Thursday Nov. 1, 2012

We hope you all had a safe and Happy Halloween.  We were able to have a dinner with the other Senior Missionaries and two wards brought over 100 kids trick or treating.  They were very cute.  Some were dressed up and others just held out their hands and said trick or treat!  It was a fun night.

Last weekend October 26th and 27th we were able to go over to the Island of Savai'i to do three firesides.  We were divided into two teams.  We drove our van and took one of the Vice-Principal's Sister Schmidt and both of the counselors Lei and Queenah.  We arrived at the ferry at 7:15 a.m. because you have to get in a que and then the passengers have to buy their tickets separately.  We were lucky and got the Lada Samoa III the newest and biggest ferry.  Nada was a little nervous about getting sea sick but no problem.  The weather was great and the ocean was calm.

 This is the ferry coming into the Mulifanua Wharf on the North West side of Upolu.   When President Packer was giving his talk, this last conference, this is the wharf they were suppose to come into but couldn't get into it because of the storm and the missionaries fell asleep and weren't shining the lights.  So they  had to go over to Apia Harbor which was in our post about the fautasi race.  This is where the ferries going to and coming from Savai'i load and unload.  They are almost always full.  Savai'i is the biggest Island but has a lot fewer people and resources than Upolu.

We are waiting in the que to drive onto the ferry.  It cost 100 Tala each way to take your vehicle and includes the driver.  Each additional person has to pay 12 Tala.








The ferry left right at 8:00 a.m.  After we parked our van on the ferry we walked up to the top open deck and just enjoyed the beautiful scenery.  We went past the Island of Manono which I blogged about a couple of weeks ago and Apilima which we want to go to sometime.    We arrived in Savai'i at 9:05 and they unloaded very quickly.  We met Elder Budgett as we got off to pass on some packages, loaded our other passengers and then headed to the North side of the island for our fireside at 3:00 p.m.

 Looking back at Upolu.

 We passed the barge ferry on the way.  It is much smaller and Nada was very glad we were not on that one.  It looked like it was moving up and down in the water a lot more than the big ferry.

 This is the top deck of the ferry we were on.  This was a fresh air deck.  The deck below was all enclosed and air conditioned and had a big TV screen in it.  People just lay down and sleep on the floor wherever they can find a space.  If you want to walk around you just step around them or over them.

 This is the deck of the Hotel Vaisala where they served our meals.  It is on the North West side of Savai'i and took us over 2 hours to drive here.  The hotel is called the Vaisala Hotel and is in the Village of Vaisala.  Our room is the first small house after the big long deck.  The beach here was one of the best we've been on.

 
 Reed could not wait to get into the water.  We had lunch and the other three ladies wanted a nap but Reed only wanted to get into the water.  He had about an hour and was in heaven.

 Reed snorkeling and enjoying the beautiful water and life under the ocean.

Some of the beautiful corral Reed saw while snorkeling.

 The view from the large deck, where we ate, of the beach and ocean.

 This is the view from the deck of our little beach cottage.  It was beautiful.

This is Nada standing on the deck of our beach cottage.  It was very small but you couldn't beat the scenery.  The weather was perfect here on the beach with the ocean breeze.  It was a nice break.

 

 

We drove to the West side of the Island to the Village of Neifu-uta (the uta refers to inland) for our 3:00 p.m. fireside.   After the fireside they fed us refreshments.  It was a full blown meal.  These people are very generous with their food and usually always offer some kind of refreshment after each fireside especially if they know you have traveled a little distance.  Sister Schmidt was from the village of Neifu right by the ocean so we had her be our tour guide.  She showed us where she had lived and all the places they still own property.  Then she had us drive on the old road which took us to some remote places along the beach.  Beautiful.  We drove down a couple of different places like this picture with coconut trees lining the road like a canopy.  We were on the farthest most western tip of the island here in Falealupo Village.  Reed stopped to take a picture of the ocean and a lady walked up to the van and wanted us to pay 5 Tala to take a picture.  Reed just got back into the van and left.  Usually everyone wants us to take their pictures, this was a little unusual. 

The Island of Savai'i is very green and has a lot of jungle or undeveloped land.  The beaches are great but you have to pay someone to get in the water as well.  It was a great place to visit.  We are looking forward to going over during Summer break, December and January to do a little more exploring.  This was a fast, working trip.

 

 

We went to bed early beacause the next morning we had to get up, eat and be to another fireside an hour away by 8:30 a.m. to set up.

 
 Elder and Sister Spencer with the beach and ocean behind us.  We set the camera up on our deck and took this picture before we left aT 7:00 a.m.






This is Nada, Sister Schmidt, Queenah, Lei and her baby Janettssar,  eating breakfast on the deck.

Nada and Reed on grounds of the Fagamalo chapel in the Village of Fagamalo on the Northern most tip of Savai'i It would be hard to concentrate on the meetings if this was the view you looked at all during church.

 This is the view walking to get into the cultural hall.  They served us refreshments on the patio under the roof you see there in the middle.  The refreshments here were ice cream with fruit and cookies which was very good and refreshing.

Another view.  We love these pine trees.  The needles are like rope and very soft.  What a view.










After they served us refreshments we hurried back to the ferry which was an hour away hoping to catch the 2:00 p.m. ferrry which was the big one.  We got in the que but missedit by 2 cars because our confirmed time was for 4:00 p.m.  We sat in the van from 1 until 4:20 p.m with pouring rain outside.  We ended up being on the smallest ferry, the barge,  that left Savai'i at 4:20 p.m. and didn't get to Upolu until 6:00 p.m.  What a long afternoon.  We had to sit in the van on the barge because all the benches were filled with walk ons.  We rode backwards the whole way.  Nada was very nervous this time but the ocean was pretty calm.  She actually fell asleep for a while and didn't get sick at all.

 We were one of the firsr cars on the barge so we pulled in front.  Looking through our windshield you can see all the people sitting on the benches.  They are facing the direction the barge is going.  It was raining when we first started out.

 Our van and then 3 more rows of cars and 4 wide was all this barge held.  All the other cars backed on so they were going forward.  Our row is the only one that pulled in frontward and rode backwards all the way to Upolu.  In the backgrounmd is the wharf at Salelologa in Savai'i.

Nada looking around to see where we are at.  Hoping to soon be home so she can get out of this vehicle!

 

 

This is in our back yard.  These are some of the little neighbor kids.  They love to come and play on this piece of cement and hide in thsee bushes and climb the tree in our backyard.  Just thought you might like to see some of them,            Well we hope you enjoyed our little excursion to another island in Samoa.  The biggest Island, Savai'i.  We love every new adventure we get to participate in.  It is great to see the gospel in action in so many different places.  Until next time.  Manuia Le Aso, Elder and Sister Spencer.