It's just a problem

As one travels, certain things become emblematic of the trip. That small part of your back that hurts after lugging your backpack around for a day. The throb in your left foot that makes itself known in the afternoon. And, very often, the things that you or others say. The mantra for this trip has definitely been, "It's just a problem!"

When ordering some lunch in Vienna's market area I stumbled on what little German I can remember. I asked the waiter if he spoke English. He replied (in English) that he only spoke a little English. I reassured him that was fine as I only spoke a little German. He grinned, shrugged his shoulders and said quite simply, "It's just a problem!" No doubt he was aiming for "It's not a problem" but he didn't quite get there. No matter. Food and drink was ordered, consumed and all was good.

As is common when travelling, little things go wrong. Buses are late. Trains are delayed. Items are misplaced and cross-language communication can lead to bizarre results. This trip has had it's fair share (such as riad bookings not being honoured in Marrakech). But in all cases we've reminded ourselves that "it's just a problem". And all problems can be (and thus far have been) solved. That one phrase has preserved sanity a couple of times and definitely kept our senses of humour buoyant.

As the trip continues (three days of the ATP music festival starting tonight) I fully anticipate something else to go wrong. But it'll be fine. After all, "it's just a problem."

Florence

In 1982 UNESCO declared the entire centre of the city a World Heritage Site and it's easy to see why. Florence is amazing. Cobblestone streets wind through the city, small side streets branching off in all directions. A plethora of amazing buildings catch one's eye. The Ponte Vecchio spanning the Arno river. The Sante Croce which houses the tombs of Galileo, Michelangelo, Machiavelli and Dante. The Accademia, home to Michelangelo's David. And towering above them all, the astonishing Duomo, designed by Brunelleschi. It is truly staggering. Luckily I had an excellent vantage point of the Duomo, as the picture from my hotel room (above) shows. Leaning out of the other window afforded a view of the actual dome itself but this was a better picture. Even so, wow!

Early one morning I took the long climb up the Duomo dome itself (some 500 or so steps) to enjoy a fantastic view of Florence and the surrounding Tuscan hills. Just beautiful. Walking through the streets of the city was incredible enough but to see it all from such a vantage point was fantastic. And such great weather for it too.

I didn't bother spending four hours in line to see Michelangelo's David but did enjoy seeing the replica in situ in the piazza where David originally stood. I visited the library of the Medici family where a great exhibition on fantastic animals (unicorns, sirens, etc.) in literature, etc., was held and bought and ate great food from the Florence food markets.

More photos and stories will come as I find the time, though I suspect a lot of that will happen once my trip is over. I'm in Barcelona now and tomorrow I head to Morocco. Who knew that being on holiday could be so much hard work. ;)

Vienna

I've just enjoyed two glorious days in Vienna. The city was at its best with crystal clear blue skies and warm weather. A very beautiful place indeed.

Some of the architecture is astonishing. The Museum Quarter off Maria Hilfer Strasse is particularly stunning with many very grand buildings. Sadly the computer I'm using at the moment disallows me to grab a coupel of photos off my camera. I'll fix that later but for now trust me; it's brilliant.

One of the highlights for me however was one of the transport options available within the city. A project called City Bike Wien (see their home page) is just fantastic. Fifty bike stations are located across the city and after a quick and cheap registration of just €1 you can hire a bicycle and ride across the city. The first hour of usage is free and additional hours begin at €1. With bike lanes everywhere and so many bike stations, it's a very attractive mode of transportation. Even better, you don't have to return your bike to where you hired it. Simply return it to any station and you're done. Sydney isn't nearly as bike friendly (geographically if for no other reason) but I'd love to see something like this there.

The other big highlight for me was without a doubt the food markets. I was in heaven, seeing and smelling the vast array of fresh fruit, vegetables, meats, cheeses and more on offer. Being a Saturday the markets were bustling with activity as well. A quick stop for a local beer and some freshly made hummus and flatbread recharged the batteries and allowed for some people watching. Again, when the opportunity arises I will definitely post some pictures.

Two days is, of course, never enough time to see any place but I do feel like I had a chance to begin to see the heart of Vienna. I was greatly impressed.

