Malo e leilei! (Welcome!)

My trip to the Kingdom of Tonga was fantastic. We were the first travel agent group in about 10 years to visit Tonga from North America.

The land is very similar to Fiji, in that there is an abundance of palm trees and gorgeous tropical plants and flowers everywhere, but it's quite a few years behind the times as far as tourism goes. That is why we went to Tonga, why they set up this trip for us, so we can sell it as a destination and help out their country. We were shown a range of accommodations and they are in desperate need of tourists to fill up the hotel rooms.. It is not a location of everyone; you definitely have to go with the flow. It may be better a few years from now for a more diverse range of tourists but for now, it's a bit behind, which is what some people want, one of the few places left that are not touristy.

March 11, 2008

I flew to LAX. I collected my luggage, and changed from Terminal 8 to Terminal 2 by catching the 'A' bus which is the inter-terminal bus loop around LAX. Went through security, which was not too bad, the line-ups were not long.

Got to go into the Air New Zealand lounge, it's very nice. There are showers, a business centre, flat screen TV's, big comfy chairs, floor to ceiling windows, magazines, buffet food, drinks (soda pop, wine and vodka (both from NZ), beer We didn't have too long to wait and then lounge's front desk made the announcement it's time to board.

Air New Zealand fly from Los Angeles to Tongatapu via Apia (Samoa), only on Tuesdays with the same touchdown and schedule on the return.

Air NZ Business class is very nice. It's not the super deluxe beds that would be on their longer haul flights. These seats do not lay completely flat. It didn't seem like that long before it was time to land in Apia (5:20AM). The heat and humidity hit me as soon as I walked off the aircraft! We had to get off the plane and take our hand luggage with us. There is a 1hr 25mins layover with nothing to do .(Bring a book to read!) You have to put you hand luggage on the security scanner (which is a bit ridiculous, as we already did all that in LA). There is a bar, where you can buy refreshments, there are washrooms, and a souvenir shop that is not open that early.

March 12 – 13, 2008

We boarded flight once again, and takes another hour and half to get to Tongatapu. We met our transfer to Faua Wharf to catch a boat to Fafa Island which is about a 15 minute boat ride away.

Fafa Island Resort is owned by a very nice German couple. They have 13 fales (pronounced'fa-lays', which are Tongan huts) and 1 restaurant and bar.

There was no breeze, even though we were right at the ocean, they said it was unusual and that normally there is a breeze. The ocean was very calm as well.

Transferred back to Faua Wharf by boat, and had a few minutes to wander around. Not much there but some locals were selling fresh fish and produce. We saw something we didn't recognize in a re-used plastic Coke bottle for sale. Another agent on my trip asked what it was. The lady told us it is raw, chopped up sea cucumber. Tina asked how to cook it. The lady laughed and told us it supposed to be eaten raw. Hmmm...

The Royal Sunset Island Resort's boat came to pick us up. The driver of the boat (he was Tongan) was standing up on the seat and had his body out the roof of the boat and steering with his feet, so he could see where the coral was and where it was too shallow as to not hit any of it. It was great.

It took a bit longer to get to Atata Island (20 mins or so), where the resort is located. We were met with fresh coconuts with a straw in the top as welcome beverages. We were staying the night here, so our luggage had already arrived and was in our fales.

The fales are basic, good for families. There are some palm trees and other trees between you and the sandy beach, probably for some shade. There were 3 of us in our Fale, two twin beds in the main room with kitchen sink and fridge, and one queen bed in a separate room. No air conditioning, although there are windows with screens in them that all open up for a breeze that goes through the fale, and to keep mosquitos out.

There were many dogs running about, they were all friendly. They were village dogs, the village being just a short 10-15 minute walk away. We had a visit from a village dog that came and hung out on our porch for a snooze. We met for dinner in the resort's restaurant, and were treated to a Tongan feast buffet. After dinner, we were treated to men and woman dancers doing traditional dances.

