Samoa – Domain Islands Tour

After spending 40 hours one-way to get to Tuvalu, it was now off to the fifth stop on the Domain Island Tour, Samoa.

I say Samoa, but there are actually two Samoas; the Independent State of Samoa and American Samoa. As these are two different countries, the Top-Level Domain Names (TLDs) are also different. The ccTLD (country code top level domain) for the former is “.ws”, and for the latter is “.as”. This time I visited Samoa (The Independent State of Samoa) which is “.ws”.

The “To Sua Ocean Trench” image by: Shutterstock.com

◆Where is the Independent State of Samoa?
Discovered by a Dutch explorer in 1722, the Independent State of Samoa is located on the west side of the 171° longitudinal boundary, and American Samoa is located to the east. The Independent State of Samoa is often called Western Samoa, and American Samoa is called Eastern Samoa.

Table of Contents

◆Watch Out for the Super Sightseeing Spot, To Sua Ocean Trench!? !
◆Go, go! Underwater drone!
◆Lunch at the Popular “Sunrise Restaurant”
◆A Ride on the Only One in Samoa!
◆How to Purchase a SIM Locally & Test of Samoa’s Internet Speed
◆A Visit to the Japanese Embassy in Samoa
◆Rumored in Samoa: Putting Gum on your Face and then Chewing it again? –
◆Fun in Samoa in Spite of Lousy Weather
◆The Town Overflowing with “.ws”

◆Watch Out for the Super Sightseeing Spot, To Sua Ocean Trench!? !
The Independent State of Samoa (hereinafter: Samoa) is made up of two main islands, Savai’i Island and Upolu Island where the capital city Apia is located. This time I went to Upolu Is. to see the To Sua Ocean Trench, often called the “Blue Grotto” of Samoa.

The sound of Samoan music welcomed me when I arrived at Faleolo International Airport. When I asked the airport staff about it, they said it was just local volunteers. Sounds peaceful.

After passing through customs and immigration, I took a taxi to the blue grotto. The weather was sunny.

So, I thought. And then a sudden squall hit. It was not a good start.

It took 90 minutes from the airport. Finally, I arrived at the To Sua Ocean Trench on the south side of the island. Along a coastal area, its maintained like a park and costs 20$ Samoan (about 900 Yen) to get in.

There’s a billboard as soon as you get in. I see, this is the blue grotto?

Going further in I could see it at last.

What!?（Top: As advertised, bottom: reality）

The “To Sua Ocean Trench” image by: Shutterstock.com

Where is the pretty blue…?

Unfortunately, it was turned into a muddy swamp due to rain. Too bad.

Well, since I had come so far, I decided to go all the way down. The wooden ladder is very steep, giving the impression of descending straight down.

As I was fighting my fear going down, a mysterious landscape had opened up before me. The To Sua Ocean Trench is a natural pool formed in a rocky area that connects to the open ocean under the water.

Going into the water was a bit cold thanks to the lousy weather. Although the color of the water was disappointing, there was a kind of beauty that can only be felt by being there in person.

The “To Sua Ocean Trench”1 – Spherical Image – RICOH THETA

Flying a drone is prohibited at the To Sua Ocean Trench. Please keep this in mind!

Click here for a 360° Camera photograph.

The “To Sua Ocean Trench”2 – Spherical Image – RICOH THETA

◆Go, go! Underwater drone!
I wanted “everyone to experience the beautiful seas of Samoa”, so we used the latest underwater drone on this tour.

This is the underwater drone”CCROV”. With a cable connected to the main body, it has a built-in camera, and is operated by a radio-controlled transmitter.

With the assistance of the “Pure Ocean” dive shop, I headed to see a gorgeous coral reef.

The dive point was only five minutes from the shore.

The time to get the drone into the water has come at last. What’s under the water?

A handsome rock and some coral were there to welcome us.

Found some fish.

Some fish are interested in our camera! How sweet.

All kinds of fish were swimming around. Once I got used to working the drone, I went a little further.

And, oh dear, I bumped the coral here. My apologies, fish and corals.

Some small blue fish came out of their coral den. Very cute.

As humans don’t dive down, the fish come to the drone.

Lastly, I took a picture of diver who took me to the dive point. Thanks for your help.

What did you think? It was my first time operating an underwater drone, so I it didn’t go as well as I had hoped, but I was satisfied with seeing the fish swim gracefully.

Click here for video taken with little skill!

◆Lunch at the Popular “Sunrise Restaurant”
If you are looking for a popular restaurant in a local area, you had better ask a taxi driver.

