Dear Vatapuia and Misiona,

Thank you very much for your nice article ‘A country of special people’. You have crafted a very good article from the short interview we had by the roadside. The photo is a really good shot too.

Our holiday in Samoa is now over and the experience is still growing on us. The times with the locals and other tourists around the beach fales has been very special. We stayed typically for two days at various costal places and visited both Upolu and Savai’i.

There are so many things which worked just right whether it was the weather, the ferry, the food, the water, the accommodation, the buses. 

In fact the bus trip with our bikes from Lalomanu to Apia at 6:30 in the morning will remain in my memory forever. The bus was so full with the music blaring away, everybody cheerful despite the crush, heading through the mountain pass, an experience not to be missed.

In fact the holiday was so special that we will be back and we will recommend Samoa as a holiday destination to our friends and relatives here in NZ.

While at the tourist office in Apia we asked for a contact to a local beekeeper – I am a beekeeper myself. They could not find a contact. Do you happen to have some contacts to a beekeeper in Upolu and Savai’i? I usually offer my help organising gear and can also help with connections for the sale of honey overseas should that be of interest.

Best regards,

Ernest Kilian

Christchurch, New Zealand