Favorites from my Samoa baby moon camera roll
More pics from my babymoon in beautiful Samoa.
Coronavirus and travel to American Samoa (updated)
UPDATED March 9, 2020
YAY they updated the travel advisory yesterday!!! No more mandatory 14-day quarantine in Hawai`i from the mainland as long as you get a health clearance… which means Ian is coming home on Thursday!!! So excited! But also, really hope we don’t get COVID-19 on the island eeee.
Posted on March 6, 2020
Between the measles epidemic late last year in (western) Samoa and this Coronavirus (COVID-19), American Samoa is on high alert to keep these infectious viruses out of our little island home. Thankfully, I think most people still feel a bit removed from it all because of how remote we are, but hearing the news daily talking about the rapid spread of the virus is starting to heighten safety precautions.
The American Samoa Department of Health just posted this travel advisory intended for American Samoa residents to be aware of the new restrictions on travel outside of the island. Travelers will be required to show documentation of MMR vaccination, a health clearance granted 3 days before travel, and will need to be quarantined in the ports of entry for 14 days prior to arriving into American Samoa. And this advisory includes travel to and from (western) Samoa, all affected US states, and countries. The travel advisory takes effect on Monday, March 9, 2020.
Personally, I have mixed feelings about the travel restrictions. I’m glad to know that we’re looking out for our people, and the safety of our island. On the other hand–and I’m biased–I want it to not take effect until just a week later because my fiance is off-island still and will have to be “quarantined” in Hawai`i for an additional 14 days… so he’s going to miss my birthday! ugly crying I’m so bummed. Plus, this might affect our wedding in Samoa in May… we’ve decided not to react just yet but it’s only a couple of months away now, and most of our family and friends have booked their flights and hotels, so it would absolutely suck super hard if we had to postpone or even cancel because of all the travel restrictions. Trying to keep cool, calm, and collected over here, but thought I would share this on here.
On another note, I was looking through my tumblr archives and found my Le Motu Niu’s Bites that I used to post weekly!
*Niu’s Bites are weekly tidbits of news and information in American Samoa that have been condensed for easy reading. Links to sources. Compiled by Nerelle.
I read through some of them, and was honestly impressed with myself for posting these news updates about the island so consistently even though my schedule at the time was crazy busy still, like who was this over-achieving girl from 5 years ago?! Can I be her?! I feel smashed with work and side projects all the time so… to be determined on whether I’ll attempt this again. But I would really love to!
SESSIONS: Kate & Taylor / Sunrise besties
Life is better with friends.
What are your friendships like?
This one is silly, loving, and adventurous!
This session was from a few weekends ago…
Early 6am wakeup call to capture the friendship of these two dedicated teachers turned island sisters. We were greeted by warm sunbeams and a cool zephyr. Playing music on an iPhone. Dancing on the beach. Making silly faces. Reenacting my proposal from just a couple days ago. Laughing a lot. Climbing coconut trees. Falling off of coconut trees. Laying in the grass. Laughing some more.
I’ve gotten to know these beautiful women over the years, and they’ve been nothing but sweetness and kindness. Kate and Taylor are true gems, and I had so much shooting these with them.
Scenes from the 2019 AS Flag Day Parade | PART 2
Photo journal of scenes from the American Samoa Flag Day parade on April 17, 2019 at the Tafuna Veteran’s Memorial Stadium – Part 2.
Photos by me and/or Ian from the grandstand using a cheap old telephoto lens I’ve had for over 8 years. I actually forgot it’s kind of broken (reads as error and shuts my camera off when fully extended to 300mm and autofocus doesn’t work anymore), but luckily it worked out and we got this softer old school look.
Another sunny, lazy, beach day in Ofu
Yet another insanely beautiful day in Ofu.
I was supposed to be heading back to Tutuila on this day, but I waved my plane goodbye and decided to take a chance at another flight out of Ta’ū next week. Then we spent the rest of our morning and afternoon at the beach.
The day was still young, and the sun shone bright on the heavenly sand at To’aga. Ian hung his hammock between coconut trees, and I walked down the stretch and found the perfect nook to set my camera down on timer and attempt classic jump photos (and failed). Sorry not sorry, I can’t help it – To’aga lagoon, Sunuitao peak and Piumafua mountain are absolute icons in my opinion.
