Ofu

The weekend after the Pacific Arts Festival ended, Tim, Lisa and I headed off for a weekend on Ofu. I had had a crap-tastic week and needed to get the heck out of dodge. Ofu is one of the Manu'a Islands (along with Olosega & Ta'u), which is part of American Samoa. It's about a 20 minute plane ride from our island of Tutuila. You get off the plane and walk about 20 yards and you're at the Lodge, which is owned by our friend Jim's family. This place is awesome! About 50 yards from your room is the beach and it has sandy white beaches with some of the softest sand you've ever felt and water that is an unreal crystal clear turquoise color. It was exactly what I needed. I just sat on the beach all day, reading a book, playing in the water, soaking up the sun, and enjoying the beauty of it all. I went snorkling the second day we were there and even saw a red octopus. It is officially one of my favorite places on earth.

A picture is worth a thousand words...this place is heaven on earth:

At the airport, you have to get weighed so they can balance the plane.

From Tutuila to Ofu, you stand on the platform between the check-in counters that you usually put your baggage on. At least there, the scale is visible only to the airline staff. But from Ofu to Tutuila, you step up on this free-standing veterinary-type-scale that has a HUGE digital display so everyone can see how much you weigh! It's awesome. Not embarassing at all.

Here, you can see all 3 islands--Ofu (left), Olosega (middle) and Ta'u (right).

Nick, LTM, me & Tim after alot of alcohol & 40 versions of this shot...

Playing cards at the Lodge...me, LTM & Nick.
Tim didn't really play well with others.

Hermie...
Hermie likes beer...
This is the day I fried myself.
The sun wasn't out, it was cloudy, and I forgot my sunscreen.
I know, I know...you can still get burned even when it's cloudy out.
I get it. I got it so bad that I spent the next day by myself at the Lodge because it hurt too much to even walk. I was peeling for weeks.

LTM jumping from the bridge between Ofu and Olosega:

My favorite spot...

Toes in the sand...
Look at that water!!!

Tim chillin' in the hammock on the beach...

Sunset on the National Park beach...

Nice nut, Tim.
Soaking it all in...

Our room at the lodge--complete with a dog of our very own...

The view from our room...
Drunkards hanging out on the airport runway...

Ofu from the air...

Pacific Arts Festival--Part 6

There were so many amazing sights, sounds, and stories at the Pacific Arts Festival that it would be impossible to fully describe. So here is just a small sampling of some of the images that we enjoyed. Most of these pictures were taken from the blogs of some of my friends who are FAR better photographers than I. Thanks to Alden, Jeremy, Barbara and the Browns for most of these amazing photos. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience. And despite all the crap that has gone down so far in my time on the rock, I am glad I was here to experience this rich cultural event.

The things to do and see at the Festival went far beyond just performance arts...

The delegates paraded into the stadium for the closing ceremonies.

Because the Governor was off-island, the Lieutennant Governor addressed the crowd. It's always awesome to have a criminal defendant currently up on federal charges representing your island at one of the most significant events in the South Pacific.
A parade of women in white pulatasi's encircled the delegates on the field in a visual representation of the Festival's theme "threading the oceanic ula". Where the 2 ends met, a flag was passed from a representative from American Samoa to one from the Solomon Islands, who will host the 11th Festival of the Pacific Arts in 2012.

During the closing ceremonies, we were treated to a giant fireknife performance.

At the end of the closing ceremonies, there was a fireworks display. Now, remember how in my 4th of July post I said that fireworks are illegal here? That should tell you how big of a deal it was to have them for the closing ceremonies. Everyone was so excited--the mood in the stadium was electric. And although it was awesome to get to see fireworks, it wasn't with the same professional safety standards that you take for granted when you're watching the sky over Coors Field light up after the Rockies game. Imagine handing $60,000.00 worth of explosives to a 17 year old--that's pretty much the level of safety planning that took place. The fireworks were set off so close to the crowd that burning embers were falling on our heads. Only in Samoa...

Yes, in the last shot, those blurry spots are bits of ash, some burning, that were falling down on our heads. Awesome.