Island of Tonga

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  Tonga, Tonga
Wednesday, January 30, 2008

January 29, Tuesday
We visited Tonga today, spending only a few hours on the island since it was so warm. The currents and winds in the harbor made it impossible for the ship to dock, so we needed to go ashore on the tenders. Since the swells of the waves were so strong, loading the tenders was a slow process. We went ashore in late morning to avoid the crowds but then were arriving on the island at a very hot time of the day. It had been raining in Tonga for the past four weeks, so we felt lucky that we arrived on a clear (though very hot and humid) day. Lots of folks were as interested in us as we were in them. A teacher made it a point to stop us and ask us where we were from. She was also interested in the fact that all of the people from the "visiting ship" were "older"! It was the first week of school, and we saw lots of kids trying on clothes and buying sets of tablets and pencils at the book store.
Mom and I were interviewed by a Tongan reporter who had heard the ship was visiting and wanted to know what we thought of Tonga. We don't know whether we made the evening news, but the reporter has it recorded that we thought the island was beautiful and that the people themselves were wonderful.

January 30, Wednesday
We are at sea today, on our way to New Zealand. Nearly everyone is looking forward to a change in pace. The islands are beautiful, and it has been wonderful to see them all as a piece. If I get back here again, I would like to spend a longer time in each of the archipelagos, especially the Marquesas, the Tutamotus, and the Society Islands, and also in Samoa. Some are more developed than others, but all are wonderful havens for those who love the ocean and all are home to people who are very open and generous of spirit.

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