This time, the driver recommended the “Sunrise Restaurant” in Apia.

Since it was lunch time, many people came to get something to eat.

Apparently, the style is to choose whatever you like from the dishes that are laid out behind the glass.

Many kinds of food were displayed, including garlic toast and chicken wings.

Checking out what the local people were buying, I ordered almost the same things.

Since purchased items can be packed in lunch boxes or paper plates, takeout is ok. This time, I had lunch in the eat-in corner.

This is the eat-in corner.

The space was small, but what I was concerned about was the leftovers on the table. There was no trash box, and it was in such a state that I couldn’t clean it up by myself.

Well, pulling myself together, I tried to eat what I bought.

I chose three kinds of food, but they were all served together on one plate. Prominently on top; it’s fried chicken. Not overly spiced up chicken, it had just the right amount of salt. Adding just a little ketchup made it even more delicious. It was crispy fried and juicy.

Then stir-fried lamb with vegetables. Although the wild flavor peculiar to mutton remained, it was delicious and somewhat similar to Japanese fried vegetables, so I happily ate it all up.

Last came fried rice. I was relieved to find the flavor similar to Japanese fried rice. Sometimes when eating overseas, the rice can be crumbly and dry, but this shop got it just right.

These three large items cost 17$ Samoan (about 760 Yen)

With the newfound expectation that “anything served here may be delicious”, I went back and ordered noodles. There were beef and vegetables in this dish and the soup was a clear “Pho” broth. The noodles were very thin, but they suited the richness of the soup. This was also a satisfying dish, 16$ Samoan.

It turns out that, the taxi driver did know a good restaurant. I was able to have a very enjoyable lunch.

By the way, when I was talking with the local people in Samoa, they often asked: “Have you tried the beer?” As there was a period in time when Samoa was occupied by the Germans, their local beer is quite famous.

Especially recommended was “Vailima”. In the local shops, you can buy it for about 4$ Samoan (about 180 Yen).

This is a lager beer, it was reasonably sharp with a bitter taste, very refreshing. I think it’s best to drink it to cool down when it’s hot out.

Please give it a try when you visit Samoa. T shirts etc. with Veilima’s logo may also make good souvenirs.

◆A Ride on the Only One in Samoa!

The Only One is located in “SSAB” store. There you can buy various things other than food, from stationery to home electronics.

Before entering the store, there is a sign to take notice of; it seems I have to leave my bag with the clerk.

After checking my bag with the clerk, I got a tag in exchange. When you are done, you present this tag to get your bag back.

I roamed around the shop in search of the Only One, and I found an escalator that goes up to the second floor. Yes…!

This is it! The one and only escalator in Samoa that I was looking for.

Rugby is popular in Samoa. Maybe it’s because the players strong legs are due to always having to take the stairs!

◆How to Purchase a SIM Locally & Test of Samoa’s Internet Speed
Although Wi-Fi rental services for going overseas are on the rise, certain areas are not covered. When that happens, you can buy a local SIM. I tried checking out where to buy a SIM.

In Samoa, communication companies “bluesky” and “Digicel” seem to be popular. Both can be found in the Faleolo International Airport building.

This is the “bluesky” shop.

The cheapest deal from “bluesky” is a 24-hour / 50MB plan. It sells for 2 $ Samoan (about 90 Yen.)

The cheapest deal from “Digicel” is a 24-hour / 500MB plan. This is 3 $ Samoan (135 Yen.)

Neither had strict conditions for purchase, and I did so with only simple English.

I used “Digicel” right away in Apia (the capital.) It felt fast enough, and I was able to search for restaurants. Actually, I measured the speed at an Internet Speed Test Fast.comsite.

It was a standard speed of 4.0Mbps. So, some applications may not work as well as you think.

Next, I changed to “bluesky”. It was 7.9Mbps. It felt faster than “Digicel”.

Both of the companies I tried this time were not problematic, but “bluesky” might be better if you want a better connection.

By all means, give them a try.

◆A Visit to the Japanese Embassy in Samoa
If you lose your passport abroad, you need contact the local, or the nearest, Japanese embassy. However, most of us haven’t had a chance to do that. That’s why I decided to look for the location of the Japanese Embassy in Samoa.
When I went to the address from the website for

the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I found a complex with a supermarket and restaurants.

The embassy is in a three-story building, and the first floor is a lively area of eating and drinking establishments. Climbing the stairs to the embassy on the second floor.

There it is. When I see the word “Japan” while overseas, I always feel a little relieved.

