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Adventure Photos
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TongaJune 27, 1990On Monday, June 25, we sailed into Neiafu, Vava’u, in the Kingdom of Tonga, after what will hopefully be the worst passage we have yet to make. Strong head-winds, then dead calm and glassy seas for 48 hours, then stronger head-winds and high seas battering us and forcing our boat headlong toward a strange port in the middle of a cloudy night, and to top it off, our motor suddenly began acting contrary, threatening to run on only one cylinder and then just as suddenly purring like a kitten. Not one of our best trips, comfort wise. The 315 mile trip should have taken us three days, but we made it in six—even taking into account crossing the International Date Line just before arriving. Well, win some—lose some. The joys of cruising! The only high point of the trip occurred the second day out. A small humpbacked whale surfaced so close to our bow we could have touched it with a boat hook. It surfaced again and blew near our starboard rail, then dove and we never saw it again. Just curious. The next day we caught a three foot mahi mahi (dolphin fish). We had fillets the first day and serviche the next. Tonga, 200+ lush, tropical islands (only about half are inhabited) spread across 362 miles, grouped geographically into three sections of the Pacific, and the only remaining Polynesian kingdom. The northern group, Vava’u, where we will be cruising, is composed of 34 islands having the total land area of 45 square miles. It reminds me of the Virgins: high islands separated by deep-water passages, with lots of good anchorages, reefs nearby, caves to explore, and English speaking people. It was love at first sight, especially when we discovered the clear blue water and went in for a swim—something we would never have attempted in Pago Pago. Another bonus was in being welcomed over the VHF by the boats that had shared that filthy, smelly, noisy harbor in American Samoa, weathered Tropical Cyclone Ofa, and then had sailed to Tonga ahead of us. It was like coming home even though we’ve never been here before. One called us as we entered the "group" from the sea, another directed us to the customs dock, another called to warn us that we were heading the wrong way, another met us at the dock and took our lines and, after checking in, they helped us moor our boat next to theirs and took us out to lunch. The calm harbor was sure a welcome relief from our rough passage. The biggest shock was the weather. Just a few miles south-west of Samoa and we had drier air and cooler evening temperatures. We just about froze during our first 70 degree night! Had to close almost all the ports and hatches and cuddle up under a flannel sheet to keep warm. Thin blood? Tonga is the only Pacific island nation that has never been colonized by a European power. The people are independent, proud and very polite, and they seem to welcome us with open arms to their islands. They bend over backwards to help the tourist and even feel offended if they can’t be of service. Tourism is an important industry in Tonga and the island and its people are geared to accommodate visitors. In Samoa the big industry was tuna—fishing, processing and canning—and tourism was something to tolerate. Panama is a lot like that. Almost the whole economy is based on the canal and other things fall by the wayside. The attitude toward the tourist is just about the same there as it is in Samoa. We discovered a tourism center near the docks, complete with brochures and posters and a man to answer our questions. Next door was a government-run duty free gift shop with some of the best prices on the island. I bought a beautiful piece of tapa at half the price you would pay in Samoa. Basket weaving is a Tongan specialty, but the only problem is deciding which one to buy. In Samoa we had trouble locating the office of tourism. No one knew where it was! By the time we found it, we knew pretty much what was available on the island. Now is this any way to run a country? The Tongans are a darker-skinned, thinner version of the Samoans. Being deeply religious, they wear similar conservative clothing with the women covering shoulders down to below their knees with colorful prints. Most of the men and boys wear lava-lavas (wrap-around skirts that come just past the knee) and both men and women sometimes wear straw mate wrapped and tied around they waists, sometimes belt-width, sometimes hanging past the knees. We’ve seen lots of people in mourning clothes (basic black) and we understand these are worn at least a year. Many six-man canoes have come past our boats. The men and women practice their racing skills here, too. All over the island, pigs and chickens run wild. We had three little black piglets grunting around us while we ate lunch at an outdoor cafe. You throw them your scraps. No problem getting rid of garbage here. We’ll be here at least three months. We plan to attend a "Tongan Feast" on July 4, the King’s birthday. We want to explore the other islands, shop in the local craft shops, snorkel on the reefs, collect shells, motor through caves carved into the volcanic rocks by thousands of Years of oceanic activity, climb the scenic hills, picnic on uninhabited islands, and thoroughly enjoy ourselves. Use our Seattle forwarding address when you write, and if you’d like us to send you something from Tonga (tapa, shells, wood carvings, postage stamps, black coral jewelry, basketry—bowls, purses, trays, place mats etc.), please let us know as soon as possible so that we’ll be sure to get it before we leave. |
To home page of the " Motivation Tool Chest" or TOC[ Elements of Motivation ] [Motivation in the Workplace ] [Motivation & Tall Ships ] [ Youth Motivation ]Copyright 2000 by Robert L. Webb
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