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Life After Brown
Around the world with Traveler
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<blockquote data-quote="traveler" data-source="post: 258343" data-attributes="member: 1954"><p><strong>Re: Around the world with Traveller</strong></p><p></p><p>Thanks to everyone for the kind comments. A special thanks to DS for getting me off my duff to write about my travels.</p><p></p><p>Here's the next episode, Western Samoa:</p><p></p><p>We arrived in the morning to a day where rain was a distinct possibility. Nonetheless we began without rain gear or an umbrella. My mission in any new country is to get six of each coin currently issued by that country. Through experience I have found various methods to accomplish this. This one was simple, well sort of simple. We took a walk into the capitol city (town) of Apia to the first bank I saw. Actually, there were two banks near each other and the first I chose to enter was a strictly local commercial bank whose employees directed me to the other bank the dealt with "foreigners", as they put it. I think that's the first time anywhere we were called foreigners. At the second bank we took a number for service, just like an American bakery. After a few minutes wait the sign above lit up with our number and instructions to go to teller number 11. There were about 18 working positions in this small bank! After some work getting the young woman to understand what I was asking for I got my coins and thanked the teller for her generous help. I got 10 of each coin to make it easier for the teller. The coins are for our 5 grand-children and the biggest kid of all, my son-in-law. With so much travel this seems to be an appreciated gift every time and in most countries, at a nominal cost. The temperature was up to about about 30 C (86 friend) so we stopped at the local grocery for a couple of sodas which was also a good way to spend the excess coins. After a short walk in the small town we decided to walk to "Vailima" the wonderful retirement home of Robert Louis Stevenson. That was supposedly a 2½ mile walk from Apia and would work nicely for our daily exercise. Well, as it turns out it started that way and turned to a arduous trek up some of the steep hills of the island, Upolu. We finally made it to the front gate an met a very nice couple taking each other's pictures. They were surprised when they asked if we walked all the way and said that they took a taxi up and were going to walk down. I congratulated them on their good planning. After another ½ mile up the driveway "Vailima" came into sight.</p><p></p><p>Luck was with us again. The ships tour arrived just before we did and they had a local band playing a small concert. Also, there was a guide for each room in the mansion. One guide mentioned that usually there is only one guide for the whole mansion but since the ship ran a tour we had the advantage of a knowledgeable guide for each room! After the tour left and we finished the tour (15 Tala each or about $6 American per person) we sat on the veranda to cool off with another cold drink. I was wearing a shirt I bought in Australia earlier this year and the gent sitting on the next bench asked if that was my home. As soon as I began to tell him where I hailed from, I'm sure he recognized my accent. He was a New Zealander, a Kiwi as they are commonly known. It seems he was there doing research on the origins of the neighbors of Robert Louis Stevenson and shared some interesting finds. One of these was that Stevenson was mistakenly buried on the neighbors land that overlooked Vailima. When the neighbors discovered the error they quickly deeded over the plot of land to his estate that now runs the museum. Stevenson was well liked by all on the island, including the native Samoans. After cooling off in the wonderful sea breeze that engulfs the estate we started out walk off the property. When we reached the main road, a taxi, with the Kiwi in the front seat stopped. He asked if we would like to share a ride into town and I accepted. When we arrived at the main road I took out some cash to pay the driver but the Kiwi would have none of it, so we thanked him and walked the last ¼ mile to the ship far a well deserved rest and a late lunch.</p><p></p><p>Tomorrow, a short blurb on Fiji.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="traveler, post: 258343, member: 1954"] [B]Re: Around the world with Traveller[/B] Thanks to everyone for the kind comments. A special thanks to DS for getting me off my duff to write about my travels. Here's the next episode, Western Samoa: We arrived in the morning to a day where rain was a distinct possibility. Nonetheless we began without rain gear or an umbrella. My mission in any new country is to get six of each coin currently issued by that country. Through experience I have found various methods to accomplish this. This one was simple, well sort of simple. We took a walk into the capitol city (town) of Apia to the first bank I saw. Actually, there were two banks near each other and the first I chose to enter was a strictly local commercial bank whose employees directed me to the other bank the dealt with "foreigners", as they put it. I think that's the first time anywhere we were called foreigners. At the second bank we took a number for service, just like an American bakery. After a few minutes wait the sign above lit up with our number and instructions to go to teller number 11. There were about 18 working positions in this small bank! After some work getting the young woman to understand what I was asking for I got my coins and thanked the teller for her generous help. I got 10 of each coin to make it easier for the teller. The coins are for our 5 grand-children and the biggest kid of all, my son-in-law. With so much travel this seems to be an appreciated gift every time and in most countries, at a nominal cost. The temperature was up to about about 30 C (86 friend) so we stopped at the local grocery for a couple of sodas which was also a good way to spend the excess coins. After a short walk in the small town we decided to walk to "Vailima" the wonderful retirement home of Robert Louis Stevenson. That was supposedly a 2½ mile walk from Apia and would work nicely for our daily exercise. Well, as it turns out it started that way and turned to a arduous trek up some of the steep hills of the island, Upolu. We finally made it to the front gate an met a very nice couple taking each other's pictures. They were surprised when they asked if we walked all the way and said that they took a taxi up and were going to walk down. I congratulated them on their good planning. After another ½ mile up the driveway "Vailima" came into sight. Luck was with us again. The ships tour arrived just before we did and they had a local band playing a small concert. Also, there was a guide for each room in the mansion. One guide mentioned that usually there is only one guide for the whole mansion but since the ship ran a tour we had the advantage of a knowledgeable guide for each room! After the tour left and we finished the tour (15 Tala each or about $6 American per person) we sat on the veranda to cool off with another cold drink. I was wearing a shirt I bought in Australia earlier this year and the gent sitting on the next bench asked if that was my home. As soon as I began to tell him where I hailed from, I'm sure he recognized my accent. He was a New Zealander, a Kiwi as they are commonly known. It seems he was there doing research on the origins of the neighbors of Robert Louis Stevenson and shared some interesting finds. One of these was that Stevenson was mistakenly buried on the neighbors land that overlooked Vailima. When the neighbors discovered the error they quickly deeded over the plot of land to his estate that now runs the museum. Stevenson was well liked by all on the island, including the native Samoans. After cooling off in the wonderful sea breeze that engulfs the estate we started out walk off the property. When we reached the main road, a taxi, with the Kiwi in the front seat stopped. He asked if we would like to share a ride into town and I accepted. When we arrived at the main road I took out some cash to pay the driver but the Kiwi would have none of it, so we thanked him and walked the last ¼ mile to the ship far a well deserved rest and a late lunch. Tomorrow, a short blurb on Fiji. [/QUOTE]
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