Tonga is, in fact, a kingdom in every sense of the word. It's a constitutional monarchy and only differs from the days of old in the fact that it's leaders are now elected rather than born into power. (a recent change) Kings, queens, princes and princesses rule the land. Interestingly, it has avoided European colonization, unlike the vastly large majority of Pacific islands. The people are mostly unchanged by western culture, and continue to live their lives in the traditional way.
Upon arriving in Nuku'alofa, Tonga's capital and largest city, I wasted no time and took off for one of the less inhabited villages to the north, Neiafu in the Vava'u group (the "u" in each word pronounced with an "ooo" sound, for example: vah-VAH-ooo).
I hopped into a "taxi" from the little airstrip to the village. Old yards of scrap material covered the worn out seats of the 1980's era van. The driver, stuffing a rag into the track of the sliding door in order to keep it open looked up at me, smiled and said, "Tongan air-conditioning." After a bumpy ride on dirt roads through the jungle, we reached the outskirts of town. Dogs and pigs roamed everywhere, seemingly having no owners, as there are no fences. Men on the roadside arranged kava root on tin roofs so it may dry in the sun. Children walked to and from school, in their impressively tidy uniforms. I couldn't stop staring at this new world I was seeing. Eventually I arrived in town, chucked the driver a couple pa'anga, and set off.
In keeping with my usual style of travel I knew nothing about the village I just set foot in. No hotels were booked, no itinerary researched, no car, no phone, no plans, just a desire to explore. Also, in keeping with my style of travel, I walked to the nearest pub, tossed my airline tag laden backpack on the floor, ordered the local brew, and learned about what to do in town in the best way possible, by asking the locals. The locals at this pub were of the expat variety, and the kindness of the indigenous people had obviously rubbed off on them. I was there during the off season, and there were almost no tourists in the village, which is the way I usually prefer it. The pub's owner's recommended I stay at the Mystic Sands Resort, gave me the name of a diving outfit, and after my fish cooked over their open fire I set out for my new digs.
In Tonga, in the Vava'u group anyway, the word "resort" is used loosely. Generally upon hearing that word I cringe as I envision screaming children running around a pool in a sterile, culture-less environment. Much to my delight, Mystic Sands was not that type of resort. Comprising of four rooms, and one two bedroom house, it is basic in the most beautiful of ways. No ridiculous pool, or terrible all-inclusive food, but a nice clean place to stay in the middle of paradise. It had everything I could want. It's surrounded by uninhabited islands that are free to explore by kayak, and amazing snorkeling right off the beach. Forget room service, there is a beachfront grill, and a friendly housekeeper whose husband was happy to catch me some local crays (lobsters) for the equivalent of five U.S. dollars each. Kjell, a Norwegian ex cruising sailor set this place up when he dropped sail in Tonga and knew it was somewhere he wanted to stay for a while. He was really friendly, he helped me get around the place and understand Tongan traditions and their way of life. In the short time that I was there we became friends, and he would often stop by for a chat by the beach. Kjell's personal site: trafficated.com
Speaking of the Tongan way of life, that was what I was most interested in, and most impressed with while I was there. Everybody is poor, and everybody is friendly. Tonga is a perfect example of how poverty does not necessarily bring crime, as you could walk the streets in the middle of the night without a care. The typical Tongan home was put together with whatever could be found. Most didn't have doors or windows as we know them, and consisted of one room, in which the entire family lives, eats, and sleeps. Family is more important than anything else to the Tongans, and family bonds are strong. People don't tend to work hard, not out of laziness, out of choice. They live on a bountiful island, with everything they need at hand, it's simply not necessary for them to make lots of money, and that is how they view it. With a big smile on her face the housekeeper at Mystic Sands said to me, "When we have worked enough to have a feast, we stop, then we have our feast and be happy." What a beautiful perspective. She also told me about Fah (I think it may be spelled Fa'a, but it's definitely pronounced Fah). The word doesn't directly translate to English, but the best I can explain it's meaning is to say that Fah means "busy relaxing." If a Tongan person does not want to work on any particular day, he or she is Fah. It's even a completely valid and acceptable reason to not go to work. Imagine that, "Oh hey, where's Rob today?" "Oh he is just Fah." As I said, work is not high on the priority list, but family is. Another completely acceptable excuse to not show up for work is if you are helping a family member with any sort of task. Sick children, babysitting, putting a new roof on your brother's house, all reasons to not go to work. Some days, I wish I could just be Fah.
The diving in Tonga was also exceptional. I was recommended Dolphin Pacific as a good dive outfit, and was really happy with them. I had a great experience, and being the off-season, I also had a private dive. The reefs were untouched by rubbish and pollution, and there was an abundance of sea life. Unfortunately my underwater camera case was flooding, so I had to surface with it twenty minutes into my first dive. I didn't get photos of sights like the famous split rock, or the elusive ornate ghost pipefish that I spotted. I did manage to get lots of photos of snorkeling when I wasn't on a dive, and quite a few of them came out, but I sure do wish I had snapped a shot of that pipefish.
Have a look at some more photos from Tonga by clicking here.
I will definitely go back to Tonga sometime soon, in the short time that I was there I fell in love with the people, the beauty of the land, and the culture. Maybe I'll set myself up a little four room "resort" on the beach like Kjell and just be Fah.
Really cool dude, I'd love to see some of these places eventually.
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