Download - Camp Samoa

Bar red carpet SWAP Limousine Deal and travel in style if you want. Click the link to find outhow [opens in a new window] to trade Milky Bars for the ride of your life).• Public Taxi (Airport/Camp SAMOA) - $50.00 per taxi (4 people & luggage OK). A viable optionbut you should check that your driver speaks English well and ALWAYS tell your driver tophone for instructions BEFORE you enter the taxi!• Public Transport – $5.00pp Airport/Apia. $3.00pp Camp SAMOA/Apia. Note: Local busesare NOT available after normal business hours. Public transport is not recommendedimmediately upon your arrival.• WARNING: You MUST make prior arrangements with Camp Samoa. You cannot justturn up anytime day or night!All prices quoted in WST.Camp SAMOA is located off the top end of Falelauniu Road in Aleisa East. Coming from Apia, takethe main road past Papasea Sliding Rocks towards Aleisa. Turn left at the large white Catholicchurch and head on up the hill past the Orator Hotel. Turn right into the Aleisa Road two km up thehill. Travel 1.7km and turn right again into Falelauniu Road (the first road on the right) and then turnright again into Camp SAMOA Road (300m) BEFORE you get to Tom Tinai’s place and BEFOREyou go down the concrete road corner.If you are coming up Falelauniu Road (not recommended), go past YWAM (Youth With A Mission),and take the first road on your left past the concrete road corner, 300m BEFORE you get to AleisaRd.If you are coming from the airport, turn right at the first cross-island road. Travel up to the top of thehill and turn left into the Aleisa Road. Travel through Aleisa and past the LDS (Mormon) church onyour right. Turn left at the concrete water tank into Falelauniu Road (opposite the blue shop). Takethe first road on the right (300m). [Note: If you reach a "T" intersection, you have gone 1.7km too far.Turn back and take the first road on your right.]PricesAccommodation prices include showers, toilets, water, power (for charging), communal fridge/freezer,security safe, luggage lockup and three meals. WST. Work rebates are available on allaccommodation options.CAMPSITE(Bring your own tent/mattress)$30.00 pp night (casual, day-by-day bookings).$25.00 pp night (7 day prepay – $175.00).BACKPACKERS (Dormitaries, plantation hut or Fale Samoa)$45.00 pp night (casual, day-by-day bookings).$40.00 pp night (7 day prepay – $280.00).TAXI (To/from Camp Samoa)Camp Samoa taxi (same as commercical taxis) – maximum 5 pp.

Note that the taxi price can be shared unless stated otherwise.Siusega shops – $10.00Papasea Sliding Rocks – $15.00Apia – $20.00Baha’i Temple – $30.00Papapapaitai Falls – $40.00Airport – $50.00 + Airport tax ($5.00) = $55.00Mulifanua Wharf – $60.00Siumu – $60.00Piula Cave Pools – $75.00Lalomanu – $100.00OPTIONSSunday To’onai - $30.00 Camp Samoa guests ($40.00pp others) includes pickup, to venue, to/fromchurch, and return to Apia region.Size 2 pig – $120.00 (feeds up to 8 pp).The Ninth Heaven – 1pp $200.00, 2pp $125.00 each, 3pp $.00, 4pp $.00 each, 5pp $.00 each, 6+pp$70.00 eachTsunami Tour (Aleipata round trip) – $250.00 + $20.00ppREBATESRebates are available on all accommodation options:Rate per hour – $5.00Minimum daily charge – $10.00ppRules & GuidelinesCamp SAMOA Rules & Guidelines1. On arrival please provide the Camp Samoa Duty Manager with your Next-Of-Kin details andyour home address.2. Deposits:o Airport Transfer $30.00NZD must be paid online 24 hours before arrival. No payment -sorry, no pickup!o Prepay accounts must be paid in full on arrival (work rebates will be refunded oncheckout).o A deposit of $100.00 is required for casual bookings.

