Vegas Baby!

We made the 6 and a half hour drive south through the desert to Las Vegas. The drive was pretty spectacular, especially when we drove through Arizona the Grand Canyon State. Unfortunately we did not have time to see the Canyon, but the scenery from the road was impressive. Lots of mountains, plains, desert and Cacti. We arrived in Vegas at 6.30 pm and it was 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees C). It's quite a sight as you drive in, especially on the strip. It's not quite the size of a New York or San Francisco but it's still huge, especially considering that it's pretty much just huge Hotels and Casinos. One minute you are in the desert, the next you are in a whole new world of lights and attractions. We stayed at the New York, New York Hotel and Casino right on the strip opposite the famous MGM Grand. We spent our first night looking round the casino we were staying in, Ruth had a bit of a flutter and ended up a dollar up on the night. She was pleased as punch! We ate at midnight and had a few beers and rums to get into the Vegas spirit. The next day we went for an all you can eat buffet at the MGM. Crikey I've never seen as much variety and amount of food. We had breakfast, lunch and dessert roled into one. We were pretty full so spent the majority of the baking hot day in the hotel pool. Daytime is not the time to be outside in Vegas in the summer. I had a plan for the evening and a full schedule worked out taking in all the free shows and the big casinos. Growing up in Wombwell in Barnsley my pals and I had always jokingly named our local Town as Vegas when we were going for a drink on a Friday night. Well tonight we were doing Vegas for real, it felt a little surreal. We got the vegas spirit going early and headed up the strip. The plan was not going to be easy. We walked up the strip stopping at the different attractions but it was SOOO HOT!!! We were almost done in within an hour and had to frequently head into the casinos for the air conditioning. It was a hot wind which was worst than no wind. Our eyes were so dry but we soldiered on and saw some great shows. Fantastic fountain displays at the Belagio, Greek Gods at Ceaser's Palace, Volcano eruptions at Mirage and then we got to the big Treasure Island Show. Half naked Sirens fighting half naked Pirates (great). Unfortunately the show malfunctioned 5 minutes in so the crowd left a little disillusioned. It was my turn to have a flutter on the roulette and black jack. I ended up a dollar down so between us we broke even which I can imagine doesn't happen all that often in Vegas. It was a great experience but two nights was enough for us.
(Unfortunately no photos due to our camera breaking.)

The Flying Allstars

The Wing Chun Master

Park City

We reached Ben, Eliza and Baby Grayson in Park City by evening. Ben is a good friend from home, who now lives in Park City as a ski instructor with his lovely wife Eliza and very cute little boy, Grayson. It was great to finally arrive. We caught up over a few beers. Eliza warned us drinks have a '2 for one' effect out there if you're not used to it, as you're at such a high altitude. It definitely felt that way. Our visit worked out to be great timing as it was Ben's birthday the next day. It was fantastic after hearing a lot about the place to finally see it. During the 3 days that we were there they packed in loads of fun things to do. Riding the Dear Valley (the resort where they work) Chair lifts to the top of the mountains. It had amazing views of the area. We rode the Alpine Coaster down the mountain at Park City Ski resort, that was brilliant, they were individual little carts that went flying down the mountain on tracks. We also went to the Olympic Park, where the US ski team are based and train. We road the zip wire down the mountain and then watched the ski jumpers practice their moves by skiing down steep slopes and then carry out multiple twists and flips before landing in a swimming pool, it was fantastic. One of the areas most famous residents is Robert Redferd. He owns an area of the mountains which he named Sundance. The place is stunningly beautiful. It is very natural, even the ski runs are not groomed during the winter season. There is a lodge and restaurant area set at the foot of one of the most beautiful mountains we have seen. Robert Redferd himself can often be seen there. Ben and Eliza took us there on Sunday. We saw bottle blowers working and explored the grounds. There was icy cold water running down from the mountains despite the extremely hot air temperature, it was very refreshing to paddle in. There was a fantastic selection of film photographs. My (John) favourite actor was Paul Newman and I was in my element in the bar at Sundance as it displayed photographs from the film, Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid/ Redferd's and Newman's classic movie. The film was the inspiration for the name of the area.
It was a brilliant 3 days and we look forward to coming back again one day to see them, in winter next time so Ben can get us past the 'Snow Plough'. No doubt in a few years Grayson will be tearing up the slopes.

