Loungin'


After dropping a couple of items off a the post office, I walked down to Utelei Beach. Today was a bit hazy, so there were not too many people out at the park. A couple of families were swimming, and there was one barbecuing chicken on a small grill by the water. The fales at the beach were vacant, so I climbed up on one to do a little reading. Some of my students are reading Secret of the Andes, a Newberry Medal winner from the 1950's. I want to get ahead of them so I can be a better guide. The sound of the waves washing up on the shore was very relaxing, and the view of the mountains across the bay was spectacular. I was only able to spend a short time there, but I found it very refreshing. I enjoy getting out of the house and just loungin' sometimes. I have a difficult time relaxing; I'm always occupied with something, physically or in thought. Taking time to observe and enjoy life is something I'm trying to learn to do.


Soon after I got back to the flat from Pago, a friend called to invite me to go with her family and some friends to Leone Falls. None of us had ever been there, so we relied on the Lonely Planet guide to get us there. NOTE TO READERS: Lonely Planet guides do not contain the gospel. They are not the Bible. I've always been a Lonely Planet fan. They are the only travel guides I use. The information contained in the 2003 guide for Samoa is a little outdated. We learned that you cannot freely approach the Leone Falls, you must get permission from the family who owns the land. There is also no swimming. Apparently, a few years ago a rock fell from the side of the mountain by the waterfall and landed on a swimmer. The family that owns the land are very hesistant to let people go back to the fall, but we were just too charming. We were escorted back to the waterfall and instructed more time than I can count that we were not allowed to go swimming. When we reached the fall, I had no desire to get in the water.

I love waterfalls. They are beautiful, and this one was no exception. However, the basin below the fall was not very inviting. It was also man made. There is a much better waterfall that is more accessible to the public (although the hike to it is more demanding), and the pool below it is natural. It's a bigger fall, and the scenery around it is much more impressive. I've made the trek twice, but I never took a camera with me. I have to get back there before I leave Tutuila.


All my Army training is being put to good use.

I have less than two months left on the island. I've done a lot in the few months that I've lived here, but there is still so much that I would enjoy doing before I leave. The Historic Preservation Office has organized a self-guided walking tour of Pago Pago. I have to do that before I leave, maybe next Saturday. If I can focus my attention long enough, I'll make a list of the things I'd like to do before I fly out.