White Sunday – The biggest celebration of the year for the kids.

Another white Sunday was celebrated on October 10 (actually 10.10.10). This special occasion of the year allows all kids to become the Prince or Princess for a whole day. The kids get new white cloths to wear at the early church service in the morning and throughout the day.

As always in Samoa, any celebration is connected to food, lots of food… The white Sunday is no different as you will see in the short video below.

If you are Samoan you will also understand what they are talking about…

Enjoy it!!

If you have problems watching it please Click on Samoa White Sunday

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Mats Loefkvist

Hotels Samoa / Samoa Tours / Samoa Travel

Becoming a High Chief of Samoa.

It is a great honor to be chosen to get a chiefly title (Matai Title) in Samoa and serve your community and family as a trusted leader.

It is an even greater honor to be chosen as a high chief of a village or a district with all it’s social and political responsibilities that follows with the title. Although more than one person can get the chiefly name, there will always be a primary leader for the group which usually is dedicated to the older and more experienced Matai or Chief.

In most cases the Matai has full control over the village and all matters, like a smaller form of government. Many times the villages makes their own social rules and laws that has to be followed and where the national government has no influence.

Today you do need a chiefly name to be able to get a seat in the parliament which makes the chiefly titles even more important.

In the video below you will be able to follow the bestowal of the new High Chiefs with the title “Fui” in the area of “Lefaga” on the south coast of Upolu island. Although it is a great honor, not everyone can afford to pay the high donation cost to the village that is connected to the ceremony and the chiefly name.

Samoan High Chief Bestowal

Mats Loefkvist

Hotels Samoa / Samoa Tours / Samoa Travel

Back to the basics

One of seven ocean going Polynesian canoes has found its home in Samoa. The Polynesian people are known for their long travels over the Pacific Ocean, navigating by watching the stars and the direction of the waves. They could find their way over the ocean relying on their skills and instincts only.

Today we try to relearn these long lost skills of navigation. The canoes are showing the young people the history of their ancestors and they also connect the islands in the pacific on a cultural level.

I was able to film the Samoan canoe when they returned to Apia harbor one afternoon. Please have a look at the video below.

Sorry if it is a little bit shaky.

Polynesian Canoe

Mats Loefkvist

Hotels Samoa / Samoa Tours / Samoa Travel

When I am writing this it will be about 10 months after the Samoan tsunami disaster and lots of progress have been done to start all over for the affected people and businesses.

There are still many question marks about where the government spent all the aid money from other countries. At this time there is a huge new government building being constructed which probably needed some funding as well…

There is a newly published video from “Tagata Pasifika” that captures the current situation in Samoa. Please watch it below…

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Mats Loefkvist

Hotels Samoa / Samoa Tours / Samoa Travel

The Smoan Fale (house) is really a piece of art when it is done the old traditional way. There are big meeting fales where the architects have been using all the traditional skills in wood work design and decoration and there are the small simple fales used by families and also tourists nowadays.

The oval shape of the structure is very harmonious which is a reason for giving the Samoan people a great and long sleep. The natural thatched roof is keeping the fale cool in the hot sun.

I like you to have a look at this YouTube video, where you will get a good view of the how to build a Samoan small fale.

I have found a great document from UNESCO where they have made an excellent presentation about the Samoan Fale building skills.

Click on: FALE SAMOA

Sunny Greetings

Mats Loefkvist

Hotels Samoa / Samoa Tours / Samoa Travel

Rainforests on Upolu Island.

Samoa’s only National Park, O Le Pupu Pue National Park, is situated in Upolu on the suthern coast of the inland. It was opened in 1978, and was the first declared National Park in the South Pacific. There are walking and hiking tracks but with some of them you need hiking experience. One such hiking trail begins on the O Le Pupu Lava Coast and heads through thick rainforest to Pe’ape’a Cave (a large lava tube) – about a five hour return trek. You need a torch to explore this breathtaking cave.

Uafato Rainforest Reserve is an exceptional rainforest region in Polynesia. A little off the beaten track, in a secluded bay on the east coast of Upolu. The village of Uafato is accessible by dirt road and is about an hour and half drive from Apia. The 1400 hectare Uafato conservation area was established to preserve and restore the traditional hard wood rainforests in Samoa

This area contains many of Samoa’s rare forest birds including the national bird, the manumea (tooth-billed pigeon) and also at least seven other endemic bird species. If you’re relatively fit, there is excellent hiking through the tropical forest to hidden waterfalls, with the chance to spot these rare birds as well as flying foxes.

The area is connected to ancient mythology, with several sites relating to these myths.
Uafato villagers are recognised as the best wood carvers in Samoa. You will be able to see the carvers in action and buy excellent products, helping support the local people.

Savaii Rainforests

The Tafua Peninsula Rainforest Preserve. Located near the coastal village of Tafua in Savai’i, is perfect for spotting native birds and flying foxes. There are several walks including one which will take you to a crater which overlooks Tafua village.

The Falealupo Rainforest Preserve, a low-lying tropical rainforest located in the northwest of Savai’i. Conquering your fear of heights by walking the 40 metre high canopy will be well rewarded with excellent views of the surrounding rainforest and the peaks of Savai’i.

The Samoan people are good wood carvers and their skills goes from generation to generation. Unfortunately most of us have not the opportunity to learn from our forefathers. For us “Palagi” (white man) people we need other ways to get our Wood Working Skills.

