Which Samoa?

Jik and I are flying to Samoa for our annual girls-trip saga tomorrow.

If you don’t live or are unfamiliar with this side of the world, Samoa is located to the east of Australia, midday between Sydney and Honolulu, Hawaii. It’s known for its rich culture, beautiful beaches, delicious Polynesian cuisine and more ━ which I will get to experience in less than 24 hours.

As with many of my travels to new places, I tend to remember when I decided that “I must go there matter what“.

Fiji, for example, I decided that I wanted to go to Fiji after reading about Balolo in Gastro Obscura. A Polynesian delicacy, Balalo is an edible sea worm. But, unfortunately, I didn’t get to try it the last time I went to Fiji, as it’s only available during certain months and in certain parts of the country ━ maybe it warrants another trip there.

For Samoa, it was when I saw a group of Samoan sportsmen at the Auckland Airport and got interested in the red colour, chilli-garland-looking necklace all of them wore. I later learned it was Ula Fala, a traditional cultural necklace worn during ceremonies and celebrations in Samoa.

With that, I learned more about Samoa and decided, “I must go there matter what“.

Finalizing this Samoa trip, though, had been more challenging than how we usually do things.

First, because Samoa was not the original choice, this year, it was Jik who was supposed to pick the destination, and she chose Vanuatu. But being Indonesian, we needed a visa, and the visa process for Vanuatu was lengthy and unclear.

We then briefly considered Hawaii, but the same problems; being Indonesian, we must go through nine hops to get a US visa. For New Caledonia, we need Schengen Visa. We even thought of Maldives, but it turned out to be too honeymoon-ey.

That’s when I remembered Samoa and wanting to “go there no matter what“.

After I suggested Samoa, we booked our flights and the hotel at the same hour, and Jik okayed it. It felt like an adult accomplished moment as we were in different time zones and headspaces that day. She was at a work event in Jakarta, and I was stress-studying for my CPA in Melbourne.

But we made it happen, and this time, I am proud to say that I under-pack. I am only bringing a small carry-on, a dry bag and 300 Samoa Tala ━ all ready to jet off to Samoa ━ well, first, to Brisbane, where Jik is meeting me halfway.

Telling my parents, though, was another thing.

Amma asked, “Where is Samoa?“; while Appa asked, “Which Samoa?“

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