Yesterday we had a presentation, a kind of Tonga warmup. The speaker let it be known that anybody visiting Tonga should snorkel or dive. Not doing so is simply cheating yourself out of the best that Tonga has to offer. I don’t mind cheating myself, but I don’t want to cheat you. So here is a picture from his presentation so you can see here what you should see in Tonga should you ever visit and decide to go snorkeling.
There’s not a lot to see in Tonga. It was very hot with 100% humidity. Rain showers turned on and off as we strolled the streets. Modern Tonga emerged along with the rest of the world in the late 1700s and early 1800s. The old Tonga was a monarchy and was the main power of the Pacific Islands. Modern Tonga emerged when the missionaries arrived and converted the island to Christianity. I have to admire those missionaries. Their first three attempts ended in failure, with all still living missionaries leaving the country. The fourth attempt succeeded. Tonga was never colonized. Modern Tonga is still a monarchy, but they also have a Prime Minister and a Parliament. Tonga is a very conservative Christian community. Citizens are guaranteed religions freedom. About 97% of the population goes to Church every Sunday. All commercial activities shut down on Sunday. It is illegal to go to the beach to swim. The most revered king is the third monarch and the first female king, Sālote Tupou III. Everybody in Tonga speaks Tongan. English is their second language. Only citizens can buy land in Tonga.
Tonga is obviously a poor country. Retail stores do not turn on their lights during the day. Air conditioning is reserved for foreign businesses and such. We asked one man for directions. We started talking. He knew that in the US, children are expected to leave their parent’s home after they graduate from college / get married. In Tonga, the family stays together. Even aunts and uncles might live together. This man had 5 daughters and one son. The son is in France studying at a university. The oldest daughter has married and moved to San Francisco. It’s common for children to leave, get jobs, and mail money back home. However, the children don’t always return. There are more Tongans living out of the country than in it.
The must see tourist landmark is the Royal Palace. The existing king does not live in the palace. It is used for some formal affairs of state. It’s not possible to go inside the palace or even walk around the grounds. Very well armed army troops are quite visible inside the fence. The building and grounds are immaculate, quite a contrast to other buildings in the area.
The most interesting thing I saw is still somewhat of a mystery to me. Most Tonga men wear slacks or a skirt that goes to their ankles. When we were near the palace, we saw a group of men wearing the skirts plus also a weaved apron. I asked them why they were were wearing the aprons. The man who answered hesitated before saying it was out of respect. I asked if this was respect for the King. He said no, it was respect for the Queen. I assume he meant Queen Sālote. I would like to have asked more, but they were obviously reluctant. But they weren’t at all reluctant to pose for this pic.
On our way back to the ship, a white woman driving a late model jeep stopped and asked if we wanted a ride to the ship. We were only a few blocks away. She appeared friendly, but her offer seemed a little off. I think she honestly wanted to be friendly, but I didn’t see any reason for getting in her car.
Tomorrow is a sea day. I hope this finds everybody doing well.