HORTIK ZEHAR: October 2008

Samoako bigarren uhartean nago, orain arte nahiko snorkeling egin dot eta ezin dozue imagina ze arrain koloretsu ikusi dodazan, urdin, beilegi, berde, arraidunak...Pasadan zapatuan Apiako (capital city of Samoa) saturday slow nite fever ezagutu gendun, guztiz barregarria...
Estoy en Savai'i la segunda isla de Samoa, decios que al hacer snorkeling se ven peces de increibles colores, tambien he conocido Apia (la capital del estado de Samoa) la nuit el pasado sabado, divertidisima y surrealisima experiencia...
Hi Museoman, eskerrik asko informazioagatik, arrazoi daukazu Samoako parte batzuk oso politak dira.
Aupa Trokisa, egia esanda laster barru komentuan sartzeko prest egongo naz hain da lasaia, too quiet maybe.
Hola ababol, de tanto relax creo que me voy a quedar con la mente plana, pero bueno seguire.
Kaixo Gaiardito, ondo ibili Argentinatik eta ondo pasa beharrean hasi arte.
SEE YOU PEOPLE, AND BE GOOD

TONGAN

L'illa paradisiaca esta una mica gris i fangosa per les pluges,una mica destrossada per les revoltes de fa dos anys i amb anims de canvis revolucionaris contra la monarquia corrupte, la coronacio del nou rei es al juliol. Pero el taranna dels habitants es calmat, sembla mentida quan els veus tan grandots i ferotges a les seves dances, pero son molt melosos i en general amb cara de bonatxons. Es el paradis pels recolectors de petxines com jo, n'hi ha de mides insospitades, aix... m'ataca la mala consciencia, intento no agafar-ne gaires. Hem gaudit fins ara d'un sopar tradicional amb danses a una cova, molt bonic, hem fet un tour per l'illa amb un angles molt particular, en Toni, em conegut una parella d'escocesos que estan viatjant per tot el mon despres de la seva boda a Fidji, soparem amb una parella mixta un tongania i una kiwi, que shan instalat aqui, hem parlat amb els revolucionaris... Tot plegat forca intens, i ara marxem a una altra illeta, dues hores i pico de ferry. L'horari i la calma dels illencs es mil vegades superiro a Menorca...increible. Tot es relatiu, mai se sap res de res, en fi quan tens nomes una setmana pot desesperar pero a mi no em molesta gaire. Seguire explicant....Abracades

Howdy, I'm back.
Have been so chilled out the past week I haven't had the motivation to write anything on here. Have spent the last week in the Kingdom of Tonga on the Vava'u group of Islands, a one hour flight north of the main Island, Tongatapu.
The reason for coming here was to swim with the Humpback Whales who migrate from the Antarctic every year to the warmer waters to give birth. Tonga is now regarded as the top destination in the world to see Humpback Whales with the added bonus as one of only 3 places that you are allowed to swim with them (don't ask me the other 2).
My first encounter with the Humpbacks was last Wednesday morning when we had to wait for about an hour before another boat moved away from where the Whales were hanging out. They are very strict here about only having one Whale swim boat at a time interacting with the Whales and only four people are allowed in the water at a time. By the time it came to our turn the Whales had had enough and where on the move. I got into the water only to see a mother and baby swim past and managed to get a couple of crappy pics.
I decided I would go out again last Sunday. We spent the first hour finding a whale and came across a baby humpback. The babies cant hold there breath as long as the adults and usually give away the locations of the whales easily. We approached the baby and turned off the boat engines. Our skipper was very knowledgeable and informed us that the mother would be lying below the surface while the baby played above. We waited for a while and sure enough the mother surfaced with another adult humpback which was her escort. After sussing out if the whales were comfortable with our presence we got on our snorkel gear and 4 of us and our guide swam out towards the Whales.
I cant put into words the feeling when you get the first view of these amazing animals in the water. The mother was approx 50 feet long and the skipper reckoned that the baby was about 15 feet long and 7-8 weeks old.
We spent about a minute with the whales, before the mother decided to move away. Got back on the boat and waited until the mother relaxed again and the second group got into the water. The baby got very playful with the swimmers and they got about 10minutes in the water with the Whales.
On my second swim the male escort with the mother was visible and swam just behind the mother. The baby whale was very curious and came very close to us a couple of times to get a better look. We spent about 10 minutes in the water with the Whales this time before heading back to the boat and having our lunch.
Apart from swimming with the Whales the past week has been all about relaxing. Every Friday there is a boat race in the bay and people who want to take part meet at the yacht club and tourists come along to volunteer to be crew on the boat for an hour during the race. It's more a fun race than anything else and is usually the starting point of a very long night on the town. The boat that I got to crew on came 9th out of 10 boats but we still got free beers for taking part.
I thought 10days in Tonga may have been too long but I'm going to be a bit sad flying back to Tongatapu tomorrow. I have met some really great people here and had the best snorkel of my life.