Have lavalava, will travel

It's with great delight that I note that Mr Lavalava will shortly be holidaying across Europe. Whilst the weather will be decidedly colder than that in Samoa, rest assured that at least one lavalava will be packed in the luggage. I will endeavour to update the blog with pics as is possible.

In other news, by sheer chance I stumbled across a Sydney Samoan radio station the other day. It airs every Saturday morning from 9am to 11am. If you want to hear the latest Samoan tunes and find out what's happening with the Sydney Samoan community, I suggest you tune in to Nu'u Samoa next Saturday morning.

News from Samoa

One of the harder challenges since leaving Samoa has been that of keeping up with the local news. It's easy enough to pick up the phone and call friends but one only learns so much. The focus of those calls is, understandably, much more personal.

Imagine my delight then at discovering that the Samoa Observer has recently decided to resume online publication. As a source of news about Samoa it far outstrips the efforts of ABC's Pacific Beat and Radio New Zealand International. Those sites have - necessarily - a broader focus on the entire Pacific and with the troubles in countries like Fiji and the Solomon Islands, reports from Samoa tend to be a little thin on the ground.

Not all of the Observer is online but enough of it is to make me very happy. Best of all, their Street Talk section is updated daily. Street Talk is the Observer's vox populi page and whilst in Samoa it was arguably my favourite part of the paper (for a whole lot of reasons).

Looking over the last month's headlines it's easy to spot some recurring stories. The issue of doctors' pay has flared up again, more than a year after I was first aware of it. More village banishments have occurred, one in particular catching my eye. A family has been banished from their village of Gagaifolevao, Lefaga after it was discovered that a tourist currently facing charges of sex offences had stayed with them. On a happier note, Manu Samoa won its first Rugby 7s tournament, claiming top spot in the Wellington round.

Rioting in the Pacific

The recent news of the rioting, looting and destruction in Tonga's capital Nuku'alofa is quite sad. With eight deaths and the rebuilding cost already estimated at $75 million USD it's a heavy blow to the country. The healing process will no doubt take many years.

A short news story on the Radio New Zealand International website caught my eye this morning. Apparently some palagis have suggested that Samoa will be the next country in the region to "have the same troubles as Tonga". Samoan Prime Minister, Tuila’epa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi, responded by stating that "the strength of the Samoan cultural ties and the people’s respect for its traditional leaders and traditional avenues in resolving dispute will always prevail". But isn't all of this missing the mark?

Tonga is a constitutional monarchy and the Tongan monarchy plays a very strong role in the country's political process. The Tongan Cabinet currently consists of 14 members, 10 appointed by the monarch for life; 4 appointed from among the elected members of the Legislative Assembly, including 2 each from the nobles and peoples representatives serving three year terms. There are no elections; the prime minister and deputy prime minister are appointed by the monarchy.

For several years a strong pro-democracy movement has been growing in Tonga. It "emphasises reforms including better representation in the Parliament for the majority commoners, and better accountability in matters of state" (Wikipedia entry). Recently, a Constitutional Commission has been considering suggestions as to how Tonga's constitution might be reformed.

With the September succession to the throne by Siaosi Tupou V, it was believed by many that there would be advances in the reform process sooner rather than later. The rioting is said to have been triggered when it seemed that the parliament would adjourn for the year without having made any advances in increasing democracy in government.

By contrast, Samoa is a mix of parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy. The Samoan monarchy, generally speaking, plays little role in the political process. There are elections held every five years and the government has been very open to political, judicial and legislative reform, driven particularly by cooperative foreign aid/development projects.

In short, Samoans have democracy where Tongans do not. It's certainly not perfect and does have its fair share of problems but by and large it works. As such, Tuila’epa's comments about the strong ties within Samoan culture, the respect for traditional leaders and traditional disputation processes are valid but in my eyes don't really strike at the heart of the matter. Furthermore, as the legal challenges following the March 2005 elections illustrate (see here, here and here), there is a growing tension between the traditional power structures and the newer judicial and legislative structures. Since I left Samoa in September, I have heard of two more cases held in the Land & Titles Court challenging village rulings over banishments.

