Views from the bus

Most mornings I catch the bus into work. It's a lovely trip into town as the bus drives along a section of the eastern coastal road. This morning I had my camera in my bag and decided to take a couple of photos along the way. It's a beautiful day here; the sun is shining and the clouds, whilst present, don't really seem threatening at this stage.



Along the coast road you'll often come across villagers' boats resting up on the foreshore like this one here in the village of Moata'a. Smaller outrigger canoes are another frequent sight, though quite often they're left floating tied to a large pole in the water instead of dragged ashore.

Another type of boat seen in the water more than on land, is the large fautasi. The fautasi is the Polynesian (I'm certain it's not just Samoan) version of the dragon boats found in China (and elsewhere). They hold crews of roughly forty to fifty people and are extremely heavy. When a team starts its regular practice for an upcoming race (such as the recent Flag Day celebrations in American Samoa or next month's Independence celebrations here) they leave the boat on the water.