Slow Boat Coming
Trip Start
Feb 26, 2004
1
62
84
Trip End
Nov 16, 2006
Nuku'alofa and 'Eua,
Tonga
Monday, May 15, 2006
Sophie and I flew from Auckland to Tongatapu, the main island in the Kingdom of Tonga. The flight's passengers were, as always, a good indication of where we were heading. Besides a nun and a large group of Mormons, there were Christian crosses scattered all over in various forms of jewellery. One of the Mormons was in my seat but begrudingly moved. The Lord giveth, and The Simon taketh away. It was obvious that there was going to be a strong Christian presence in this country; the various denominations competing for the Tongan souls.
Around 15% of the country are Mormons (the highest percentage of any country in the world) and, as Christians do, they hope to increase their numbers until the country is dominated by them. They'd give you the hairshirt off their back if they thought it would convert you
01 - Road sign in the Tongan capital
. So Utah pumps alot of money in to this country providing impressive schools, attracting followers. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but what I think is fucked is that all the classes are taught in English. Therefore the result is a decline in the use of the Tongan language, to go with the disappearance of Tonga's original beliefs.We caught a taxi to the heart of the capital, Nuku'alofa, and couchsurfed with a friendly and welcoming Australian couple and their baby. They talked about the eccentricities of Tonga and of the ex-pat community here, which reminded me of growing up in the ex-pat community of Hong Kong. It made me think of my Mum and Dad and how they must have been when they first moved out there with their snot-nosed kids in tow.
Sophie and I spent a day exploring Nuku'alofa and that was plenty. It's made up of a couple of dusty and grubby roads - rubbish seems to be a real problem here. But it's exciting being back in a foreign country and it's great. There aren't many 'sites' to see. Tonga doesn't seem to have fully grasped tourism, and it's off-peak anyway, which meant we were pretty much the only palangi wandering around.
We decided to get a boat out to 'Eua, an island to the east. It's quiet and friendly and a lot of it is National Park. There's a big mix of Tongans on the island; small villages from various places. Some are original inhabitants. Some were moved here because they had been living on an active volcano. Others had previously been living on one of the Kingdom's more secluded islands and had become easy pickings for slave traders, who hopefully went on to have a miserable and fucking painful death from scurvy or something
02 - Off the beach on 'Eua
.We stayed at a fantastic father-and-son run place called The Hideaway. It was small and peaceful and just what we wanted. The owners were great and talked openly about everything. They told us about the earthquake which we missed. They'd regarded it as small (it was an 8) and they only got out of bed because some Japanese guests had started shouting "Tsunami!" and wanted to be driven up a hill.
We went on a 4WD tour of the national park and saw some great views, a few cool natural sites and a gorgeous beach, and met some locals doing what they do. It was a good tour but at times felt like we were being driven around in a bubble and that wasn't really why I came here.
Besides that we chilled out on beaches and did a bit of snorkeling. I now carry my snorkel around with me so I can submerge my face in any body of water we find. We wandered through a couple of villages on foot and waved back at people and said hello to the people (who were more inclined to say 'bye'). Everyone was so friendly.
On the Sunday we went to a Catholic Church service
03 - Beach on 'Eua
. I've popped in to churches a few times in the last few years, but I don't think I've been to mass for about 5 years. This church had the usual pictures and it was all very familiar. The service was in Tongan but the format was the same and it was obviously all the same words I'd heard hundreds of times growing up. We were the only palangi there but nobody took a second look.But it became obvious why Catholicism is on the decline back home but is alive and kicking here. The speakers were more animated and more passionate. None of the monotonous droners I'm used to. All of the congregations responses were in song...no mumbled Our Fathers or reflex Amens...beautiful harmonious voices filling the church and rolling outside.
It was all truly awesome. A Tongan next to me held my hand and lifted it, as the whole church did, while the singing continued and I could see the beauty of Catholicism without any of the shit that put me off years ago. It was something. Not a religious enlightenment or divine spiritual moment, but it was something. I was happy that I got the chance to see this, and to be here in Tonga and to be traveling these last couple of years and do whatever I want. But it reminded me of Church as a kid with my family. The family I haven't seen in over 2 years. It reminded me that I miss them more than anything and, for a little bit, it made me sad.