This is the main entrance. Different from my image of an “Embassy”.

This is a picture from inside the embassy, that I took with permission. At the back there is a reception area where embassy staff wait, and next to it are Samoan and Japanese flags. It was not a big space, but compact and cozy.

The Embassy of Japan in Samoa was newly established on January 1st, 2017, and seems to be mostly dealing with visa issuance for Samoan people visiting Japan.

Using this opportunity, I hope that the relationship between Japan and Samoa gets better and better.

◆Rumored in Samoa: Putting Gum on your Face and then Chewing it again? –
Before visiting Samoa, I had questions about a couple of things.
So, I asked a hotel employee and the taxi driver some of these questions.

“Question 1” Do you know the “Song of Samoa”?

Do you know the tune for the “Song of Samoa”? I think that everyone in Japan remembers singing it in elementary school. So, when I checked in its home country how many people recognize this song, I found that all six people I asked told me they had heard it. However, the lyrics are not about Samoa, and they were unsure about the song title. Some said that it was a song sometimes sung in church.

“Question 2” Do Samoans put gum on their faces before eating a meal, and then chew it again after the meal is over?

This is what was described in the Wikipedia article about Samoa, and it was said to be the “common sense of Samoa”. Meanwhile, a woman in her twenties said that she had never heard of such a thing. Samoa’s common sense must have changed a little.

However, when I asked a man in his thirties, I got a different response, he said: “I know about that”. But he told me: “That culture was around fifteen years ago and we don’t do it anymore.” I was a bit surprised that it was such a common thing before. Maybe somewhere in Samoa yet….

“Question 3” Are Samoan mothers obese and reigning in the house like queens?

This was also described in Wikipedia, but to summarize, it seems that “Due to being a maternal society, until they leave home children are expected to look after their mothers.” I thought the way it was written in Wiki was quite harsh.

I thought it might be rude to ask a question like this, so I tried to sort of gently ask a hotel employee (male). Then he told me, “My mother is reigning indeed.” In addition, it seems that the problem of obesity is regarded as a problem of all Samoa (for both men and women). The government is placing ads in the local areas to raise attention to the risks of diabetes and high blood pressure. On the other hand, as plump women are considered beautiful, it might be difficult to find a solution to obesity.

Some rumors turned out to be somewhat correct, but, some habits and so called “common sense” have weathered away.

This turned out to be worth investigating!

◆Fun in Samoa in Spite of Lousy Weather

“Polynesian Dances” are traditional in this region, including in Samoa. Hotels hold dance shows every evening, you can check it out.

The coastal area of the To Sua Ocean Trench. There’s a boardwalk, and if it’s sunny, a superb view.

Street stalls around town.

In the market, you can purchase colorful ethnic clothes.

In the same area; “Vae Moa”, which means “chicken drumstick” in English. Fried chicken was sold in many places (about 113 yen = per piece).

A unique style of garbage bin. There are many stray dogs in Samoa so it may be that these are built off the ground to prevent dogs getting into the garbage.

◆The Town Overflowing with “.ws”
As I mentioned earlier, the Independent State of Samoa is located on the west side of the 171° longitudinal boundary, so it is called Western Samoa in English. Therefore, the ccTLD was designated “.ws”.

The “.ws” domain is rarely seen in Japan, so I tried walking around Apia to see whether it is being used locally in Samoa.

A colorful bus caught my eye. These buses are widely used by locals as a means of transportation from Apia to other villages.

I found an Internet cafe. Unfortunately, they use the “.net” domain for the store’s email address. Such so-called “legacy” domains (.net, .com, etc.) are widely used all over the world.

Although the shop was small, it was full of people. I wondered if they are using it for work, or if they are just coming to watch YouTube etc.

Finally, I found the “.ws” domain. It seems to be a local provider. It was written clearly in the office window.

After this I found many “.ws” domains so I will mention a few of them.

Jewelry store

Travel agency

Real estate company

According to what I found in town, there seem to be a variety of industries using the “.ws” domain.

The “.ws” domain has a newly acquired feature that allows emoticons to be used.

The following is an example.

Up to ten💩emoticons are already registered, oh boy, what a popular emoticon!!

Of course, there are other emoticons you can use to acquire a domain name.

If you want to see what kind of emoticon can be registered, try searching here.

■For access to Samoaclick here

◆”.ws” domains used without the💩emoticon

Although I was distracted with the 💩emoticon, because “emoticon can be used!”, I tried to check out other web sites without the 💩emoticon. All web sites picked up here use an emoticon domain. I like the impact-based feel.