Just Chillaxing: Return to Virgin Cove

Oh hi! After leaving Savai'i and returning the hire car (boo-hoo), we had three nights left and decided to return to the lovely Virgin Cove for the last South Pacific chillax. With this plan in mind we got a few things together in Apia, before catching our transfer.

A large lava lava (sarong) shop in Apia.

We were horrified to read in the Samoan Star about a Samoan man (who fought for America in the Vietnam war), had been arrested and imprisoned in America for entering the country. Authorities convinced themselves he was impersonating someone else. He had been locked up for the past few months. There were lots of posters around Apia and money was being raised. He is a local politician in Apia.

We returned to Virgin Cove by mid afternoon to a warm welcome and were shown to our secluded fale with its own beautiful clear view of the beach.

The ocean was incredibly still...

An ideal time to check out the rocky areas and the fish. We couldn't quite work out what this was maybe a sea anemone or a crab? It was gone by the next morning...

A heron stalking the beach.

And taking off to fly low over the water to the lava rocks out in the sea.

The heron.

The clouds and the late afternoon sun.

Palm tree shadows.

The tide was out on the lava pool.

I watched the lava pool fill up and managed to capture the sun behind the palm tree, first time. It was blindingly bright!

The tide coming in. A bit like Ouvea, this was a place to watch the changing colours and the light and just enjoy nature.

Lots of ghost crabs on the beach had been busy running up an down and creating the sand balls that we first saw in the Galapagos islands.

Our beautiful room. Very simple, but with a bit more space.

In the night a storm broke out and I got up to close the blinds to the rain and wind. It really cleared the air and made for a cool nights sleep. Wiji at breakfast with his sleepy castaway head on.

The fale in the morning sun.

Wiji in the sea...

...Interspersed with some reading...a full and busy day lay ahead.

I was quite happy to do the same and settled down here.

We tried the Virgin Cove cocktails and listened to their very own string band in the evenings.

We did manage to wake up in time for one amazing sunrise - this wasn't it though! We were far too sleepy to get out of bed and photograph it then. But I had a go the next morning.

It was just me and the heron again...

The lava pool at the other end of the beach that morning.

The last minute get away.

An epic journey to nowhere.

The cocktail umbrellas that Wiji had in his hair, had blown out of the fale after the rain.

A large gecko tried to eat a moth that was so big it vibrated the gecko's body in its attempt to escape.

Friends at breakfast, the cats.

We were approaching the end of our time in Samoa and the beginning of their cyclone season. At times the winds picked up, whipping up some grey clouds that set off the aqua colours beautifully.