The women and men dancers spread coconut oil on their skin. Traditionally (and still done today), if you appreciate the women's dancing, you go and put paper money on her arms or back, and it sticks because of the coconut oil.

March 14, 2008

Next morning after breakfast, we transferred on the resort's boat back the wharf in Nuku'alofa, and were taken to the Tongan National Museum. We were treated to traditional dance, and demonstrations on how they make Tapa (mangrove tree bark pounded into flat, sort of cloth-like, then coloured and dyed) and weaving, and their cooking. In the actual museum, they have many photos, ancient bits of pottery, many things that help to explain the history of the Tongan people. I found it very interesting and a must see if you go to Tonga. We went back to Nuku'alofa's main street and wandered for a couple of hours.

For lunch, a few of us went to the 'Friends Café'. I would highly recommend this place to anyone who goes to Nuku'alofa. We all had jerk chicken panini sandwiches. Very yummy. Chicken, mayo and pineapple in panini, accompanied by Pineapple Fanta soda pop (I wish I could find it here!). Then we went into a few shops (not many there), and also checked out a Talamahu market just around the corner, off the main street. Some handicrafts and lots of produce (bananas, roots, etc).

All ready for our Western Island Tour: we went to the whistling blowholes. It was really neat. Next we went to see the Peka (Flying Fox bats), and it is like a scene from National Geographic magazine! The trees were just 'dripping' with bats. They were all screechy and sound almost like monkeys.

There are no such things as grocery stores really that I saw. They have grocery 'stalls'. I have not seen anything like it. It's an enclosed stall with bars over the front, and all the food is on shelves inside. You place your order from outside at the counter. There are a few larger ones that you can walk into yourself, but most are these small almost jail cell looking things. They are located every couple blocks. They stock shelf foods and toiletries (except sunblock!!!), nothing fresh.

Across from the bat trees, we had ice cream (imported from New Zealand). They ran out of vanilla flavour, so I had orange and choc chip. It was so hot, and we had to eat quickly because they were melting so quickly!

We got dropped off at our next accommodations for the night: the Lagoon Lodges. It's 2 levels and self-catering. The balconies face diagonally, so they all get a partial view of the ocean.

Our dinner at 'The Good Samaritan Inn' located on the western side of Tongatapu. It was dark, but we could hear the ocean which was right behind the stage. Every Friday evening they have a traditional buffet and floorshow. The place was full (need advance reservations), we said 'Grace' then lined up for our food, and we each got a ticket that we had to hand over to get a plate and cutlery. It was the traditional food once again (roast suckling pig, raw fish, potato salad, etc.),and dessert of fresh fruit and pineapple cake.

After dinner the floorshow got started. Some of the other people attending that evening were a bunch of doctors from NZ who were in Tonga to launch a partnership with Tonga to help children fight cancer. We saw many people wearing yellow that day, but weren't sure why. It was because the official start of the partnership that day, so everyone wore yellow.

The hostess would explain the dance we are about to see and she would dedicate each dance to a group of people or person in the audience. We got a few dances dedicated to our group. The hostess' year old daughter was in there dancing with the girls in her little pink dress, and she definitely stole the show! There was also an amazing man who did fire-dancing. At the end of the evening, two of the main doctors received tapa mats, a very high honour, for all their work. It's the Tongan way of showing appreciation.

On the way back to the hotel, took us about 45 mins and arrived back to Lagoon Lodges about 11:15PM, we were informed that our 6:30AM flight to Vava'u had been changed to 4AM and that they were picking us up at 3AM. So, always give the airline a local phone number where you can be reached in cases like this one! Or, you could also phone the airline the day before as well, just to make sure of the flight time.

March 15, 2008

After 3 hours of sleep, we had to be packed up and ready to go.