3. Credit Accounts must be updated at the end of each day and signed off by the Duty Managerdaily. (Your account may be used for anything such as shop purchases, taxi/tour charges,breakages and work credits). Update your account with $WST100.00 payments before orwhen your balance is $0.00. Outstanding credits will be returned on your departure.4. Duties are shared between the guests present on a daily basis and usually a lot less than onehour per day:o Disheso Kitchen-hands (usually the evening meal preparation only)o Food gathering/harvesting (e.g. coconuts, bananas, fruit and vegetables)o Housekeeping - please keep Camp Samoa as you found it (or better).5. Optional work rebate ($5.00 per hour down to a minimum WST$10.00 per day) Work hoursare from first light to lunchtime.o Hours are calculated and reconciled daily (no retrospective credits).o Any extra hours worked in a day are considered a donation to Camp Samoa.o Work available is detailed on the Camp Samoa noticeboard dailyo No work is available on Sunday or afternoons.o Work supervision is provided by the Camp Samoa Duty Managero Work always available: Section clearing, garden weeding (a.k.a. picking upsticks/picking up stones). Housework, duties or food gathering/ preparation are NOTclassified as work for rebate purposes.6. One blog post is requested from each volunteer, (300 words and one photo) but is optionalfor non-volunteers. This blog post can be interview-style (we do the writing) or written by you,in any language on any topic relating to Samoa.7. Special requests for Camp Samoa participation (such as taxis, tours, Village Stays, SundayTo'onai visits, other special events and daily work schedules) must be arranged at least theday before the event.8. Breakfast: 9.00am. Lunchtime: 1.00pm. Dinner: 7.00pm9. Meals are simple but with very good portions. (Nobody goes hungry in Samoa!) Typical mealsare: Fruit, banana and coconut smoothies for breakfast. Bread sandwiches, fresh-cookedpancakes or scones for lunch. Chicken or fish with taro, noodles or rice for dinner. Importedfoods such as cheese and milk are not generally available10. Special foods & medicines are your care. Feel free to bring them (but be ready to share yourMilky Bars and chocolate with others!)11. Available at no chargeo Drinking water - unlimitedo Mains power - reasonable use such as charging cellphone, cameras and notebookcomputerso Jasons guides & mapsThe shop stocks essentials, generally priced the same/similar as local village shops. Allpurchases can be made using your credit account.o Chips, nibbles, pop-corn, confectioneryo Canned/bottled drinkso Medicines - basic medicines such as plasters, insect repellent, sunscreen,antiseptic/antifungal creams and antibioticso Feminine hygeine, soap & personal needso Mosquito coils, batteries, torches, playing cards, lighters, memory stickso Lavalavas, fans & popular giftso Internet cards (2 hours & 5 hours)12. Prohibitions:o Noise levels must be down at 10.00pm weekdays and during daylight on Sundays (dueto cultural expectations).o Lights out at midnight.

o The kitchen area is out-of-bounds. A fridge-freezer and the umu kuka (an outsideSamoan-style kitchen with pots, firewood BBQ and firewood oven) are available forguests use.o The Duty Manager's quarters are out-of-bounds.o Please do not feed the animals unless instructed to and only then as instructed.13. Pace yourself - nothing is a problem in Samoa! Don't burn yourself out working in the heat orhumidity.14. Share, share, share - share your experiences, transport etc with others. Share your photoswith others and use only one camera at each location/event to avoid the time-wasting "camerashuffle routine" (i.e. "Can you take a photo on my camera?" and mine, and mine and mine!).15. Post your online feedback BEFORE you depart Samoa. Please put your feedback ontoTripAdvisor, CouchSurfing and other forums while Samoa is still fresh in your mind.16. Treat ailments fast - skin infections (bacterial and fungal) are common in all tropicalcountries. Get your medicine on cuts and scratches ASAP as they can flare-up into realproblems within only hours.17. Communicate - share your stresses with camp wardens and let others help you. Newexperiences are always a challenge. Stress levels commonly increase at the periods of 3days, 3 weeks and 3 months. Ask the Duty Manager or others for advice on what to do andwhere to go. Use local knowledge. Don't rely on the Internet or out-of-date guidebooks!18. If in doubt, please pay. If there is any doubt over who should pay for something in Samoa, it'svery simple - you should be willing and prepared to pay as even the poorest budget travelerhas much more funds at their discretion than most of the locals. If you break it - you must fix it.SWAP is a non commercial entity and Camp SAMOA is an ultra budget service. If you lose itor break it, you must replace it or fix it.19. Take extreme care with foods - Food goes off quickly in the tropics and is a target forbacteria, insects, ants, cats, mice and dogs. ALWAYS keep all foods in sealed plasticcontainers. Never leave food unattended or a food container open even for one minute!20. Store your valuables (passports, jewellery etc) in the safe and your baggage in the lockup.Assume the worst to minimise opportunity for any problems to arise. You may store yourvaluables and/or luggage at no charge while you travel Samoa.21. All care, no responsibility. Camp Samoa operates an ultra-budget service, enabling a lowcost, high value experience in Samoa. Guests agree that the SWAP Foundation has no liabilityfor any adversity, loss or consequential loss by Camp Samoa guests.22. Remain flexible at all times. Force yourself to enjoy the moment no matter how upset youmay be at the taxi driver who tried to "rip you off"or how long you had to wait for the bus, orhow many times the locals "got it wrong"!23. Departure - Advise the Duty Manager of your intended departure time/date at least the daybefore you leave to allow for arranging transfers, taxi and the return of any credit. For suddenor unplanned departures, Camp Samoa reserves the right to refund any balance owing byPaypal online.24. When in Rome . . . Don't fight the culture. While the Western world may appreciate half-nakedwomen, Samoans definitely don't. Even though YOU might want to wear short shorts or letthings hang out just a little bit, please slip a lavalava (sarong) around you and cover up fromyour shoulders down to your knees in public and when visiting others. Always sit down to eat(don't eat while walking) and if you can, also before you start to talk to people. Learn to use afew little Samoan phrases, such as "Faafetai" [Thank you], "Malo" [Hello], "Famolemole"[Please]. If you are brave, part company with a local saying, "Manuia le Aso" [Have a goodday]. The locals will love you for trying.25. Enjoy Samoa. While you may find some aspects of your Samoan experience challenging, allof Samoa (including the staff, business partners and friends of the SWAP Foundation)genuinely want you to enjoy your stay in Paradise! Our policy is to look after our guests -anything, anytime, anywhere! Manuia le aso!

