I love Kiwi guys. They entertain me so much. Just today I walked by a line of people entering an exam and there was a guy standing there in what looked like a basketball jersey and nothing else. I stared a bit as I went by and kind of shrugged down to see if I could catch a fragment of shorts under there but didn't see anything but leg. I still don't know if he was just wearing the extremely short shorts that are popular with guys here or if he lost a bet and had to take his exam pants-less. Either way I'm slightly disturbed.

Then I went to the bank to exchange my Tongan money. While I was watching my NZ dollars being counted out, two Kiwi guys went up to the counter next to me and handed over a bill that they had gotten somehow and asked how much it was worth, as they had a bet on it. When asked what kind of money it was, they shrugged and said they didn't know, they just wanted to see if it was worth anything. It turned out to be from Thailand and worth $4.32 New Zealand. They asked for the NZ dollars.

Tonga, Last Day

I woke up earlier this morning because I was afraid it would start raining and I wanted to pack up a dry tent. After rolling it all up I discovered I had pitched my tent on top of a red ant nest. They hadn't been a problem, but it was creepy to find an entire network of new tunnels was built right underneath my foam mat.

Today was relaxed again with most people sleeping off the alcohol from the night before. I packed my bags early and then wandered around the Hideaway, soaking up the last of that unique place. A few of the boys were keen for some Coco Bocce so I joined them on the lawn. Coco Bocce is just like normal Bocce but played with dehusked coconuts and a tangerine as the marker. A few of the locals tried it out and I hope it sticks in Tonga. We played in teams with Nick and I winning over Pete and Ben, though it was close and we had major help with an excellent guest shot from Sifu, the main cook. The pigs who often got in the way and chased down the coco balls (food to them) were also on our side, nudging the opposing team's coconuts away from the target and generally causing mayhem.

Ben, pigs and Coco Bocce: what more could you want?

In between games I ate my last delicious meal... fish and chips. The snapper was absolutely melt-in-your-mouth and the chips were made out of plantains, and also delicious. I will miss that food... Sifu is a great cook.

We played a few more rounds of Coco Bocce and then it was time for me to catch my flight so I said my goodbyes and was dropped off at the 'Eua airport with Stephanie who was on the same flight to NZ. Luckily the airport there is more like a bus stop because we were able to catch a few more minutes of sun on the grass in front of the landing strip while waiting for our plane.

Good-bye beautiful 'Eua!

Our plane to the mainland, shortest commercial flight in the world

Our flight was only ten minutes, the shortest commercial flight in the world. We caught a ride to the International Terminal with a Peace Corps guy who was on the flight with us. The terminal was eerily deserted and considering we had 9 hours to wait for our flight out we were none too excited. I attempted some studying, and we chatted with the two airport security officers but the time was creeping by so Steph called up Mana, the guy that transported their group to town when they had arrived. Mana picked us up and brought us to a nice cafe where Steph and I had dinner. We walked a ways down the road which had a surprising number of people wandering around on it, considering it was after 11pm. We met a couple rugby guys who were playing for the Tongan National team the next day and were giving out tickets to the game. Since we weren't going to be there, the guys asked for good luck hugs which we gave amid some giggles (it was just a ridiculous situation). Soon after that, Mana picked us up again and brought us to the kava circle he had been at. The two of us were placed at opposite ends of the room and I was set at the kava vat. I felt so comfortable this time since I knew the drill and I started dishing out the kava straight away to the astonishment of Sam, the guy sitting next to me, who said he had never seen a non-Tongan serve kava before. The partly broken coconut shell I had to use for serving was far more difficult than the ladle from the other night, but I soon got the hang of it. I only served myself one cup of kava, but with the music and singing I was soon having trouble keeping up with the conversation with Sam and just kept yawning. We left around 1:30 or so with Mana who dropped us at the airport only to find out that our flight was running an hour late. Steph and I contented ourselves with cup of noodles from the airport cafe (incidentally the most delicious instant noodles I've ever had, so spicy!) and were joined by Mana shortly afterward who was waiting for the incoming flight and more customers. The conversation was entertaining but I was fading fast and was happy when we were called into the waiting room, giving Mana hugs before we left.