Nonetheless, I agree completely with Tuila'epa's refutation of the claim that Samoa will be the next Pacific nation to endure mass civil disobedience and rioting. I simply cannot imagine it happening. I hope Tonga can solve the problems it faces and wish the very best for my friends in Tonga and my friends elsewhere with family in Tonga.

Mau nofo a e.

Something a little off topic

I've just been watching Foreign Correspondent on Australia's ABC. It contained a story about the hazards of living with elephants in Sri Lanka. An elephant trainer interviewed for the story said, "There's no point to a country if it doesn't have elephants." I couldn't agree more.

Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink

It's an island nation in the middle of the Pacific Ocean yet Samoa has water supply problems. According to a recent news report from Radio New Zealand International, the Samoa Water Authority has publicly acknowledged that there is a problem, stating that low water levels at the major treatment plant in Fuluasou are to blame.

Of course this isn't news to anyone who's lived in villages like Vaitele, Vailele and Fagalii-uta (where I lived). Watching the water emanating from the taps turn from clear to milky white to murky brown then shortly after stop running at all was a fairly regular past time. I was fortunate enough to have a water tank that at least allowed for a few showers and cups of tea/coffee beyond what my neighbours typically enjoyed.

The water would most often run out during and after periods of heavy rain; soil blocking the pipes and all that kind of thing. This time around however the problem really is supply. The dry season has yet to run its course so there's not an awful lot of rainfall that would result in blocked pipes. Just before I left in mid September I drove past the major dam on 'Upolu and noted that it was almost entirely dry.

I've been told by a friend still in Fagalii that they've been without water for a while now. And whilst the rain isn't falling readily or steadily enough they're unable to catch much water in buckets and have "outdoor showers" as I was want to do. Their situation is a bit of a catch 22. No rain means no mains water; any big dump of rain is likely to lead to blocked pipes anyway. Bugger.

Miss Teuila controversy

This year's Miss Teuila pageant has not been without a degree of controversy. Supporters of Miss Samoa, New Zealand, a contestant who was named second runner-up, were extremely vocal in their disappointment. In the few days prior to my departure from Samoa, their letters of complaint filled the pages of The Observer.

I believe that it was these supporters who discovered that Pearl McFall (Miss NUS), who was crowned Miss Teuila, was 17 at the time she registered in the pageant. Pageant rules dictate that contestants must be 18 years of age or older to enter. This news was, of course, picked up by the media and became the only story worth telling for a few days.

McFall officially relinquished her crown five days after being crowned Miss Teuila, holding a press conference at the National University of Samoa campus to make the announcement. This resulted in Poinsettia Taefu, the first runner-up, being crowned Miss Teuila 2006. Having cleaned up seven of the ten individual category awards (e.g. Best Talent, Best Puletasi, etc.), it seems fitting that Poinsettia wears the crown. Congratulations 'tia!

Fine with my wife

I've wanted to post more photos and write more about Samoa but unfortunately my computer is in for repair. This might take a few weeks, so my chances of posting are going to be slim. Nonetheless, I will endeavour to put something up in the next week or so.

In the meantime, for those of you with broadband (or similar) Internet connections, might I suggest you check out this video clip (YouTube) by the biggest musical group in Samoa, Zipso. It's the song "Fine With My Wife". Nothing beats a song with the chorus

She came and said, "Sole! Zipso. You and me. My house, let's go."
"It's ok. It's alright. Girl, I'm fine, with my wife."

Enjoy the clip. I hope to get some more tales and photos to you soon. Cheers.

Gone bananas!

Dear me. I'd heard about the price of bananas going through the roof in Australia thanks to Cyclone Larry early in the year but it didn't really mean anything until I saw this earlier today in downtown Melbourne:

Bloody hell! That's $34 WST (Tala) for a kilogram of bananas. I've seen numbers that suggest your average banana weighs about 100 grams. If that's the case, it's fair to say that Samoa is living the good banana life. Ten bananas will set you back no more than $3 or $4 WST at Fugalei markets.

Just to make life worse, a morning of extreme cold a week or so ago destroyed a significant portion of the stone fruit crops in Victoria. If the stratospheric prices for bananas weren't enough, it now looks like stone fruit like apricots, nectarines and plums will cost a fair amount this season too. Crisis!

Whilst much stone fruit isn't available in Samoa, send me back anyway please! Cheap, tasty bananas and mangoes that just fall off the trees everywhere you look. Count me in.