FeedbackDozens of guests have enjoyed Camp Samoa, many recounting that their experiences have been thehighlight of their travels.Most guests (once over the shock of living in the backblocks of a third world country) appreciate theopportunity to truly engage with the Samoan culture – top of the list of favourites are:• getting behind the tourist traps, seeing the REAL Samoa, Village Stays;• the plantation, preparing eating the fresh coconuts, taro and bananas, cooking on fire;• understanding the people and the culture (getting the ‘other’ side of life in Samoa);• Meeting and mixing with people from different cultures (Samoans and other Backpackers).WWOOFersCamp Samoa hosts Samoa’s only WWOOFing programme, with a generousrebate system off Camp Fees.Many WWOOFers have left their personal stories and photos which are greatfor getting a real feel for Camp Samoa – you can view them (here).Comments“Totally awesome – best part of my entire trip” – USA.“Thanks for sharing so much with me. Samoa is sooooo different! I never knew that we [Germany]had so much of an influence in Samoa. We were never taught this in school” – Germany.“Best experience of my life so far. I will never forget it” – France.“Camp Samoa rocks!” – NZ.“I was really tempted to leave when I first arrived [Camp Samoa was still under construction followingCyclone Evan] but am so glad I didn’t. It’s been a big learning experience for me” – Spain.“Camp Samoa is a different feel from other backpackers I’ve experienced, and it seems to bebecause there is a comfortable balance between theWestern and Samoan cultures. Dennis says that he triesto help people experience the best of both worlds and heteaches this well, encouraging people to ‘go deep’ andkeep on asking questions. I recommend that visitors toCamp Samoa do this and they will grow and get goodvibes from the experience, because I did and it was veryworth it.” – Slovakia.“Rough but great. Once you’re over the mosquitoes andbudget setup, it seems that ‘nothing is a problem’ in Paradise” – UK.“Kind regards to [names ommited - all those who helped with Village Stays, Tour Guiding & SundayTo'onais]. Praying for you all. Lovely to meet so many of your friends [Dennis]“ – Australia.“Camp Samoa is certainly at the top of our list for value. We have travelled extensively and whilethere are some things the same in many third world countries, Samoa has a unique culture. We canall learn a lot from the relaxed approach to life that is so evident within your Paradise. A big thanks toyou [Dennis] too for the patient way that you answered all our questions and introduced us to so

Visitors CAN be seen as ready sources of easy income. Crime DOES exist in ample measure. Yes,there WAS seriousdamageto parts of the Island in the 2009 Tsunami.Fa’a Samoa, the Samoan way values relationship above assets. Many of Samoa’s strong traditionslive on with little change from centuries ago. A weekly routine around the plantation, the family, andthe church is rarely changed, even for visitors. Social expectations are strong, and the lifestylerelatively untouched by the fast-moving western world.As with any developing nation Samoa is challenged by growth. The Western culture indeed createstension for individuals, families and the nation, yet life goeson here . . . nothing seems to be a problem . . . foodcontinues to fall from the sky, and the Taros grow likeweeds!Words used to describe Samoa for a visitor must includeUNIQUE, RAW, REAL, CHALLENGING and most of allDIFFERENT!At Camp SAMOA, you have an excellent base from whichyou can travel safely into the rural areas (with or without atour guide) and experience the beauty and challenges ofthis amazing country for yourself.It is also easy to join with other backpackers and travellers to share the cost.Whatever your expectations, Samoa will certainly be an experience to remember.Copyright © 2013 SWAP FoundationP O Box 55, Apia, Samoa Ph +685 22-777, +685 777-9999www.campsamoa.com