We could not post text to the first version due to a hitch at Blogger.com now resolved...
So it is now August 2012. We are still in The Kingdom Of Tonga. Jeff has gone home, without breaking anything. Hazel is is on board and is very cheerful everyday. As you will see below she was the life and soul of the party in Pangai (Lifuka Island). The only competition being a chicken and the owner of the bar.. it was a close call.. I suspect the owner is her own best customer... In fact Haze was the L&S every where we went. We even went back to visit Jeff's friend The Singing Goat, and as the phots will testify Haze found soul mates in the owners of the restaurant... amazing how fellow travellers find each other... At least it wasn't The Goat. Jeff would be driven mad with jealousy, its bad enough 'His Goat' won't reply to emails...a sad tale of unrequited love I'm afraid.
Tonga is a sailors paradise, easy one day or at worst an over night hop. All sailing in wonderfully calm water in the lee of the island chain, which like most of the islands runs north to south, with endless mile after mile of uninhabited coral beaches. The people are very friendly and although the villages are poor no-one is hungry, all the kids look super healthy and clean. There are schools every where and of course more churches that shops. God it seems is quite a competitive business in Tonga.
Other than the unforgiving lack of evolution the people have no idea how to deal with modern garbage.
There are small piles of pvc, cans, bottles etc everywhere. The do at leas pile it up.. And unfortunetly burn it, right there in the middle of the village, garden, street... small fires oozing toxic burnt plastic stinking fumes... such a pity in one of the planets most beautiful countries. A small bit of education and some kind of recycling system seems vital.. or they should stop buying soap in pvc bottles..
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| This is the famous under water Mariners Cave in Northern Kingdom of Tonga, Vava'u, Nua Papu island. These photos are from the inside out, when you can clearly see the cave 'entrance'. As it is so dark inside the cave its hard to find the entrance from the outside. |
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| You have to free dive into it, only about 15 meters in total, but the first time you do it it is really scary because you are heading for rock under water with rock over your head and you are running out of air when you have to ascend, and hope to f%*k that there is really air and a cave in there. |
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