Tofa soifua

When you leave Samoa by air, the last thing you see before you enter the plane is this sign. Sadly for me, it was what I saw on Thursday. My assignment completed, it was time for me to say farewell and fly to Sydney.

It's been very tough saying goodbye. My time in Samoa has been incredible and I've been so fortunate to have worked with, and otherwise meet, so many wonderful people. Not to mention how beautiful a country Samoa is.

I know Sydney has its own beauty but at the moment, I'm having to work harder to find it. It smells funny, it feels far too busy, there is a cacophony of noises that are both familiar and strange and no one smiles as they walk down the street.

On the flipside, I've already had some amazing food; simple food that we too often take for granted. Incredible cheeses, good Chinese cuisine and, my highlight thus far, fresh strawberries.

Other than sheer exhaustion (sensory overload!) my main problem thus far would be accepting the reality of my situation. I keep referring to things, places and people in Samoa in an inclusive way. Next week our paddling club will start regular training nights (Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 5pm if anyone's interested). We commence an interesting project at work this week.

In spite of the change of location, I'm hoping that it will continue to make some sense to talk about Samoa in such a way. I'll still be in touch with friends and I'll definitely be requesting the latest news and gossip that's doing the rounds of Apia.

If nothing else, I certainly have many more things I want to say about Samoa and my time there on this blog. And having taken close to six thousand photos, I'm sure I can find a few more to put online.

Teuila races

After the Miss Teuila pageant, the fautasi race is probably the most popular event of the Teuila festival. As in the Independence Day race, fautasi crews compete in a five kilometre races that starts at Faleula and ends in Apia harbour. Once again, two teams were the ones to beat. The Manono crew that won the Independence Day race and the Don Bosco crew that took top honours in American Samoa earlier in the year.

Unfortunately, I didn't watch the race live. Due to the reef and shallows, the race needs to be held in conjunction with high tide, so it started at 6am and I'm not much of a morning person. This didn't stop me from making a bet on the outcome with a colleague from my paddling club. We made a deal that if the Manono team won I would buy him a beer; if the Don Bosco boys took out the prize then he would buy me won. I'm happy to say that I'm now owed a beer. The Don Bosco team beat the Manono crew by a decent margin. I think it's a good thing. The Manono boys have won everything in sight for the last three or four years, so a changing of the guard is healthy.

The fautasi race isn't the only race during the festival however. This year our paddling regatta was incorporated into the program. It was a great day and we had a fantastic turn out. We had nine teams in the social division and three clubs submitted teams for the more professional divisions.

We decided after the last regatta that we needed a uniform. You have to look the goods even if you're actually not that good at all. Thus, we decked ourselves out in matching tshirts and lavalavas. Alas, it didn't bring great results, but that doesn't matter. We had a good time of things. In the more senior divisions there were some fantastic races. The Pualele club edged out the Paddles club in the big races but had to fight hard for their wins. The 500m final for example saw less than a second separating the first two boats, with third place finishing less than two seconds behind them. Very exciting stuff.

Teuila!

Teuila festival. It's the biggest event on the Samoan cultural and social calendar. It's a week long celebration of the fa'asamoa and is full of events aimed to attract Samoans and palagis alike. Fairy lights are strung up all along Beach Road, making Apia harbour look even more beautiful at night. Stalls are set up next to the Government building where people sell clothing, art, food and demonstrate traditional crafts such as tattooing and weaving.

The biggest event of the festival is of course, the Miss Teuila pageant. Eleven women from Samoa, New Zealand, Australia and the United States competed to win the illustrious title. The build up to the pageant is pretty big but the event itself is even bigger.

I watched the pageant live on television with some friends of mine. It turned out to be far better than going to the event itself (well, I think so anyway). My friends were caustic in their appraisal of the contestants' efforts, which was hilarious. Mind you, the girls don't do themselves many favours. The talent round was particularly awful, with only one girl really showing any considerable talent. The highlight however, was (as always) the interview round.

On the topic of what she would focus on if voted as Miss Teuila, contestant number 1 had to say that "fundraising for the old people so they have more days to live on earth" would be one of her priorities.

