18 June 2011 (-1 in time zone):

Resting in my fale before my late night (or rather, early morning) flight to Fiji. I was driven very slowly in a car with worn shocks, and we would scrape the ground at every little bump. Outside, I can see the residents sleeping in their wall-less fales. Samoa is undergoing a series of changes, including changing which side of the road they drive on in 2009, and moving to the other side of the International Date Line, skipping a Friday, a few months after I left.

18 June 2011 (-1 in time zone):

Another view of the beach and island. Staying here would be pretty enjoyable for a while, I think.

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-36.html

18 June 2011 (-1 in time zone):

View of the hills of Upolu, of course, with large churches in the foreground.

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-36.html

18 June 2011 (-1 in time zone):

The other, steep side of the island. I was greeted and accompanied by two dogs on most of the walk. After being in Samoa for a while, I was actually a bit intimidated seeing the dogs jog over to me, but I just made sure to stand my ground, and they were friendly, and we hung out for a while afterwards.

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-36.html

18 June 2011 (-1 in time zone):

There were plenty of coral in the water here as well. I liked the calm, even ripple lines in the clear water that glided past the coral underneath.

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-36.html

18 June 2011 (-1 in time zone);

The side of the island away from the beach. Look at how clear the water is!

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-36.html

18 June 2011 (-1 in time zone):

It is possible to go for a walk around the island at low tide, but I didn't go too far, as I wasn't sure how much time I had.

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-36.html

18 June 2011 (-1 in time zone):

If you look carefully at the centre of this photo, you can see the faint outline of American Samoa.

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-36.html

18 June 2011 (-1 in time zone):

View of some other nearby islands around the bend to Lalomanu.

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-36.html

18 June 2011 (-1 in time zone):

Some small port. Is that a sunken ship at the tip of the piers?

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-36.html

18 June 2011 (-1 in time zone):

View of another of the Aleipata Islands.

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-36.html

18 June 2011 (-1 in time zone):

We went on a hike, with the dogs excitedly leading the way. Turns out walking up the steep slippery sections was much better done in bare feet than in flip-flops. Many of us left our flip-flops near the start of the steep section.

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-36.html

18 June 2011 (-1 in time zone):

View of Upolu from Namu'a. I spent a lot of time snorkelling here, trying to look for turtles, but no luck. There where a few interesting things to see here, including some colourful coral near the shore.

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-36.html

18 June 2011 (-1 in time zone):

Arrived at Namu'a! The owners of the beach fales here had a few friendly dogs. Maybe they aren't mean like most Samoan dogs since they live on this small island and haven't had much contact with the mean dogs elsewhere.

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-36.html

18 June 2011 (-1 in time zone):

On the boat to Namu'a. We saw a turtle dart away surprisingly quickly when we got near to it. A few people kayaked here from Taufua Beach, and said they saw a turtle close to the island.

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-36.html

18 June 2011 (-1 in time zone):

Went on a trip to a nearby island, Namu'a. We all crammed in a Rav 4, with some of us sitting in the trunk with our legs dangling out the back. We had to watch our feet when we hit bumps.

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-36.html