK! I hope you'll enjoy reading about some of my adventures and misadventures, and hopefully learn something new about a corner of the world.

Recent updates:
2015-10-06: Day 8 of Niue in 2011.
2015-10-05: Day 7 of Niue in 2011.
2015-09-29: Day 6 of Niue in 2011.

For list of trips, see TABLE OF CONTENTS.

Monday, June 13, 2011

13 June 2011 (-1 in time zone):

More lava fields that we drove by. I took the rest of the day easy, and had cocktails at a bar a short walk away on the beach. There was also some rain, a double rainbow, and a golden sunset that day.

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-31.html
13 June 2011 (-1 in time zone):

Excessively pink ice cream on the way back.

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-31.html
13 June 2011 (-1 in time zone):

There were a group of surfers here, and the main break looked pretty clean. I don't think I'm good enough for reef surfing, though. The snorkelling here was pretty good, but very shallow with the tide conditions.

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-31.html
13 June 2011 (-1 in time zone):

Went to Aganoa for lunch. They sold us beer on a Sunday! Relaxed here for a while, it was a pretty nice area.

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-31.html
13 June 2011 (-1 in time zone):

Got a quick photo with the blowhole, although not very close to it :/

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-31.html
13 June 2011 (-1 in time zone):

This seems to be the main blowhole, with locals throwing in coconuts for the tourists, then asking for money. Definitely the strongest blowhole I've seen!

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-31.html

13 June 2011 (-1 in time zone):

The landscape around the blowholes. Lots of relatively recent lava flows.

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-31.html
13 June 2011 (-1 in time zone):

The eruptions were surprisingly difficult to catch in a photo, but a video fared a bit better.

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-31.html
13 June 2011 (-1 in time zone):

There where quite a few powerful blowholes around here.

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-31.html
13 June 2011 (-1 in time zone):

A closer view of an erupting blowhole.

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-31.html
13 June 2011 (-1 in time zone):

Alofaaga Blowholes (AKA Taga Blowholes) on the southern coast of Savai'i.

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-31.html
13 June 2011 (-1 in time zone):

Since this is a Sunday, most people are in church, and the radio seemed to be filled exclusively with (some hilarious) Christian-ized covers of famous songs, mostly in Samoan.  This song, "No Jesus, No Life" was particularly catchy, based on "No Woman, No Cry." You can also see the wall-less fales in the villages we drove through.

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-31.html
13 June 2011 (-1 in time zone):

Savai'i, an active volcanic island has a good portion of its northern side covered in bare lava rocks. Some fales (not the one pictured) are built right on the solidified lava.

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-31.html
13 June 2011 (-1 in time zone):

View from inside the fale. Pretty relaxing and calm.

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-31.html
13 June 2011 (-1 in time zone):

My beach fale. I wish I had one that was located by the edge of the water, but this is nothing to complain about.

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-31.html
13 June 2011 (-1 in time zone):

I woke up to small splotches of light streaming in through the grass blinds. What a great view to wake up to!

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-31.html