Samoa

Samoa is kind of unique in certain ways from the other islands of the south pacific. For one, Samoa is only made up of a handful of islands while most of the countries of the pacific are made up of hundreds and sometimes even thousands of small volcanic islands. Samoa is located at the very heart of the pacific island chains right in between Tahiti and Fiji. Samoa, like many of the islands of the south pacific, boasts beautiful coral beaches and lush rainforests on the interior of the island. Because of the exotic variances in locations from beach to interior of the island, there is a wide variety of activities that tourist can enjoy during their stay. These include surfing, scuba diving, mountain biking, and tours through the thick vegetation in the rain forest for animal watching. Samoa comes with it a deep pride in its heritage and background and many natives still practice some of their old customs. For instance, many villages still have chiefs and most natives still sleep in open thatched homes. Samoa, some argue, is also one of the origins of the tribal style of tattooing. Many tourists who visit Samoa often leave with an authentic Samoan type tattoo as a souvenir of sorts. Another fun fact about Samoa is that it is the death place of famous author and poet Robert Louis Stevenson. Indeed, one of the most popular tourist spots on the island is his grave site which is located on Mt. Vaea overlooking the sea.

Amsterdam

Not south pacific related but I just got back from Amsterdam and want to talk about it! Amsterdam is the craziest city I have been to in my travels so far. And yes, a bit of that has to do with what I am sure you are thinking, but it is a great city in its own right. I have been there twice, once on my biking trip through Europe, and once for my freshman year spring break trip. Both times were nuts, though I think my first time around was the craziest week I have ever had.

We were staying in a campground a little outside the city, full of biking bums like ourselves, and it was great. We would all bike into the city en masse and hang out in the parks and squares, usually in an altered state of mind from some substance or another. Hell, my friend and I spent one whole night riding around on hallucinogenic mushrooms, watching laser light trails along the edges of our vision as we flew along at incredible speed (or so we thought). We also got to see a lot of the museums the city is famous for, such as the Van Gogh museum and the Anne Frank House. Going from the amazing art at the Van Gogh to the incredibly somber mood in the Anne Frank House was a sobering experience.

One of coolest things we ran into with the nightlife was Febo, which is like a drunk food dream. It is a wall of short-order food that cooks, or elves, make behind the wall and place in small little cubicles. You pay one euro, and you can buy whatever food you see on the wall. Pure genius if you ask me. They also had little food stalls that sold vlaamse frites (sp?), which were wax paper cones of thick cut French fries, drenched in ketchup and eaten with a tiny fork.