Both Steph and I were pretty quiet while waiting. Even the oddness of an entire band playing some sort of anthem outside as the passengers disembarked did not phase us... though it must have been some sort of royalty returning to the island. Walking on the tarmac to the plane, breathing in the last of the warm Tongan air, I knew I was ready to settle into my seat, plug into an entertaining movie and reenter the First World.

Tonga, Day Six

I slept so well that night, and I now completely believe in the effects of kava. Everyone seemed content to relax on this day which was fine by me. Four of us had been playing cards quite a lot though and were starting to get bored. There was a bowl of chillis from last night's dinner on our table though, so we decided to have a chilli eating contest. It took us one round, with each person eating one chilli, to decide that this was a terrible idea. We resumed our card game but with the added *spice* that the loser of each round would have to eat a chili. Oh man, it made the game so much more exciting. I lost once and took the next round off while I waited for my mouth to return to its usual balmy climate. Those things are hot!

Pretty beach nearby the Hideaway

Dinner was the best by far this night. I had pan-fried fish for the second time and this time it was snapper instead of tuna. Oh my gosh, I really never thought fresh fish from Homer could be rivaled... but this was right on par with it. It was so tender and just fell apart so well. Mmmmm, 'Eua definitely gets my stamp of approval for fish.

Pan fried snapper and tapioca chips: My most tastiest of meals
Be jealous.

That night we decided to drink and cleaned out the Ikale beers from the bar fridge. It was fun to play some familiar American drinking games again and I am now very fond of the Ikale beer. Ben took some neat photos of the night sky with my tripod too. I also spent about an hour playing with the kittens behind the bar.

The Hideaway at night with the moon, so bright I never needed a torch

Tonga, Day Five

Sleeping was interesting as I had to avoid resting on all my new bruises and cuts. It was especially hard getting in and out of my one person tent with a lame wrist but I managed. Another hike was planned for today, an unguided one this time. Despite my few injuries I decided I was keen, so I jumped in the truck for our ride to the start. On the way our driver Tim told us stories about being an extra in Lord of the Rings. Apparently he hung out with Viggo Mortensen quite a lot and showed him around town and such in Wellington. Tim actually looks really familiar to me so I'm definitely re-watching those films to see if I can spot him in any of his numerous roles.

Our hike took us to the biggest tree on 'Eua, an enormous Bayan. By itself it was quite impressive, but it actually grew out of a sort of sunken cave so that you could climb up or down via the roots. We hiked to a lookout over the cliffs too and ate some cookies on the top. I didn't enjoy the brush hitting my scrapes but I'm glad I went because I got to talk to Pete and Geneva for quite awhile about Boston specifically and traveling in general. I'd like to look at the grad schools in that area and I always thought Boston would be a cool city to live in. Now I have friends to visit there!

Just a fraction of the MASSIVE tree, and Luca climbing it for scale

After dinner that night we decided to check out the kava scene of 'Eua and joined a group drinking circle in town. The women are supposed to serve the drink to the men, so since there weren't any local women at this place the foreign girls were enlisted. I was first to do it, which required some questions and feeling awkward as I worked out exactly how the serving system worked. There were about 18 people total all seated cross legged on mats in a corner of a big concrete warehouse. I was seated by the big bowl of kava with a ladle, stirring the kava and filling the three small coconut bowls over and over as they were passed from hand to hand to everyone in the circle. Three of the men had guitars on which they played some lovely Tongan songs and sang in harmony. After every song, there was a round of kava drinking with everyone getting a bowl. When I was relieved of my serving duties I got to try the drink. It tasted very earthy and had a slight numbing effect on the mouth.

