Tonga

4. September 2012, Tuesday
18° 42' 38" S, 174° 5' 31" W


We are in the north of the Kingdom of Tonga, in the Vavaú group.
More than 50, mostly uninhabited islands, atolls and deep-cut fjords, densely covered with tropical vegetation, make this group of islands the “crown jewels” of Tonga.
If this paradise weren't so far from Europe and the rest of the world, it would be hard to escape from vacationers, sailors, divers, snorkelers, luxury hotels and holiday resorts.

Finally we can breathe “big city air” again.
We anchor off the capital of the Vavaú Group, Neiafu.
This city with more than 5000 inhabitants is the second largest city in the kingdom...but it's so sleepy.
There are a lot of self-made "supermarkets" here (it seems to us that every family has their own), but the offer is very "manageable". A few canned goods, some colorful plastic buckets and other cheap Chinese imports, biscuits from India, with a lot of chemicals, and frozen meat. End of the offer!

The highlight of the week for every Tongan is going to church on Sunday!
Then in this place where nothing ever works anyway, nothing works anymore!
Even swimming is forbidden on Holy Sunday.
By the way, it would never occur to a Tongan man or woman to wear swimming trunks or a bathing suit. Swimming is only fully clothed! The customs are so strict.
Here the "Christian Taliban" of American sects have done a great job.