On your bike… couple ride around Samoa

By Anina Kazaz 20 October 2018, 12:00AM

While some people enjoy sightseeing in cars, Kiwi couple Jeanne Dennehy and Caleb Lloyd prefer their bikes. 

They flew into Samoa with their bikes and so far have travelled Savai’i and now Upolu. 

Caleb and Jeanne, who live together in Taranaki, were on their way to the culture show at the Samoa Tourism Authority when the Dear Tourist team met them. 

Before they visited, they heard a lot of good things about the friendliness of the locals and how safe Samoa is.

 “The reputation of Samoa has been especially good and it is also easy to get around and explore by yourself,” Jeanne said. 

“I have seen it should be easy on the road without a lot of holes, which suited us. It is really cool. I have seen other Pacific Islands but the culture is obviously quite different here. It still feels like not that many tourists travel here compared to locals, so that is really nice.”

They stayed in different fales in Savaii and they loved the experience. 

“That suited us very well as we get the meals, which would have been difficult without a fale because it isn’t easy to cook by yourself here. 

“Going with a bicycle I felt very comfortable and safe. We had one dog chasing us but this was the only dog bothering us somewhere in a village,” Jeanne said.

They hoped for more directions and signs, and when travelling around Savaii they found that accessing a pharmacy can be difficult, which they experienced when Caleb got sick. 

But they still got help from nearby villages, which they appreciated. 

“It is sometimes, when you come from our background, a bit harder to understand when you have to pay for something. But as we were aware of the private land here, we could see the point of paying to go to a beach. Occasionally we had someone who obviously had nothing to do with the activity approach us for money, this happened a few times,” she said.

Despite the setbacks, they’ve enjoyed their stay and loved their experience of the island. They would also recommend Samoa a place for bikers.

By Anina Kazaz 20 October 2018, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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