Election Day Holiday-Circus and Fun

The empty ferry on Election Day. It was amazing not to see any cars.

The rows were completely empty with only 4 of us on the ship. It was amazing to stretch out.

The circus was right across from the wharf.

Delicious cotton candy at the circus.

Having a little too much fun at the circus.


Election Day Holiday=Circus and Fun!
Since we had a long weekend for the election day holiday, I decided to enjoy the time and have fun. To start off the holiday, Rachel and I met up to go to the circus, again. The circus came to Savai’i for two weeks. We were given complementary tickets from a friend, and were extremely surprised when we were ushered to a box seat and were seated front and center. To get in the circus mood, we are hot dogs (that tasted like American hot dogs) and cotton candy.
When the show started, I don’t think I stopped laughing for a minute. I think I really have Samoan humor down, as it is always a play on words. The show was different from the show I saw in Apia the previous month. Because of it being my second time seeing the show, I really had time to take in exactly what was happening during the show. Not only were the performers busy performing, but they went around seeing different things, such as key chains, toys, and food. During the show, the super strong men held the ropes for the pulley to work for the acts high in the air, such as the trapeze. It is still amazing to see the people do these amazing acts without a safety net protecting them.
Sadly my favorite act, the foot juggler from Nepal was not performing. But I didn’t get too disappointed because they changed many of the acts to make them better and have us rolling on the floor in laughter. Stoe the clown and his partner were hysterical with their acts. Stoe’s, the midget clown, partner handed me a bouquet of flowers, that of course shot water. (It reminded me of the trick items I loved to have when I was young.) Rachel was picked to perform the bells to “When the Saints go Marching In” with a big group of Samoans. She did such a fantastic job that even the Samoans who never applaud were applauding.
The four legged man did more magic tricks than last time to make me feel as if he earned his keep, and the rest of the acrobatic acts and jugglers were amazing.
I came to a realization as I was sitting there during the show. I grew up with Ringling Brothers Circus, and have always been amazing with how well they put the circus together. However, their ringmaster I could never pick out of a line up. They never stood out. However, everyone seems to know Bruno, the Ringmaster for the Magic Circus of Samoa. He must be more famous than all the other Ringmasters around the world.
As you can tell I really enjoyed the circus. (Today I actually saw one of the men that performed on the streets and I felt like I was near the biggest celebrity around.)
The following day was election day. I didn’t realize how much things would shut down. There were no busses, and I was nervous looking at the ferry and seeing no one there. But I was able to buy my ticket, and when I got onto the empty boat, the captain came up to me and two others to say since the boat was not full they would not leave. I then found out he was kidding. The boat was as empty as can be. There were only 4 of us passengers on the boat, and so I decided to lay out on a bench to read. I was interrupted when someone came up to me to tell me that the captain requested my presence. I followed the man upstairs, and was able to enjoy the rest of the time on the ship in the captain’s quarters. We hung out, sang and had a great time up there. I was welcomed to spend time with them each time I travelled on their boat. I felt completely welcomed.
When we docked in Upolu, I laughed as usually there is a big rush to get off the boat with people pushing and whatnot, but with only 4 of us and no vehicles, it was quite nice and enjoyable.
I was then ready to celebrate my Election Day on the island of Manono Tai…