.NEW ZEALANDEN
We've been in New Zealand just over a week now and are having a great time (as usual). After a brief stop in Auckland, we headed up to the very north and saw where the Pacific Ocean and Tasman Sea meet. We went on a fast boat ride round the Bay of Islands that accidentally found playful dolphin pods with babies - the dolphin watching boats missed them and yet they came up to say hello to us!
Then we started south and went to the famous glowworm caves. There we went on an adventure trip - climbing, wading, swimming and toobing through the underground caves. Definitely a fantastic experience, although it was a little chilly in wetsuits (very unbecoming) in winter.
We've spent the last few days in sulphurous Rotorua exploring geysers, boiling mud pools and other geothermal phenomenon. Once you tune out the smell it' a truly amazing place to see. Plus, you get plenty of opportunity to laze about in hot spa pools which is always a bonus.
Sarah

SAMOAN
Hi Peeps! A short post, because here in Samoa life's simply too easy to spend time behind a screen. And internet is by the way too expensive to write a proper one... It is a remarkable bunch of islands with a strong community / family tradition. As an outsider you are welcomed into this warm atmosphere pretty fast and I will never have to worry to have no roof above my head or have an empty stomach. Yes, eating is one of the favorite activities of the Samoan people and their size makes me feel small every once in a while.. :) In other words; life is good here!
I spend my days sipping from a coconut with flowers around my neck and dipping myself in the warm Pacific to swim with the many many fish, sharks not excluded. The nature on the islands is as green as it can get and there are huge lava flows that spread out in the water, creating cool blow holes, caves and lagoons. The island feels like one big garden, since all the Samoans take great care for their properties, with colorful flowers, fruits and nicely cuttes grass lanes.
In my first days I rented a car with two German peeps and we drove around the main island and visited some of the beautiful waterfalls. Since then I have been 'stuck' on Lalomanu beach, where every day is a good one and every traveler comes by. Heaps of fun people to hang out with and every night we're having jam sessions.. In a couple of days I will try to move my ass to the other island Savaii to do a round trip there aswell, hopefully by bike if possible.
Anyway, like I said; internet is slow and expensive, so photo's will arrive as soon as I am in Oz, beginning of May. Hope you're all in good health and love y'all.
Daan

Robert Louis Stevenson handiak
Eight Years of Trouble in Samoa liburuan
Page 04
Fine dress is a passion, and makes a Samoan festival a thing of beauty. Song is almost ceaseless. The boatman sings at the oar, the family at evening worship, the girls at night in the guest-house, sometimes the workman at his toil. No occasion is too small for the poets and musicians; a death, a visit, the day's news, the day's pleasantry, will be set to rhyme and harmony. Even half-grown girls, the occasion arising, fashion words and train choruses of children for its celebration. Song, as with all Pacific islanders, goes hand in hand with the dance, and both shade into the drama. Some of the performances are indecent and ugly, some only dull; others are pretty, funny, and attractive. Games are popular. Cricket-matches, where a hundred played upon a side, endured at times for weeks, and ate up the country like the presence of an army. Fishing, the daily bath, flirtation; courtship, which is gone upon by proxy; conversation, which is largely political; and the delights of public oratory, fill in the long hours.
But the special delight of the Samoan is the malanga. When people form a party and go from village to village, junketing and gossiping, they are said to go on a malanga. Their songs have announced their approach ere they arrive; the guest-house is prepared for their reception; the virgins of the village attend to prepare the kava bowl and entertain them with the dance; time flies in the enjoyment of every pleasure which an islander conceives; ...

IA GUK ZER KONTATEN DUN!

Handik bere estropadak! Aupa Arkote, (San Miguel ligan ez baia ... )!

Holango txabola baten amaituku igual!