Shawn, Cris, and I-Land

Sup, fuams!...I'm back!...How y'all been?...Well, I had a wonderful vacation with Shawn and Cris...And you'll hear all about it in the next few blog entries...I will be honest with you guys when I say that the next two weeks are gonna be crazy...The musical is on December 15th which is less than two weeks away...So, the blog may not be such a priority to me...But I know y'all will stick with me because y'all are such faithful, loving readers...Okay...Lets begin...



Today's blog entry will show some of the pictures we took while my sister and friend visited the island last week...I'll try to stay in order...Thus, these images were taken on their first few days in American Samoa...I might even have a Top Five in this entry...

Those images above were taken on a mountain overlooking Pago Pago harbor...It's on the East side and by the village of Aua...I'm really glad we rented a car for pretty much everyday...You cannot truly see or do anything on these islands without having the freedom to drive wherever and whenever you please...It did cause us to spend a little too much money but I think it was worth it...Essentially, without a car the trip would've sucked...Besides, a RAV-4 makes everything better...A RAV-4 is like the candy man...It makes the world taste damn good!...

There's Cris tryin' his darndest to crack open a coconut...But he failed...Stay tuned though because someone does open one during Shawn's trip...And it was kinda cool...I'll show pics of that in the next blog entry...

If you can notice, in many of these early pictures Shawn is wearing the same outfit...That's because the airline lost her luggage...Well, supposedly...Later on we learned it may have been in their warehouse on island the entire time...Anyways, it was an ongoing joke that her favorite color was orange...'Cause all she wore was that lovely, flowing pumpkin-colored skirt...Even Gene at one point asked her "is orange your favorite color?"...Well, she did get her luggage back...Which, frankly, rescued the trip...I mean, I just think Shawn would've had this dark cloud hangin' over her the entire time if they would've completly lost her stuff...Therefore, I'm thankful the luggage magically appeared...

One thing (outta the many) that was nice about having Shawn and Cris here on island was that they reminded me of how beautiful American Samoa is...I mean, I live here and walk around here and work here every single minute of every single day of every single week...I, like many islanders, often forget to enjoy the view...We overlook the gorgeousness of this South Pacific piece of land while we're goin' about our daily business...We take the magnificent mountains for granted...We also tend to focus on the ugly aspects...I especially am guilty of this...Peer at this blog for proof...It's easy to notice the unattractive qualities of a place...But having Shawn and Cris here, who have never seen the island, and having them gawk and gaze at the beauty of it reminded myself of how majestic this place is...It is, actually, a stunning island...I'm gonna start acting like everyday here is my first day here...And like Shawn and Cris, I'll then continuously gaze at the dazzling American Samoa...

This was the crazy palagi man at Tisa's Barefoot Bar...It's a local tourist attraction...A pretty lil' bar and grill on an exotic beach that resembles a tropical tree house...It's nice...Although, I don't think it's all that great...Nothing fun really happens here...There was a Ie Lava Lava Night and Shawn, Cris, and I all bought new ies and wore them...It was kinda cool...Anywho, dis guy allowed us to take pictures of his traditional Samoan tattoos...

There's Shawn posing with our very own Vailima...It's a locally brewed beer...It's also hella cheap...I think it tastes like rat pee but I still drink it...And Shawn and Cris seemed to think it was alright...I will say that I'm satisfied with the food and drink on the island...I was totally scared that the food would disgust them and the drinks would make them sick...But almost all of the restaurants we went to were delicious...And the drinks were scrumptious, too...Maybe the food on this island isn't all that bad afterall...

I'll never forget this dance floor...While at Tisa's Barefoot Bar party, Shawn and Cris and I were all enjoying the beach at nighttime when Cris decided to walk around this platform through the water...Well, clumsy ol' Cris got stuck in the netting...His feet got all tangled up in the web and he literally couldn't get himself out...I didn't really see it 'cause it was dark but I did hear a bunch of splashing around and Shawn laughing hysterically...Shawn and I love watching people fall down or trip...It's hilarious...

My Five Favorite Moments of Shawn's Trip to American Samoa:

5. Playin' Games with the Fuamination = We had a blast playin' Celebrity and Spoons with the boys...Sure, there was some competitiveness in the air...I mean, Sammy and Gene wanted to tear eachother's throats apart at one point...And, sure, not everyone is as talented as Shawn and I when it comes to playing games...But it was still entertaining...And it reminded me of game nights back in Wisconsin...

4. Eating at Roko's = This elegant, romantic restaurant was in Apia in Western Samoa...And the food was heavenly...My cordon bleu with cranberry sauce was extraordinary...And Shawn's swordfish was exemplary...And the aura of the restaurant was soothing and enchanted...Now I just wish I knew what I eat that has made me sick for the past four days...Was it the meal we eat here?!...Nah, it can't be?!...

3. Driving Around Savai'i = We were lost and in a rush and all three of us were stressed out and sick of one another for half the time...But that didn't stop us from smiling and waving to the delightful, exquisite villagers we drove past...Like Shawn mentioned, it's amazing how safe and happy Samoans are...They're poor but rich in spirit and heart...Savai'i was an island overflowing with loving, happy humans...

2. Aunu'u Island with The Boys = I personally don't think this smaller island on the coast of American Samoa is all that wonderful...But hiking it with Shawn, Cris, Gene, and Sammy was simply splendid...My sister and I kept pretending to be on Survivor...Sammy even opened a coconut for us to drink with his teeth...And swimming with the local children was a helluva pleasure...Oh, and I have to mention the eating of chinese food with our fingers after our adventerous trip...All I can say was that it was a time...

1. Sliding Rock on Upolu = This was just an awesome, thrilling experience...These rocky, slippery waterfalls in Western Samoa were big and seemingly dangerous and uncertain...Shawn and I were freaked out about attempting to slide down these rock slides into a deep pool... We were even about to quit and walk away without trying to conquer them...But I could hear Jeff Probst saying "you suck" and I couldn't fail this challenge...So, we eventually when down the rock slides and it was one of the most rewarding experiences ever...I'm so proud of myself...And hella proud of Shawn, too...

...(By the way, y'all will probably hear more about these exploits in the next few blog entries...You'll also see some pictures...Once again, stay tuned to your favorite blog for more wild quests with Shawn, Cris, and I)...

Here's Shawn overwhelmed by camera flashes...She looks like The Other Sister...Or like Nell..."Tay in tha win!"...

Okay...This was the first part of my diary on Shawn's trip...Maybe next time I'll try to think of a interesting topic to discuss so that all y'all can feel included...This entry may have been boring for some of you...But please keep reading and checking in on Samoa Joe :-)

Love ya and miss ya...

-JOE

Lilli: (speaking about her baby) I want it to be born here on this island. Where there's no evil, no lies and no guns.

Richard: You're right. We'll stay here. Just the three of us. I love you, Lilli.

-from 1991's Return to the Blue Lagoon