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Mats Loefkvist

Hotels Samoa / Samoa Tours / Samoa Travel

Two times rebuilding.

You might remember that the Tanoa Tusitala Hotel almost completed a major renovation work on the famous Apia Hotel in September last year when an electrical fault caused a major fire, burning most of the hotel down.

An extreme determination of the Fijian based Tanoa Hotel Group and owners, the Reddy family, made them once again rebuild the hotel.

Now Open!

On July 01, The Tanoa Tusitala Hotel officially opened to the public. Although the hotel is not totally completed it still has the most necessary things in place.

The Tusitala hotel has always been an important venue for meetings and conferences much because of the great space and the resort ambience available. The new Tanoa Tusitala Hotel keeps the traditional style that it has been known for during all the years it has been operating as “Hotel Kitano Tusitala” before it was sold to the Tanoa Group.

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Mats Loefkvist

P.S

People ask me about how to migrate, live, or work in New Zealand.

A few years back it was a luxury to have a land line telephone installed at your home and the rates were just incredibly high.

Then suddenly there was an international company called Digicel appearing in Samoa that promised to make it possible for everyone to have a mobile phone.

The Digicel company started a market campaign of international standard that Samoa never had seen before. You could suddenly read Digicel slogans on every street corner in Samoa and you could get a simple mobile phone for almost nothing.

Digital addiction

Very quickly the mobile phone become a must to have item by both young and old and top-up cards were available everywhere. Although an almost free phone, the cost to use it is rather high when you buy phone cards to feed your phone.

Clever “Free text in the night” promotions have made the young kids addicted to the phone, spending the night texting their boy friends and girl friends as non of them have money to buy a normal phone card.

Parents are hiding their phones.

Digicel crated a very clever but dangerous function on the phone called “Credit Me Credit You” which makes it possible to transfer credit from one phone to another. This function were very welcomed by the kids as they could now easily find their parents phone and transfer fresh credit over to their own.

If the kids can’t find any credit they can at least do the texting and use the phone for listening to music.

Games, Games and Games…

Samoans love games and gambling and this is a side that the Digicel company are using for their promotions. You can submit your phone number for a small phone fee and if you are lucky you will be randomly picked for a final game called “Text To Spin” where you can win anything from 100 Tala to a few thousand Tala.

Needless to say, this is a very successful game…

Digital Paradise

Next time you visit Samoa don’t be surprised when you hear a phone ringing from a coconut tree. This is just the guy picking the coconuts getting the instruction from his wife.

Loosing Money with cell phones is easy but did you know that you can earn money with your phone. I found this 18 year old high school kid who makes lots of money every day. Have a look for yourself…

Cell Phone Treasure – Make Money With Cell Phones!

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Mats Loefkvist

Hotels Samoa / Samoa Tours / Samoa Travel

48 years of independence from New Zealand

1962 was the year that Samoa declared its independence from New Zealand and every year Samoa has been celebrating this important event on June 01.

In colorful uniforms, groups and organizations are marching down the Beach Road toward the Molinuu peninsula to rise the flag of freedom. Sports games, longboat races and dance entertainments are always on the program for this special day.

Samoa has changed

When we are celebrating, we are also reflecting on the past and the future of our nation. Changes are natural and welcomed when done in a positive and responsible way. Most of Samoa is changing very slowly and the so called progress is only obvious in the capital.

Half empty high rise buildings and government office complexes are growing up  all over Apia. Although Apia is getting very modern in one way the social structure and education is still suffering.

Instead of going to school many kids are helping parents selling goods in the streets. The promised mandatory primary school system is still not working due to budget cut in both education and health.

Money could have been saved.

Last year Samoa changed over from driving on the right side of the road to the left. There was no logical reason for this sudden change and it also hit the Samoan economy hard with a very high bill during a time of economical recession and tsunami catastrophe.

We are looking forward to see Samoa developing in a positive way, paying attention to the essential parts in people’s life and being sensitive to cultural values. Samoa is unique and if we loose this uniqueness we are just another tourist destination without any flare.

Let us have many more positive and fun Independent day celebrations in the future.

Help us writing about Samoa and all your other travel experiences. Learn how to start and promote your BLOG and even earn money for your next holiday!

Travel Blog Success – ECourse.

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Mats Loefkvist

Hotels Samoa / Samoa Tours / Samoa Travel

Photo by Rosalia Setefano

Again David conquer Goliath!

The Prime Minister of Samoa, Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi compares the achievements of the Manu Samoa team with story of David and Goliath.

It is truly surprising how a small country like Samoa could become Champions of the IRB Sevens World Series for 2010/2011.

Special Holiday.

Monday the 7th of June was a special holiday dedicated to the Manu Samoa Team.

Many 1000s of people came to celebrate the heroes at the Molinuu peninsula in Apia. This is the special time the Prime Minister has to stand up to his promise of cash prices for the team and also a “ motion” to record the names of the players and their villages, in the annuals of the Legislative Assembly for all future generations.

Thankful Church Ministers.

Many of the Samoan church ministers have expressed their thanks to the Manu Samoa team for having faith in God. The team’s prayer for Victory has been heard. The boys have some busy days ahead picking up all the prices and gifts from both private people and companies plus attending meetings and parties.

I am sure they don’t mind…

Insider Secrets To Cheap Flights – Downsized Agent Reveals All.

Mats Loefkvist

Hotels Samoa / Samoa Tours / Samoa Travel