9 June 2011 (-1 in time zone):

Yet another view of the clock tower. Note the red bus on the right. Typical buses in Samoa are run privately, with intricately carved, painted, and decorated wooden frames and benches. They are ridiculously cheap and I don't know how they make up their fuel costs. Also, they blast upbeat tss-tss-tss sounding Samoan pop songs at all times!

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-27.html

9 June 2011 (-1 in time zone):

Another view of the clock tower. Looks like there's Chinese to be found all over the world!

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-27.html

9 June 2011 (-1 in time zone):

Downtown Apia, with the landmark clock tower and what has to be the largest buildings in Samoa. The one on the left is the Central Bank, and the one right in front is a government building. I assume the bulge at the roof is shaped like a traditional important Samoan fale.

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-27.html

9 June 2011 (-1 in time zone):

Going for a walk around Apia. It is surprisingly hot and humid here. This is Savalalo Market, their central market, close to my hotel and by a busy bus station. I reflected on my flights yesterday and how I crossed the International Date line twice. When I left Rarotonga, it was 7 June, and arrived in Auckland on 8 June, took off the same day and arrived in Samoa on 7 June again. It was like time travel for a day!

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-27.html

8 June 2011 (-1 in time zone):

On the drive back, I was amazed at the open fales all over the place. Many Samoans still live in traditional open fales, houses that are just roofs on a perimeter of columns. No walls! People were watching TV, lounging on sofas, and tucking themselves in bed on the grass mats on the floor, all completely exposed to the outside world. This is the small hotel someone recommended for me. I'm using that large Vailima beer bottle to hold boiled water for me to drink for the night. I picked up that South Pacific Lonely Planet from the hostel on Muri Beach in Rarotonga - someone left it at the end of their trip.

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2012/05/2011-nz-to-sf-day-26.html

8 June 2011 (-1 in time zone):

Arriving at Faleolo Airport near Apia, the capital. I was immediately reminded of India by the heat, humidity, and chaotic atmosphere, not to mention being immediately accosted and followed by taxi drivers. A lot of Samoan men wear lava-lavas, a kind of skirt-like wrap.

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2012/05/2011-nz-to-sf-day-26.html

8 June 2011:

Flying between pockets of civilization in a ocean of emptiness. Kind of like travelling through space between planets, I imagine. It's interesting that by the end of the trip, I will have visited nearly every labelled place on this map. This is the Samoan entry form - I found Samoan to the be most exotic-sounding language and had very strange place names. To read Samoan correctly, replace "g" with "ng." For example, Pago Pago is pronounced "pahng-o pahng-o."

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2012/05/2011-nz-to-sf-day-26.html

8 June 2011:

Auckland airport. I had a morning in Auckland, which I used to make a quick stop to say hi to some friends, had a doctor check out a lump growing on my leg, and had lunch at one of those wonderful New Zealand food courts.

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2012/05/2011-nz-to-sf-day-26.html

7 June 2011 (-1 in time zone):

Departure hall, where we were serenaded by an old man on a ukelele when boarding. He serenaded us when we arrived too. He sang about how he's sad to see us go back to the cold - I felt lucky that this is still the beginning of my trip in tropical Polynesia!

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-25.html

7 June 2011 (-1 in time zone):

Spent the entire day lounging around the lagoon. Since my plane back is at around 1am (cheaper to hire people during the night to load luggage as many have day jobs), I took a nap in the hostel lobby with some others, surrounded by mosquitos. The room surrounded by glass by the beach was pretty cozy in the wind. I thought the drawings on the departure tax sticker were cute.

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-25.html