Contestant number 11 stated that, "as a strong believer that women can do anything, women can do anything."

Yet another contestant, when asked what the best things about Samoa's environment might be, simply responded, "The best thing about the environment of Samoa is its features." The pregnant pause that followed, and the laughter from the audience, eventually convinced her to think about her answer and elaborate somewhat.

Miss Samoa Australia, when pausing for breath at the end of one mindless statement, demanded that the audience wait: "Please, I haven't finished......just kidding". No. You weren't. And I'm beginning to wonder what on earth you were raving on about when you mentioned the chattels in all the other countries of the world, that clearly made Samoa the best place to be.

The comments of the evening came from the outgoing MissTeuila, who bemoaned the loss of title. No more free air travel and "free lunch will be a distant memory". She even begged the owner of a beauty salon in Apia for just one more full body workover. Still, she insisted that any tears shed by her on the night would be tears of joy, not sadness, and thus my friends and I took her at her word.

The winner on the night was Pearl McFall, this year's Miss NUS (National University of Samoa). A work colleague's daughter came second, although thanks to winning seven of the ten category prizes, I'm pretty certain she doesn't mind one bit. She has something like six or seven return flights to New Zealand, hotel accommodation, cash prizes, wine, manicures, massages, etc., to enjoy.

Followup on the follower of fashion

Early last week I had several of my clothes disappear from my clothes line. I discovered a few of them on the body of the village security guard. Hilarity ensued.

Later that week I was called over to my landlord's house (conveniently no more than 30 metres away) and I was formally presented with my clothing and an apology on behalf of the security guard, his family and the landlord's family. It was an interesting moment of fa'asamoa.

Anyway, the end result of all of this was that not only did I have confirmation that someone liked my clothing enough to pinch it off the line, I even had it returned. Fantastic!

Sadly, my dreams came crashing down this morning as I discovered that the security guard was in fact fairly critical of one item of clothing. Imagine my horror as I noticed that he'd "coughed his rompers". No. My rompers. Now imagine my horror at discovering this after I'd been wearing them for half a day!

That's one pair of shorts that won't be making the trip back to Australia with me.

Isa, Sala and Te'a

Meet Isa, Sala and Te'a (l to r). They live on Namua. They're wonderful kids with infectious attitudes and brilliant smiles. Their family is similarly delightful. It's been an absolute pleasure getting to know them all over the last year.

A small exercise in irony

Saturday's Observer contained a story and a letter to the editor, both of which caught my eye. The letter to the editor bemoaned the poor quality of the quiz show that has just started on local television:

I agree that it is high time that such a competition should take place in Samoa. HOWEVER, the quality and the phrasing of the questions are very poor, very confusing and need considerable improvement.
But more importantly, there needs to be a proper evaluation that the answers are correct. A lot of the answers given by the quizmaster are WORNG!

I had to laugh.

The story, following on from the recent decision to shut the majority of the nightclubs in Apia for three months, focused on two tourists to Samoa who think that the shutdown order is great. Mr Backlet, in particular thinks it's great because

Despite the nightlub business being a fast money turner, only violence, corruption, prostitution, gambling, immoral sexual and gangster activities will happen as a result.

His travelling companion, Mr Coan, was in complete agreement, saying that Samoa is a wonderful country because Christian values are being upheld. Mr Backlet continued, warning Samoa against accepting foreign cultures and ideas. What? Like Christianity?

A dedicated follower of (my) fashion

A couple of days ago I noticed that some of my clothes were missing. Some shorts and maybe a t-shirt or two. Someone had taken them from my clothes line. It's not that big a deal; clothes can be easily replaced. I didn't think that much of it.

This morning, as I left for work in a taxi (I'd missed the bus), I saw the village security guard (all villages with government housing employ security guards) walking down the road in a nice t-shirt and what looked like a comfortable pair of shorts. My t-shirt and shorts. I had to say something.

I asked the taxi driver (pictured here) to stop the car and I hopped out to have a chat with the man. I enquired as to why he was casually walking around in my clothes. Thanks to my poor command of Samoan and his equally poor command of English, we didn't make much progress. At just the right moment, my taxi driver stepped out of the car and proceeded to give the security guard what seemed like a fair bollocking. A hasty conversation ensued and finally, with smiles all around, claps on the back and handshakes, we parted ways.