Driving to Park City (Salt Lake City)

We were excited to start our 12 hour road trip out to visit Ben, Eliza and Baby Grayson in Park City, Utah. We decided to get a few hours in after our day in San Francisco to take the pressure off the next day. We managed 4 hours before stopping at 11pm at a motel in Reno. It was quite a sight to see by night, it was lit up like a smaller Vegas. Already we felt the temperature noticeably creeping up.
The next day we set off early, pleased to be making good progress. By 11am the temperature reached 110°F. Thank goodness for air con. We were admiring the views of bare desert land when the car started to beep and a light on the dashboard lit up. It was the transmission over heating. The car then started to screech and slow to little more then a crawl. Taking out the phone to call the hire company we realised we were totally out of phone signal. Oh no! We continued slowly and cautiously in the hope of reaching civilisation before we completely conked out. Finally we came upon a truck stop/casino. The lady in the Casino couldn't have been kinder when we went in to get some change for the phone. Fortunately we were able to reach the car company and they told us that we just had to let the car cool for a while and it would be fine. We did as we were advised and it was fine. We kept to a steady speed and took lots of breaks.

San Francisco

If Santa Cruz was home of the buskers, then San Francisco was home of the crazies. It was a great city. We walked for miles, through the city and along the water front. We were hoping to visit Alcatraz but it was booked up for weeks. We did the next best thing and took a ferry under the Golden Gate bridge, down to the Bay bridge and circled Alcatraz “The Rock” whilst listening to a recorded cometary of it's history. At the same time every afternoon the fog comes in, which gave both island and bridges a mystical look.

Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz had a really nice vibe, there seemed to be more buskers than anyone else in the main street. The beaches were lovely with roasting hot, soft sand. We were constantly on surf standby with our boards in case the swell arrived, unfortunately it didn't but we enjoyed swimming and watching the dolphins coming in and rounding up the fish.

Coastal driving

The coastal drive from Santa Barbara to Santa Cruz was spectacular. The winding cliff top roads gave us amazing views of the coast. The water seems to be rich with sea life (similar to Kiakoura NZ). We saw many Elephant seals and dolphins. On our other side was the mountains and national parks of Big Sur.

Santa Barbara

One spot that was a must for us to visit was Santa Barbara. Just north of LA it is a laid back Spanish style town. Our mate Tim had listed it as a great place to stay and surf when he was giving us his advice on surfing in California. One of the main reasons we wanted to visit was that it was the home of one of the worlds most famous surf board shapers, Al Merrick (Channel Islands Surfboards). He has shaped for some of the best surfers in the world and I (John) have ridden his boards for a good few years. We were travelling with 4 Al Merrick Surfboards (as I've also converted Ruth) on this trip. His shop was still the original that he started in. The place was like a museum with so many famous surfboards displayed on the ceiling including world championship winning boards from Kelly Slater and Tom Curren. The price of boards in the states is far cheaper than at home so as my favourite board had just about had it (almost snapped after Samoa) I left it there for them to sell for me whilst I bought an identical new board. I was pleased as punch, even though on returning to the motel, I discovered that the baggage handlers had snapped my other board in transit. It's not easy travelling as a surfer as airlines take no responsibility for your boards and if they snap it's tough. Oh well at least I'd got a new one and to be honest it's fixable.
We stayed just south of Santa Barbara at another good surf spot called Carpenteria. No surf but we had a fun day on the beach watching the dolphins. My back was still swollen and painful so it was a good excuse to rest.

Detours

After a good nights sleep we decided to leave Inglewood asap and high tale it up to Santa Barbara. The route seemed pretty simple, we just had to get on the freeway and head north. Unfortunately it wasn't that simple, the north bound freeway was closed, so we followed the diversions. The diversions however took us into the busy streets of 'Sunset Boulovard' and then just stopped, leaving us clueless and just guessing our way around. By accident we found our selves going through Beverly Hills, and then sailing straight past the Hollywood sign on the hill. I bet if we'd have searched for these places we'd never have found them. It worked out perfectly!

Don't think we're in Kansas anymore!

