This picture is in the main bus stand. Apparently, this is the only island where buses are made of wood!

Drivers here drive on the left side of the road (like most of the world). However, it was not that way always. Till about 2009, most cars were from America. They were costly and few people owned them. And they drove on the right side like in the US.

But cheaper cars from Asia started flooding the market and they became popular. Every single family has a car today! But the steering wheels were on the other side.

In 2009, the government switched the side of the roads!! Can you imagine the complexity of the project? The turning of boards, the paintings on the road, the confusion for drivers…. But they got it done over a period of 3 months!!

Interestingly, American cars are considered sturdier and higher quality here!

Still no motorcycle, scooter or bicycle – much like Fiji.

It is a bit of a tongue twister to pronounce the name. But the view was gorgeous. Especially after all the overnight heavy rains, the water was flowing with a lot of speed and volume. The falls is sheer drop of over 300 feet!

I have mentioned previously how some of the best Indian food I have eaten are in small island countries. Nevis, Turks and Caicos, Malta immediately come to mind. Samoa was a return to that pattern. Thomas took us to this Indian restaurant that lived up to all my expectations.

This was a huge structure with innumerable number of stalls selling fruits, vegetables, drinks, dresses, pottery, wood work – you name it and you will get it here. Adjoining this was another market and all they sold was fish! Like in Fiji, looks like eating fish – especially on Sundays – is a big festive thing here.

Each house in Samoa seemed to have an outside structure – covered but no walls. Thomas – our driver and guide – explained that these are called “fale tales”. These are usually used for family meetings and other occasions. In Samoa, multiple extended family members live in the same house or next to each other.

The trees looked like they were digging in their heels and bent squarely into the wind to take it on

The lush greenery reminded us of the rainfall in the rainforests of Costa Rica.