Nel Regno di Tonga

Arrival in Tongatapu

We land at Tungatapu airport, the main island of Tonga; it is several kilometres from the capital, which we reach with the luxurious minibus booked by the lodge. Already at the airport we realised that here everything is much more informal than in Fiji: the structure is spartan, the welcome cheerful, the checks lax. I am surprised that there is only one toilet, and moreover located before passport control, so needing to use it after clearing customs meant I had to go back. Fortunately everything is outrageously quick. To reach Nuku'alofa we travel along a road bordered by coconut palm plantations and small villages. Our lodge too is surrounded by vegetation, even though it is in fact located opposite the wrought-iron gate of the Royal Palace and just steps from the centre of the capital. After settling our luggage in the elegant apartment, we have dinner at the lodge's restaurant.

With a short walk we cover the street separating us from the centre of the capital. Nuku'alofa doesn't even look like a city; the houses are low and spread over a wide area. There are a couple of poorly lit streets between the port and the Royal Cemetery, lined with businesses and offices. We pass in front of the Government Palace, the building housing some ministries, the New Zealand High Commission and the Post Office. Along the seafront there are rudimentary triumphal arches praising the King. Apart from two cafés frequented by young people, everything else is closed. We have no choice but to retire for the night.

Nuku'alofa

This morning while my friend stays at the hotel, the hotel owner takes me to a large primary school in Nuku'alofa, the Ocean of Light. The school consists of a few long, low buildings set on a large English-style lawn where the children play rugby. This is the national sport of the country and all over the island you see kids playing with the oval ball. After all, rugby has made these islands known throughout the world. In the classrooms the students sing in chorus accompanied by a teacher at the organ and a guitarist. I'm told that in Tongan schools a lot of music is made and that the life of the islanders is paced by singing. I attend the inauguration of a children's art exhibition where I have the opportunity to meet the Director, Princess Fane, and the Italian diplomatic representative.

At the end of the ceremony with the diplomat I return to the hotel and then continue to the port where we board the cruise ship "Pacific Pearl" where the Italian captain awaits us for lunch. We are received in the Captain's suite where we are offered an exceptional banquet for quality and theatrical presentation. We are told that the author is the ship's Sicilian chef. With the Captain, the diplomat and the hotel owner we walk to our accommodation where I reunite with my travel companion. With him we take a stroll along the seafront, stopping at the Information Office and at the small harbor where the boats for blue whale watching should depart. Unfortunately we learn that the tours are not carried out every day and that the next one will take place when we will have already left. On the way back we visit the covered market where there are numerous stalls spread over two floors.

Among these you can also find handicrafts and rudimentary souvenirs. In the evening we have dinner at a pizzeria owned by a man from Emilia with whom we chat for a while. With a walk we return to the hotel for the night.

Getting bored in Paradise

Today is a day of variable weather. It goes from a heavy downpour to sunshine in no time at all. No excursions are departing from the island also because we don't see any tourists. To pass the day we do a long tour of the island with a local bus that stops at all the villages it encounters along the route. It's pouring rain on the dense vegetation with which the island is rich. Back at the starting point we take a walk along the seafront and through the streets of the Capital as far as the Royal Cemetery and the Catholic Church. In the evening one last visit to the covered Market, then they accompany us to the Airport from where we depart for Fiji.