We arrived to the domestic terminal at the airport. We were not quite awake. A few people didn't bother going to sleep the night before. The terminal is a concrete box that could use a fresh coat of paint and some minor repairs and maybe some more seating. This is where we had to check-in for Airlines Tonga, which is a desk with a weigh scale. We had handwritten paper tickets for our flights to Vava'u. It's a small 18 seat prop plane and takes about an hour to fly to Vava'u.

We were met and were taken to our accommodations for the evening, the Puataukanave Hotel in Neiafu. The staff at the hotel greeted us with beautiful leis.

The Puataukanave Hotel has 130 rooms. The superior rooms are large, tiled floor, air-conditioned, balcony, fantastic ocean front view overlooking the Port of Refuge, modern décor, large bathroom.

We met Scott from Dive Vava'u a company that specializes in diving.

We also met a company called Moorings that charters out sailboats, with or without a skipper. We got to check out one of their sail boats at the dock. It was really nice. It can fit up to 6 people, but they recommend max of 4 adults.

We then went to the Twin View Motel for a site inspection. It's very high up on a hill. The view is amazing. The rooms are nice. All 2 bedroom with kitchen and living room, high ceilings. (And larger than my own apartment here at home!)

We then went to the Hakula Lodge. We were met by Sammy the dog. They specialize in Marlin fishing. They have 2 rooms that are shared by a balcony, and overlook the water.

We had some time before our next appointment: lunch. Rev. Bruno took us for a drive around his village. The roads were dirt and very windy and bumpy, and there were dogs, pigs, and children running around.

Next we were off to the Tongan Beach Resort. The owner Dieter is German and he has a Tongan wife. The resort is on an Island, although you don't need a boat. A man made road will get you there. There are 12 units, all ocean facing. One restaurant/bar.

We had a special lunch on the beach. Tables and chairs all under a great tree right by the ocean's edge. We had fresh coconuts with a straw to drink, and fish and chips to eat. Yummy.

After lunch, headed back to our hotel. We got a couple of hours to rest and get ready for dinner. We were supposed to leave at 5:30PM, but didn't end up leaving until 6:30PM, more of that Tonga time!

Then we got on the Paradise Hotel bus and went to Lucky's Beach Houses for dinner which was hosted by TVB. The atmosphere was family BBQ buffet. I had the best BBQ fish I have ever had. I don't even know what kind of white fish it was (probably snapper). Everyone who attended was a supplier, or one of the hosts of our trip. We didn't get to see the accommodations. They had a long table set up on the beach with a canopy over top. Dogs were barking and running around everywhere. They belonged to the people attending as well as the host. We left at about 9:30PM.

March 16, 2008

Got up 6:15AM. It's Sunday: Church day!

We all attended church except for 1 person. It's a cultural experience that was another must see/do in Tonga. It was fantastic.

We all walked up the hill to the large church, at 5 mins to 10AM.

The church is all white and red trim. It's quite impressive up on the hill. Instead of going inside, we went up the steps and to the left, stayed outdoors, and there is sort of a 'bowl' shaped grassy area. Everyone was standing, and it was Palm Sunday and we all got bits of leafy branch to hold. The priest started his sermon, and the choir was singing. Everything was in Tongan so we didn't understand. Then the crowd parted and the priest walked through the crowd carrying a cross, followed by the choir, and then everyone else. We walked out into the street and around the block, singing the whole time, and back up the steps at the front of the church and inside to the pews. They had saved 2 pews for our group near the front. The service was about 2 hours long. Lots of singing. They have very powerful voices, and it's really amazing. We stood up when they stood up; we sat down when they sat down. We just mimicked what they did. Most of us did not take our cameras to the church as we did not see it as appropriate. I'm glad I went, even though it was over 30 degrees and very humid, and we were all dripping with sweat. I don't know how the Tongans get all dressed up in their Sunday best, hats and dresses and men in dress shirts and pants without melting!

After church, Dive Vava'u met us, and took us down to the water at the Paradise Hotel (no beach) to their inflatable boat to take us to Mounu Beach resort for lunch.

