We have more accessible Internet here so we thought we would post one more message before we fly to NZ.
This morning we had another highly anticipated ferry ride. We arrived an hour early at 430 am and we were told the boat was full...great! There were still lots of people waiting around the boat so we just decided to wait with them and about 15 minutes after we were denied they told us we could go on...? It illegal to ride on the roof of the boat, but the sitting area gets hot and muggy and smells of diesel fuel...among other smells. Words really do not describe the sensory overload. Luckily, once the boat is out of the wharf people go on the roof regardless of the law and we followed suit. We had learned from our first ride to sit near the back and we actually stayed dry for the entire ride. Getting off the boat was mayhem. There is one lady sitting at the door of the boat who collects all the money and gives out change and there were over 200 ppl on the boat. A few people bypass the chaos and just go over the railings with whatever cargo they are carrying. One guy put his sack of cargo down while he climbed over and the sack started moving.
Q- "what the hell is in that sack?"
Riley- " I don't know but it's breathing."
Turns out it was a pig. Poor little guy. After that we paid attention and saw several other "moving sacks"....I guess it makes sense, how else would you transport your pig around?
We've had a few bumps in the road so far, but such is the nature of a holiday in Tonga. The occasional frustration and discomfort has been easily outweighed by special moments!
Info we learned about Tonga:
- Tonga is comprised of 170 islands, 36 are inhabited
- public affection is taboo
- clothes are worn swimming (jeans, runners etc), not bathing suits
- dogs are stray animals, not pets...and sometimes food!???
- you don't need alarm clocks here because roosters will wake you up WELL before dawn
- pigs live free range along the sides of roads, they look like communal property, but come meal time (coconuts), they know which trough to run to
- hot water is rare, but who needs it in a country where the temp doesn't drop below 25 degrees
- EVERYTHING is closed on Sunday (actually it's illegal to do basically anything but rest)
- spiders, geckos, ants and cockroaches come complimentary with the room
- "Ota ika"- raw tuna in coconut cream is delicious
- these people can SING!
- phone # are 6 digits
- leave your watch at home because everything runs on Tongan time
So long from Tonga, the friendly islands!
Q & Rye
i'm claustrophobic just reading about your ferry ride! i can imagine you have moments where you realize how organized the western world is. q, i would have loved to see the look on your face when the women saddled up at the exit of the boat to collect the dues and one by one let over 200 people off the boat. riley, those moments need you on the camera! ha!
ReplyDeletei think at the end of each country you should have a learn list like this one. just kinda sums up the whole experience and will serve as a great reminder of the highlights and occasional lowlight. for instance, highlight would be the singing or ota ika, lowlight would be swimming in your clothes or eating dog? you get the gist.
i'm so excited for your next country!
safe travels!