Caroline serving and Luca drinking... a lot!

Ben and Pete drinking kava from coconut bowls

The kava and the music combined to make me very sleepy and I would have been happy to stay for awhile except that my bladder felt like it was going to explode. The men regularly went out behind the building but I wasn't sure what the women were supposed to do so I gritted my teeth and held it. Luckily we didn't stay much longer and were given a ride to the Hideaway by a very large, jolly Tongan man.

Tonga, Day Four

This morning was a laid back affair as we were leaving early in the afternoon to prepare our evening umu feast. A few of us piled into a van with the guys that guided us on the Fangtuva hike. The van ride was a bit weird as we kept stopping at various places to pick up water or put air in the tires. We also ran over a puppy. With so many animals running around this island with only limited fencing, this sort of thing must happen a lot but it made me quite sad.

The feast prep was done down at the beach. Sifa took care of the chicken and fish, but we all helped with opening and grating the coconuts, peeling the tapioca and flattening the taro leaves. All the food was wrapped up in the taro leaves and banana leaves as well, then buried in sand with the hot coals of our fire and coral "rocks" from the beach. While it was cooking a few of us went and explored the reef. I went out and was videotaping Ben standing around a few blowholes. Luca was out there too, taking pictures with his camera when this big wave came over the reef. All three of us were swept away but surprisingly neither camera was submerged. Both Luca and I had our camera straight up in the air while being swept across the coral and rocks and succeeded in saving them. The three of us were pretty battered though. I had hit my left wrist on something and couldn't move it much. I also had scraped my left knee and shin and right calf and my left hand had some long scratches down the side of it. I looked at my camera later and realized I had been filming the whole time... so I have lovely footage of the turbulent water that almost swallowed my camera.

The damage:



An Ikale beer later, I was feeling better and dinner was ready. Mmm it was so hot and perfectly cooked, it didn't even taste smoky at all! The taro leaves had a bit of a sting to them though that I found unpleasant, so after a few bites I scraped it off my fish and ate around it. It was so nice to be sitting around a big fire (the Tongan boys insisted upon throwing everything within reach on top of the fire so that it started to singe the leaves of the tree above us) with friends... almost like a typical Homer bonfire.

Me and John enjoying the Kodak moment

Tonga, Day Three

Cliffside view of Fangatuva Beach

Since I was on my own for this adventure, I wasn't too sure if I'd be doing too much while in Tonga. Hiking and exploring and eating are generally more fun as group activities, so I was so happy when several members of the Auckland group assured me that I was welcome to join them for anything and that I was not inconveniencing them in the slightest. Joy! A guided hike was arranged for today to Fangatuva Beach. Our guides were two young Tongan guys and their friend who was tagging along, so it ended up being quite a rambunctious romp through the woods and limestone caves. Many things were thrown off the cliff such as rocks and sticks that progressed to the largest logs that could be carried and pushed off. The crashing sounds coming from below in the forest that the extremely rare Shining Parrot didn't sound very good and it seems ecotourism on 'Eua still has a long way to go. The boys climbed a couple coconut trees when we neared the beach so that we were all drinking coconut milk while meandering to our picnic location on the shore. What a life! I tried a bit of snorkeling after lunch and succeeding in losing my eyebrow ring just a few minutes in. Bollucks!

In the entrance to caves with lots of columns

Tonga, Day Two

My tent! Right next to the woven palm fronds that were to replace the roof...

Sleeping in the tent was not the most comfortable experience but it was nice to fall asleep to the waves crashing. I was woken up when the sun hit my tent and made it into an uncomfortable oven, so I zipped out of there and joined the Auckland group at breakfast. It was a Sunday, a day of rest for all Tongans. On Taki's suggestion, a few of us were dropped off at the church in the village to attend the service. The singing was beautiful, loud and clear harmonization without hymnals and only slight direction. I couldn't understand the priest of course, since my Tongan is a bit rusty, but it was entertaining to watch the kids who were in the front pew giggling and sneaking glances at us.

