How swiftly things change. Four days ago, Rhonda passed away. Garry and I joined his family in mourning their loss, laid plans for her funeral and helped his Dad prepare for a new life alone.
In Rhonda’s final weeks, as Garry sat with her each night in the hospital, she made her wishes clear. She urged him not to abandon our scheduled vacation for her sake. As a result, in her honour, just as she wished Garry and I flew out for Samoa last night.
We’ve shortened our stay by several days to return in plenty of time for Rhonda’s funeral. For the next seven days we’re staying at Return to Paradise, Samoa’s largest locally owned resort. This evening as I look out across the pounding Pacific, it really does feel like the right place to be. We finally have time to pause, reflect and truly remember without the distractions of everyday life.
Today’s highlights in “paradise” include sleeping on the beach under the shade of coconut trees, driving across the island to stock up on some supermarket essentials, and enjoying a buffet dinner with live entertainment. The beach sleep was incredibly therapeutic, even more so after an all too brief three hour sleep on our flight from Brisbane.
The Maeva String Band that entertained us over dinner was impressive. This talented group of men was originally founded by the resort’s gardeners. This evening they performed songs tempered by powerful harmonies before finishing with some exuberant rhythmic dancing.
I chuckled when the compère announced the band was performing a truncated show. This last minute change meant everyone could retire to the bar in time to catch the second half of the annual Bledisloe Cup on TV. Rugby is clearly a big deal in Samoa.
Oh yes, and one final highlight. I’ve ticked off country number 72 on my travel list.
UPDATE: 22 September
New Zealand won last night’s game 31-28 in a closely fought match.
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