but there is a nice side to the Pacific!
I didn't really want to end my posts on the Pacific islands with the last sad one on the small, struggling countries, as some of the larger islands such as Palau, Samoa and the Solomon Islands were very different. Mostly clean and tidy, for one thing, with beautiful, lush countryside, and a much more upbeat feel. The above picture, for example, is just a street through a small town / village in Samoa - full of flowers and with no litter! The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (in Samoa) is beautiful, but represents something else I found surprising about these countries - the strong role of the Christian faith. There are churches everywhere, lots of very well-maintained and decorated tombs and graveyards - and no topless women! Somehow my image of this part of the world encompassed women in grass skirts, with chains of flowers around the head/neck ... but with nothing on the top half of the body. But that has been stopped by the Christian religion, espe...