The boat was very nice. There were 2 few people in the very front of the boat, and 6 of us sitting in the middle, and a few had to sit on the sides and hold on. The boat took us up to another boat and we were met by Allen the owner of the Mounu Beach Resort. We transferred from boat to boat and then jumped off the back and onto the sand.

Mounu Beach Resort is lovely. It's ecologically friendly. There are only 4 fales, including 1 honeymoon fale. The fales are sort of hexagon shaped with windows that open up most of the way around. Nice simple décor, south pacific style, but tasteful. I would stay here.

Allen and his wife are the original 'Swim with the Humpback whales' operators. The whales swim by just in front of their beach. He said they get the mother whales bring their calf and stay for hours. Whale season is generally from July – November.

Lunch was delicious. We had Lobster salad with warm rolls and fruit juice cocktails, followed by hummingbird cake which is like carrot cake, but it's made with coconut, banana and pineapple.

I heard some squawking going on, and I happened to be walking beside Allen on our walk and asked him what the noise was. He has a bird named 'George'. It's an Aussie bird, (black with pink feathers).

After lunch we got to go into Allen's 'sub' named the 'Kilisitahi', which is a boat with a boat underneath it (attached) and the sides that go under the water are thick windows, so you are under the water, and looking out into the coral and fish at eye level. It was great, although there is absolutely no airflow, so after just a few minutes it's like a sauna, humid and stuffy. I don't have a high tech spiffy camera, but some people had cameras with a special underwater setting, so they got some fantastic pics. It was almost as good as snorkelling and a good alternative if you don't want to get into the water (although it would have been a lot cooler!)

Allen took us to a place called Swallows Cave, on nearby Kapa island, which is a cave only accessible by water that is full of little swallows and their nests. We snorkelled into the cave and looked up and there were lots and lots of swallows flying around, and little nests.

It took a 25 mins boat ride back to the Paradise hotel.

The rooms at the Paradise Hotel are a bit dated, built in the 1970's. It is the oldest hotel there, and in need of an upgrade.

Met for dinner in the hotel restaurant and had Lobster and Red snapper.. For dessert there were banana splits. It's funny because their bananas are so small compared to the ones we get here in the supermarket, that there was big scoops of ice cream and tiny banana halves underneath.

Then someone got the brilliant idea that it was time for kava. Kava is traditional beverage made from the root of kava plant which is dried and ground into powder then mixed with water and consumed. You will find this on many of the other islands of the South Pacific as well. It is a social pastime for mostly men. It does not taste very good (sort of like muddy water), and it makes your tongue tingle. It's sort of a drug in a way, it makes you relaxed and tired, depending how much you drink. We just did our kava drinking casually, but there are traditional kava ceremonies as well.

The cook who prepared our meals just happened to be Fijian and he got out the kava bowl and prepared the kava. We all pulled our chairs around and the kava drinking commenced. I only had a few 'low-tides' (about ¼ coconut half shells worth). But 2 of the guys on our trip had to prove themselves, so they had 'high-tides' and lots of them. There was much laughter and stories shared by all. It was a good evening. All of us ladies decided to go to bed. (I think the men were waiting for us to leave, as traditionally kava is a men's social activity).

March 17, 2008

We had a hotel inspection at the Hilltop Hotel. The hotel was really high up, and the lobby had an open porch with table and chairs, and the view is amazing. There were a couple of brothers staying there from the US, and they had been there a week or so already, and they were thinking of extending their trip because they were having such a great time. They loved how friendly the locals are, and already had many stories to share.

Then we went to the Ene'io Botanical Gardens. It's pretty far off the main road. Here we were met by our host. We all got beautiful fragrant leis and were shown around. There were all sorts of trees and even vanilla, we saw the plant that kava comes from, saw demos of how tapa is made, as well as coconut husking and banana leaf weaving.