We made sure that we had pre booked a hotel in L.A near the airport. After 24 hours of travelling (via NZ) we thought it might be nice to get there and be able to relax and get over the jet lag (although it wasn't too bad, we pretty much just lost a day). Arriving in the airport, it was a good few hours before we got past the queues and many checks. The no messing, no smiling approach to getting you through the arrivals gate felt like quite a shock to the system after Samoan life. After negotiating our back packs and surf boards on a busy shuttle to the hire car spot we were relieved to get in our car and venture to what looked from the photos to be a nice hotel. Arriving in Inglewood we realised why we got the hotel for such a cheap price. We parked at the hotel and walked to the shop to pick up a few supplies, passing some unsavoury characters on the way back. As we walked past a few men we heard one say,
“Look at this goofy, smiling BLEEP BLEEP, this clown don't even know I'm talking about him. I'm gonna pop him in the BLEEP BLEEP head”.
We were pretty sure he was talking about John but we didn't turn around to find out, we got back to the hotel room sharpish and then locked the door behind us. The sound of police sirens constantly passing outside bounced around the walls. We later found out that Inglewood has a huge reputation for being notoriously rough (often featured in gangster rap, ha ha).

Blowholes and ferry

On our penultimate morning in Samoa we left Satuiatua at 7.30am in order to catch the 10am ferry but on the way we planned to see some 'Blowholes'. They are holes in the volcanic rock on the shoreline that send sea water shooting high in the air through the holes at high tide. The taxi driver, Valamer, arrived on time (unheard of in Samoa as everyone works on 'island time'). He took us to the blow holes, there are normally locals hanging around and for a few Tala perform the party trick of throwing a coconut shell into the hole so you can watch it fly into the air as the water shoots up. As we were so early there was no one there to do this so Valamer gave it a go. He saw I (Ruth) was wearing a camera and suggested 'a photo'. I agreed thankfully as you rarely get a photo together when there is only the 2 of you travelling but before I could take out the camera Valamer was next to John waiting for their photo together. As many Samoans don't have cameras they sometimes ask you to take theirs and post it to them. He then asked if I would like to be in one and handed John the camera.
Valamer got us to the ferry in plenty of time, but as we pulled up he translated the announcement to us that the 10am ferry was not going to sail but there should be one at 12, so we sat down for a few hours wait. When the 12pm ferry arrived, we joined the queue only to find out they were only letting a few people on due to the amount of cargo they were carrying. So the wait continued, but this time we were a little concerned as we had to catch this next one in order to make our flight the following morning. We decided to be on the safe side and stay in the line for the next 2 hours to secure a place. Fortunately they sent the larger ferry and off we sailed. Few!

Always read the label

As if I wasn't in the wars enough, we bought some peanuts which came with a sachet of what looked like pepper. I added it to my share of nuts and got tucked in. I thought it was unusual to have pepper with nuts. I read the packet which said DO NOT EAT. It was one of those sachets you get to absorb moisture in trainers and such things. It actually tasted pretty good, although I did stress for the next hour that I might die.

Surfing in Samoa can be painful

The waves in Samoa are very powerful even when small. The water where the waves are breaking is usually very shallow and has razor sharp coral reef underneath it. The reef is alive and cuts can become infected very quickly. The waves are very consequential and a mistake when surfing can be punishing. The waves have been the most challenging I have surfed, yet great, great fun. I (John) have had some very memorable waves yet have come a cropper a few times. At Maninoa I tattooed my back side when I landed Bum first on the reef in the first week. Then in Aganoa after making a bottom turn on a left hander the lip of the wave caught me and sent me head first in to the reef, leaving a couple of juicy scratches on my head. Ruth squeezed a lemon on the cuts to kill the coral which hurt worse than in the first place. The final flogging was the best though. After wiping out on a wave I went to dive under the next one only to be taken round with the curl of the wave and well and truly slammed in to the reef back first, then dragged along. My board was gone and I was so stiff from the impact I found it tough to swim. Eventually I got going and managed to swim to my board and paddle in. I hat cut my calves and my back and had a slow hobble back to the Fale. The lady that ran the place took me to hospital to get cleaned up. They gave me Penicillin to fight off any infection. I have loved surfing here, it has been a real challenge, and I have realised that Samoan surfing demands respect.