Back in the taxi and somewhat bewildered, I asked the driver what had just transpired. He assured me that the security guard would wash and return my clothes tomorrow. It seems his threat of taking me immediately to the police (!) seems to have carried some weight in the conversation. Fair enough.

Still, my driver was not satisfied. He drove us down to the fale owned by the pulenu'u of my village to see if he was around. I assured him that it was unnecessary and that I would talk to my "landlord". Satisfied, he proceeded to drive me to my destination.

So, it seems that (at least some of) my clothes may be coming back to me after all. A pleasant surprise. I also take heart in the knowledge that at least one person out there approves of my taste in clothing. Result!

And as for the taxi driver, Fa'apine, well he's a legend. He stepped in to help me without a moment's hesitation. A typical demonstration of the amazing attitude of the overwhelming majority of people I've met in my time here. Fa'apine; fa'afetai tele lava sole. Ou te fa'amoemoe o lau Eagles e tatau ona manu malo i le vaiaso fou!

Apia's drinking problem worsens

Three weeks ago, on advice from the Liquor Board, police issued closure notices to six popular nightclubs in Apia. Complaints from Apia village matai about underage drinking, fights, damage to property and the clubs operating beyond the midnight curfew were given as the justifications for the decision. As best I can ascertain, these were general complaints; there was not a single specific incident to which the Liquor Board referred in making their decision.

On Tuesday this week the Liquor Board ended two weeks of deliberations and decided to extend the closure period for a further three months. The decision, according to chairman Tuu'u Anasi'i Leota, would allow the board "to look at the social impact of our decision." They don't need three months to see the social impact; it's started already.

The first "social impact" of the board's decision is the immediate unemployment of almost 100 workers. Of the six nightclubs, only Lighthouse has been able to retain all of their staff because of the catering business they also operate.

With ongoing expenses such as rent, electricity, water and National Provident Fund contributions to staff, and unable to generate income, it's looking increasingly likely that a number of the clubs will simply shut down. Perhaps the next social impact the board can expect to see will be a strip of rundown, vacant buildings right in the heart of Apia.

Vale Dennis

For the last seven or eight months I've been fortunate enough to enjoy the company of a wonderfully happy (if fairly stupid) dog called Dennis. He would accompany me on walks on the weekend, wait for the bus in the mornings with me (and others) and more often than not be waiting for me in the afternoon when I returned home.

Apparently he would on occasion chase little kids around the village and could be a bit aggressive at times but I never saw it. Sure, he was an absolute pain in the backside from time to time (dirty paw prints don't look good on freshly laundered white shirts for example) but he was a genuinely happy and fun friend to have around.

Yesterday Dennis came to my place in the morning and was moping around a lot. I didn't think much of it except that perhaps he'd been in a fight with other dogs and was coming to my place to rest. Sadly, my assessment was very wrong.

Over the course of the next couple of hours he became increasingly lethargic and refused to budge from my laundry. When I discovered him lying in his own vomit I called a friend of mine who works at the Animal Protection Society (APS) and she in turn called the vet. We were far too late. We buried Dennis in the park next to my house. He will be sorely missed.

Sadly, dogs are poisoned in Samoa all the time. The poison of choice is Paraquat. One of the more widely used herbicides, it's an extremely powerful and nasty drug. For humans, the lethal dose is 35 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. In dogs, the lethal dose is somewhere between 25-50 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. There is no antidote for Paraquat.

Once ingested, Paraquat is distributed by the bloodstream to practically all areas of the body, resulting in systematic organ failure. The liver, lungs, heart and kidneys all fail but it is in the lungs that the damage is most concentrated. Pulmonary oedema is the most common type of failure, the lungs accumulating fluid until they fail. It makes for a particularly horrible way to die.

The frequency with which dogs are poisoned (and otherwise ill-treated) illustrates that there is an enormous need for better education. This is the reason why my friend is at the APS. She develops and implements education programmes for schools and villages. No one contests the need for a dog control programme in Samoa but organisations such as the APS fight to make sure that any programmes are carried out in a sensitive and humane manner. I wish my friend and the APS all the very best of luck in their work.