They served us a light lunch of fresh papaya, banana, pineapple and fresh shredded coconut along with fresh coconut juice to drink.

Then on the way back to town, we a few minutes to go shopping. My advice for people shopping in Tonga is: buy it when you see it, as you may not see it again. That's what happened to me, I thought I'll see some of the same stuff back in town, but I didn't and had to come home pretty empty handed.

We went to the Mermaid Bar for dinner down on the docks. It is a very atmospheric bar. There are signed t-shirts, and flags from all over the world stapled to the ceiling, and they actually cover the entire ceiling. It's a fun place. There were a few locals having their beer, and one guy boated over and had himself a cold one as well. Dinner was snapper with salad and potato.

Thanked our hosts and flew back on Airlines Tonga back to Tongatapu. We were picked up the Teta tours, and transferred to the Janfull International Date Line hotel. We were taken up to our room (cute tiny gecko on our door), and the bellboy went in and turned everything on for us: the TV (only 2 channels), air conditioner, lights, and lamp. It was quite funny. After he left, we flopped down on our twin beds. OUCH. The beds are rock hard, like concrete, not kidding. It was horrible. We knew we would not be getting much sleep before our long flights home. Our room had no view, it was of the roof. Had a few hours until bedtime, so went downstairs and used free internet. It took ½ hour to send an email! So I only sent one.

I went back upstairs to adjust the air-conditioning. The remote is in Chinese so I pushed all the buttons until I hit the right combo to turn the A/C on.

March 18

We got up after a rough night of tossing and turning and freezing (air conditioning!). We then had a tour of the Western side of the Island. We saw Captain Cooks landing spot, we saw the Ha'amonga (the Tongan Stonehenge). There were a few Tongans selling their carvings.

We were taken to Oholei Beach and Hina Cave for lunch. We had to go down lots of very steep stairs to get down to the beach where they are located. We were told if there are people who can't do steep stairs that if they know in advance they can ask their neighbours for permission to use their driveway down to beach. We saw the traditional Tongan oven in use cooking our lunch, and saw them take it all apart when it had finished cooking. We saw the man turning the roast pig by hand over the fire. We had traditional buffet complete with the roasted pig for lunch. The band sang and dancers performed for us.

We then got to go back to town and wander a bit more. The main part of Nuku'alofa is a small street with some shops on it about 2 blocks long.

Later, we checked in with Air New Zealand, homeward bound, again with a touchdown in Apia.

Here's a 'in their own time' funny: The captain announced that they were going to open the front door on the plane as well as the back, which was great because I was seated in the very back. So the flight attendant stood at the back door waiting for the airport staff to wheel over the stairs. We waited, and we waited. He called the captain to tell him they were not opening the back door as there are no stairs. The captain assured him that they are supposed to be opening the back door and letting passengers out. And we waited. We were all laughing that by the time the stairs come (if they ever do) that it would have been faster just to go out the front. Then the flight attendant said the stairs are finally coming, so we did end up going out the back of the plane.

In Apia and had to go through the security scanner once again, and wait for 1hr 35mins. I was in a middle aisle seat a row up from the last row on the plane. There was an empty middle seat, and another agent in the other aisle seat. It was just fine, the flight was pretty full.

We got off the plane in LA, transferred terminals, went through the necessary lineups. My bags were tagged through to Vancouver, so I just dropped them in the right area. I brought a vanilla bean back, and I declared it. (Better to be safe than sorry!) I was expecting a big 'to do' from customs, but all I had to do was put my bags through an extra scanner, and there was no line-up.

Went up to Alaska's desk, and checked myself in using the self serve kiosk. It took a while as I had to punch in all my passport details because it wouldn't pick up my details when I swiped my passport. There was hardly a line-up for Sammy, as he needed an agent to check him in. But, it took at 45 mins to wait in line and get checked in. It was ridiculous. Luckily there were no major line-ups at security. Got on the flight and made it home in one piece.