Siapo

Siapo is a traditional form of Samoan artwork;.where the bark of a mulberry tree is turned into a cloth and then painted with beautiful designs. People use it to hang on the walls as decoration and can also be made into clothes for special occasions including bridal gowns. I (Ruth) was really keen to see this being made. Whilst we were in Satuiatua I found out that there was a lady in the village that makes them and for a small fee you can go around to her house and you can watch as she talks you through the making of it. On our final morning in Salai'i I went to Makalata's house, the lady who makes the Siapo. She was a lovely lady with 5 children ranging from 0-19. Her husband had a stroke in December at the age of 41 and although his condition has started to improve since then he can no longer work so the whole family works very hard making Siapo which they sell at the market. The skill has been passed down through her family, her mother, grad mother and great grand mother all made Siapo. Although it only used to be the women who did this, today for financial reasons boys have started to learn the skill as well, including her 2 boys of 5 and 6 years old.
The demonstration started with the trunk of a Mulberry tree and 4 hours later, after she removed the bark and then soaked, scraped, flattened and stretched it, it became a beautiful cloth which she then used natural dyes to stamp and then hand paint it. She also makes to order, I limited myself to 3, which was really difficult as I wanted them all. The prosses making the cloth is strenuous work and only Makalata and her oldest daughter, Fili, are strong enough for that so far. But the boys and the 15 year old girl do a lot of the painting.

Great Snorkelling

The reef at Satiatua was very healthy. Much better than anywhere else we had stayed. We spent many hours snorkelling over the beautiful colours and looking at the tropical fish.

Church and UMU

Leiloma took Ruth and me to church with her on Sunday. It was Fathers Day and the church was packed. Everyone was dressed in the most amazingly white clothes I have ever seen. It was like a Daz commercial. The Aunt/ Chief, Leiloma had a fan and would whack anyone on the head if she wanted their attention. Even though we couldn't understand the priest we enjoyed it very much. All the Dads got up and sang songs and danced and even acted out a play. It was very humorous. The Samoans love to sing and they all do it very well. The Fathers were all given special Ula (garlands) which contained sweets. They even gave me (John) two. After the meal we went for a traditional Sunday meal called an Umu (named after a traditional Polynesian oven. The Women get up at 4 am to start preparing it. The food is cooked in the groung in an Umu. It was a really good experience sitting amongst the family eating Krayfish, Oka (marrinated raw fish), bread fruit, Palusani (young taro leaves baked in coconut cream) and much more. It comes with a strong local cocoa drink.

Save the best till last -Satiatua

For our final few days of the trip we had been recommended a lovely place called Satiatua on the south coast of Savaii. Again another Fale. This one was huge, you could have got a very large family in there. The food was great and you even got a choice of meals. The people were so friendly that ran the place. It was a real family affair as most things are in Samoa. Samaons' provide for themselves through plantations, fishing and livestock. They are extremely hard working people including the children. The Auntie of the Family was the village Matai (which is the chief), it is rare for a women to be appointed this role but after meeting her it was easy to see why. She was a great character, real fun with an infectious laugh. The picture shows Leiloma holding Mick Fannnings snapped board from when he stayed at the fale's ten years ago. She had no idea he was that famous, let alone 2 times world champion. It came up in conversation that a pro Hawian stayed there, but later turned out it wasn't a Hawaiian at all, but Aussie Mick. She told us when he left he and his friends wrote messages and signed his broken board and left it in the ceiling with the many other pieces of snapped board. That evening we checked all of the boards in the ceiling to try to find which one it might be. The boards were all thickly coated with dust so any that we suspected might be his we washed in the sea to check for messages. When we eventually found the likely candidate, with a massage from Mick F to match, Leiloma confirmed our find by shouting “It's the pig, It's the Pig, now remember, it's the Pig!”

Aganoa

Our first stop in Savaii was another surf camp called Aganoa. It was a similar set up and we stayed in another great Fale. This time we had a bed and use of a hot shower. The waves was an easy paddle out so no boat ride necessary. We went on a trip where we hiked up through the rain forest to see a crater. Then we headed to a waterfall, which was more like a water hole as it's the dry season so no falling water. It was a great water hole though and we swam and jumped of high rocks into the water, Great fun. I (John) then returned for a surf (most waves need high tide to surf in Samoa). Ruth and Aleeda went to look around the markets and ended up drinking the traditional drink of Cava with all the local men. You have to drink it in one go and then pass the cup on. Ruth said it made her tongue very numb but was not too potent.