Rick stopped by and I had to get a father/son photo. And then we just lazed the rest of the day!
Ofu: Should I Stay or Should I Go?
With only one flight a week to and from Ofu, it can be a bit tricky when it comes to flight changes. After a sweet week ringing in the New Years and doing all the adventures, I wanted to stay longer and really relax. The original plan was that I would only stay one week, and Ian and his parents would stay two weeks since he’d get to work out of the NPS ranger station. But with the government shutdown still ongoing with no sure signs of ending, we all thought why not stay just a little bit longer? No work, no problem! (for now)
Ian tried to arrange my flight back for the next week but it was all booked out. So on Thursday morning, the flight I was supposed to head back on had arrived and after a busy 30 minutes, it was decided. I waved goodbye to the plane and would manage my flight back through Ta’ū next week. I head back to the lodge and unpacked my bag again, then head to the beach!
And that was my only ‘worry’ of the entire two weeks.
The end. xoxo
Mt. Tumu: My Favorite Hike
FIRST HIKE OF THE YEAR
02 January 2019
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What better way to start off the new year than with a restful day lounging at the beach (which is basically all I did on New Years Day), followed by a strenuous hike up Mt. Tumu! Our awesome hosts, Ben and Deb, at Vaoto Lodge offered to drive us to the trailhead just pass the wharf in the main Ofu village, and we started our trek up Tumutumu.
I was super slow to start. I forgot how difficult the hike was (the last time I hiked Mt. Tumu was about 2 years ago!) and had to stop a bunch in the first hour to catch my breath, rehydrate, and rest my little legs while Rick and Polly blazed ahead. The trail looked surprisingly good for not having been maintained over the last couple of weeks since the government shutdown, and I whispered a thank you to the Ofu National Park Service team for their work.
In the second hour, I finally found my rhythm. While trudging forward, I actually tried to mentally harden myself for the hike and told myself we were probably only halfway there. But as soon as I said that, we came upon the blessed sign that said ‘Tumu Overlook’ and I almost cried hahaha. I hippity hopped up behind Ian through the last 15 minutes of the trail and laughed out loud when I heard Ian hoot at the top.
Mt. Tumu is my favorite hike thus far. Making it to the top is worth every bit of the struggle it took to get there. Besides, it really wasn’t that bad, right? We drank in the view of the Ofu, Olosega, and Ta’ū isles. It was a beautiful sunny day, and I was happy to see the top of Mt. Piumafua which is normally enshrouded in clouds. Another reason I love this hike is the view below. Standing at the precipice, you can look down and see the lush green mountain drop almost straight down to the blue To’aga lagoon and stretching into the Pacific horizon. It just feels epic. Being here with Ian and his parents made my heart swell with gratitude for our time together in this magical place.
Reading on vacation | Ofu Photo Journal
I love feeling like I have all the time in the world on vacations.
Reading is one of those things that I love to do but can be difficult to make time for in between a full day at work, social life, and (let’s be honest) eating and pooping. In fact, I used to do a lot of reading whilst sitting on that throne hahaha – but I digress.
I’m a slow reader so it took me all of 2 weeks to read “Coming of Age in Samoa” by Margaret Mead. I love it for its account of Samoan daily life in Manu’a, American Samoa back in the 1920s. She paints a vivid picture that I (having grown up in American Samoa in the 90s) can actually sort of relate to. Here we are lounging and reading in hammocks at To’aga beach on New Years Day.
Passing through Olosega
Olosega is another island that is part of the Manu’a group, and is separated from Ofu island by the Asaga Bridge. We biked from Vaoto Lodge to the Asaga Bridge, and decided to walk the sandy roads Olosega village on foot because I was weary of dogs. It was still Christmas break and the small village seemed pretty quiet. I made note of Mati’s store which is the only one in Olosega. We waved to few people and avoided the barking dogs. By the time we got to the Oge Trail, it was just past noon and we were almost out of water. We kept going for a little bit and admired the view of Ofu-Olosega and their unique landscape before heading back to into the village towards Mati’s store for water.
Tui Ofu Well
Not far from the beach is an ancient historic village that’s spanned over three millenniums. And there, you’ll find the sacred Tui Ofu water well, where the high chiefs of Ofu convened/bathed.