Walking back from church, Stephanie and Bessie

At the end of the service we shook hands with the priests and all the more elderly and important attendees, then walked back to the Hideaway to enjoy our day of rest. I joined a few of the girls at the nearby beach and occupied myself with opening a coconut.

The coconut I found and opened and ate, great success

Tonga, Day One

I arrived in the Tonga International Airport at 2am. I thought I might have problems getting through customs there because I had checked every box on the entry slip (yes I have camping equipment, yes I have plant products, yes I have animal products, yes I have been to a forest in the last 30 days). I grabbed my pack and made my way over to the most official looking Tongans there and prepared to disassemble my whole packing job. I needn't have worried because all they asked was "food?" and I showed them my trail mix and yogurt covered raisins, they nodded and I was off. Right outside the door I encountered a rather intimidating crowd of people waving signs and carrying odd packages such as what looked like a wedding cake made out of white plastic flowers. I found Peter waving a "Toni's Guesthouse" sign and waited with him for the group of 12 other international students from Auckland University. I chatted with a couple of the French guys on the trip into town and ended up sharing a dorm with half their group at the hostel.

Super lacy mosquito nets over the Brazilian and German guys in the corner

I bid them adieu the next morning though and caught a ride with Toni to the ferry. He warned me about the customs of Tonga so I put on a pair of pants over my shorts before getting on the ferry. While watching the ferry get loaded up I befriended a different group of international students from Auckland University who were headed to the same Hideaway Resort on 'Eua. A couple of them started feeling ill on the voyage over so I spent most of the 2 hour journey concentrating on the horizon and the approaching island.

Nice guy on the ferry who I shared the sunshine with

Arrival on 'Eua was a bit hectic while everyone grabbed for their bags that were packed in the cargo area in the middle of the ship. Taki and Tim picked up the ten of us and transported us to our new home at the Hideaway. While the others were shown to their rooms, I worked on getting my tent set up on the lawn... a process that was overseen by Bessie a Tongan woman who works at the resort, mostly doing the cooking. I was invited along with the group to check out the nearby beach. Gorgeous! We opened a couple coconuts here too and it all had a Lord of the Flies primitive feel about it.

Our arrival to 'Eua wharf, people running to meet the ferry

We didn't have to start hunting pigs or anything (though there are plenty of pigs to be found just wandering the island) because dinner was served at the Hideaway. The options are chicken or fish done up in a variety of ways with the most popular being cooked in coconut milk. We were joined by Molly the cat at our meal, nosing her way into a few scraps. She is such a tiny orange cat (Molly is the Tongan word for orange) and I was psyched to see her since I miss Tigger so much. I could not hold back the squeal when I saw that she had four of the tiniest, cutest orange kittens hidden behind the bar. I am in for some serious fuzz therapy while I am here.

All the kittens piled on to the one that is actually awake, aww!

Departure for Tonga:

Whew, packing is stressful always... and I always feel like I'm forgetting something especially on the way to the airport. That feeling subsides once I've checked in though and as I start to relax, I also start to get tired. It's been a long day what with my last three lectures, running around campus after my tent and other supplies and even squeezing in a moment to chat with my mom and book a couple nights at a hotel for our upcoming adventures. I feel accomplished now as I sit here on this uncomfortable ledge (the only place close to a power outlet) and it's finally sinking in that I'm leaving chilly Dunedin and flying north to some much happier temperatures. Bring on the sun!

Flights:

No problems here... except that I learned one more lesson. Do not drink two glasses of wine before going through customs. The forms have such tiny writing and the questions are complicated... how long have I been in New Zealand? Do I have more than 10,000 NZD of currency on me?

Wine and cheese was choice though and I'll probably do it again on the way back if offered. Watched a great movie "He Just Not That Into You" while munching on the many snacks I brought with me. Snacks are such a must on international flights.