Wednesday 15 September RL Stevenson Museum

Robert Lewis Stevenson, author of Kidnapped, Treasure Island and Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, spent the last 4 years of his life living on Samoa. He came here with his older American wife and her daughter and his aged mother in 1894 for his health. He must have been wealthy because he built this beautiful house in the hills behind Apia and had enough land for a plantation. The house is now a museum refitted to how it would have looked when he lived there.
It was still raining so Evi and I took a taxi up the hill, David stayed home to do boat jobs, and did a guided tour. RLS was a prolific writer. In his library / writing room there was a collection of all his published work. There must have been 50 novels and books of poetry. Far more than I ever realised. I now feel inspired to find copies of the 3 I mentioned at the beginning and read them.
RLS died of a brain haemorrhage at the age of 44, four years after he first arrived in Samoa and is buried at the top of the hill overlooking the town. On a dry day one can climb up to see his grave, but in the rain it was took wet and muddy to scramble up.
Evi and I got a lift from NZ holiday makers back into town. We found the immigration and cleared out, had lunch in the fruit market, bought some vegetables and provisions and caught another taxi back to the marina. Why struggle in the rain with heavy shopping when a taxi is under $2 / £1.50?
this evening we went to a Samoan music, dance and buffet evening at the Aggie Grey hotel along from the marina. The musicians and dancers were wonderful, apparently all of them work in the hotel and perform every Wednesday evening. The musicians played their guitars and drums and we swore it was Beach Boys songs in Samoan. The dancing boys were a hoot; energetic, fit and obviously enjoying themselves. The girls were all smiling and singing too. One of the best dancing entertainments we've seen in the Pacific. The buffet was the best we've had too. There must have been 150 people for the dinner and we all left satisfied. Of the many dishes, our favourite was roasted suckling pig with crispy crackling. We rolled home feeling very full.