Apia, Samoa - Nov 24, 2014

Samoa has two seasons, the wet season (Nov-Apr) and the drier season (May-Oct), overall it is warm and balmy with an average temperate of 29 degrees Celsius. So under heavy cloudy skies we float in to the beautiful Apia, Samoa. Samoa is the epitome of natural beauty consisting of ten islands, each offering very distinct and different environments to explore. From the rainforest covered rugged volcanic mountain peaks of the two main islands to the vast valleys leading down to a coastline ringed with a necklace of beautiful white sandy beaches. Within these lush green fertile valleys banyan trees tower above the rainforest canopy which is full of tropical blooms and numerous varieties of vegetation. Cascading waterfalls drop into the rivers cutting beautiful jagged lines through the valley floor as they make their way to the ocean. The coastline is a wonder in itself, with sparkling white sand beaches, in some places stretching for miles and here and there are walls of sheer cliffs that drop straight into the Pacific Ocean. So in a word a Tropical Paradise as Apia which is located on the island of Upolu has a friendly population of about 40,000 inhabitants.

As we cast our lines under these on and off again rain showers we enjoyed a wonderful local cultural show with a cast of many welcoming us to their island. Junior, who happens to be the son of a village chief, and also a former tour guide for Aggey Greys, was our taxi driver for the day. So we were in great hands as we showed him our itinerary and with agreeing to a great price he not only fulfilled our itinerary but also added many stops that he told were his secret spots - very nice gentlemen, very good car and comfortably covered everything at a great pace while getting us back to the ship in good time. Thank you Junior for the great day.

Four waterfalls, starting with Felefa Waterfall and ending with the over 300 foot Papappapai-uta falls where amazing in themselves, throw in the lush forest and panoramic views along with a couple resorts (one in the treetops) and then a trip to the final home of Robert Louis Stevenson and a city tour and you have a great four and half hours as the slight rain showers stop midway through the day to offer great photo opportunities throughout the day.

Two parts today, we hope you enjoy. BTW, the ship was hosting a children's group that the ship was raising funds for. A record $12,500 was presented to the organizer who was blown off her feet, let's just pretty much not a dry eye in the house. So yes, a great day all around.