I thought the enthusiasm and skill of these local dancers really said a lot about the pride that the Samoans have in their culture and independence.

One of the interesting phenomena in Samoa is an entrenched competition among the villages of the islands. Instead of the historic violence and cannibalism the villages now compete in athletics, choral competition, dancing and there is even an award for the most beautiful village. Though this is the number two village, we thought it was the most beautiful and we show you here all the coleus and other individual plants that surrounded these peoples' homes.

If you fly into Samoa (as most people do) you will see several beautiful works at the airport by the Samoan School of Fine Arts. There are several wooden sculptures as well as a glass mosaic of Samoan life.

After visiting the airport we visited the school (left) and were astounded by the number and quality of the wood sculptures. Some of these seem to be finished and others are in progress. Since the islanders are known for their wood working I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but I must say that we haven't seen as many beautiful pieces anywhere in the other Pacific Islands.

There were a couple of dozen finished projects just standing around, so to speak. One was this horse (right) with palm baskets filled with breadfruit. Others were: an outrigger canoe, a decorative bird, a whale and numerous carved columns depicting animals, birds,  geckos, vines and flowers.  I was told that the horse was carved from one piece of wood.

This mosaic is smaller than the one at the airport, but easier to photograph, so I've included it here. You can see that I was quite taken by the school of Fine Arts.

As we continued around the island we came to a turtle preserve (right). There is some attempt to raise these leatherback turtles until they could be released and survive in the wild.

I'm a real fan or turtles, and since we've seen so much disregard for their survival on islands to the east we were happy to see some effort to preserve these.

The next day we went to the fresh produce market which is just about like every other market through the islands (where the soil can support crops.

You typically see the women preparing their wares (left).

AND, the guys playing checkers (right)...

AND drinking kava (a local mild narcotic drink). (left) Most westerners don't develop a taste for this habit, so it's hard to say what it actually does for a person. We were told that about two bowls, or servings was enough.

Now, having said that, I have to give this guy credit for arranging these beautiful floral bouquets. These wonderful displays were seen all around the hotels and restaurants and were greatly appreciated by the likes of me.

These handmade mats are used for many things, mainly to sit on in the fales or as room dividers. Here you also see the kava bowl again. It's not common to see a European in this setting.

This is the main street in Apia - right next to the yacht and ship harbor. Every morning the Police Band parades down (and up) the street to raise the flag. If you get up at a decent hour (which is seldom on the Quest) you get to witness this. You also see every one else trying to go to work and a big traffic jamb caused by the parade. We didn't ride the buses so much here as we did in Pago Pago. Rather, the Taxis were reliable and cheap and kept a nice attitude if you just wanted to go a short distance or you were carrying packages.

The Police Band marches up the street - AND BACK!

Later on as we walked back to the boat along the parkway I sat down to rest. You notice that it's very common for a person to carry an umbrella to shield themselves from the sun.

If you get up early enough you also see people sweeping the streets using the traditional broom and wearing the lavalava.

You actually get quite used to seeing people wearing the lavalava. Here are two policemen, one in slacks and one in a lavalava. Notice these big trees that line the harbor's edge. All along the harbor is a retaining wall and park with colorful shrubs and these large trees.

All the schoolchildren wear uniforms. And, because most of the boys wear lavalavas the girls and boys' uniforms appear much the same.

Here's a sample of the local cricket team in their uniforms.

We took several tours of the island of 'Upolu. It's hard to know where to start. But, I guess everything starts and finishes with the sea when contemplating an island community. On the left is a small fale that could be used if you decided to take the kids to the beach and want to relax as you watch them. Relaxing is the number one pastime here in the islands.

As we traveled around the island we saw many fales and structures in which people live either part time or full time. This one on the right caught our attention.

In a more rural setting the structures look like this (left).

There are fales along the beach that a visitor could rent by the day or week like a hotel - it's a Samoan hotel!

These fales on the left are used by the Piula Theological Seminary as a classroom or place of meditation. The students in the fale on the left are having their lunch and a little quiet time.

On the right Libby and I cool off next to a nearby reflecting pool (Piula Cave Pool). We were happy to have a little respite to cool down and relax.

Back at the main campus of the Seminary we find beautifully manicured lawns and gardens. Notice the dive tank used as a church bell. We found this a common use for dive tanks that are no longer serviceable.

One of the projects of the seminary students is the refurbishment of the historic Church on campus. It was a beautiful structure and well worth the effort.

One day we were driving around turned out to be a rainy day. There are bridges in some areas and in others a ford is the most practical approach.

This was not the rainy season, but this year (August, 2006) there was plenty of rain and the falls were beautiful.

One of the byproducts of a verdant soil and ample rainfall is plenty of grassland for raising beef. A pasture like this can be fenced in to keep animals safe. It's interesting to see how easily certain plants grow. The stakes used as fence posts often will grow into full sized trees. Also, the big elephant eared plants you see in the foreground are taro. This variety wants to grow anywhere!

People aren't too concerned about their animals. You see that this cow has three nicks in her right ear - this designates ownership.

Pigs also roam around pretty freely. We saw this on many of the islands. We spoke to an EPA agent in Pago Pago and were told that these pigs do carry disease, so this free range attitude is not such a great idea. What we saw in Tonga is that people had to fence their yards to keep the pigs from eating their plants.

This young man is mowing the yard for his family - using a machete.

Back in town there are limited forms of industry. Fabric design and printing is an area in which Samoans excel.

These young men are learning wood carving as part of fabric printing. This class is a rehab program. Many islanders struggle with addiction issues that relate to the lack of industry on the islands.

Aggie Grey's is an institution in Apia (left). It is a beautiful hotel that caters to tourists and employs many islanders.

Many of the staff also perform in the island review (right and at top). Interestingly, the fire dance is native to Samoa, perhaps because of the volcanic activity on the Samoan islands (especially Savai'i).