It is quickly apparent that it is difficult to go walking in Tonga, as you always get offered a ride. This is of course wonderful as you get to meet and chat with the locals. But if you want the exercise, forget it!
Today I am lucky enough to walk several kilometres before an offer comes so I get to walk through the delightful village of Pangaimotu. The highlight is the beautiful smiling school children who are leaving the school at lunchtime and greet me with cheery “hellos” and “byes”.
Walking in the heat to an unknown destination has all the dusty feel and smells of my travelling past. I am back in France, Greece and Israel where I wandered the back roads in a similar fashion.
My lift comes just when I need it. It is hotter than I’d expected and I have just wrapped a sarong around me to protect my Celtic legs. A local is collecting his mate from the opposite side of the island. He asks where my partner is and when I say I’m here alone, he laughs and says “Ah, you’ve left him at home to earn the money!” I don’t correct him, and for a few seconds enjoy his fantasy. I say I’m looking for a nice beach to relax on. He tips me off about the nearby resorts and drops me between two of them. So I find myself wandering into the very sweet and tidy Tongan Beach Resort with white raked sand and fales. Picture postcard perfect. I order a Popao (a light, crisp Tongan beer) and drink it from a fale on the jetty.
Two lovely Kiwis pick me up on my return journey. With them is a beautiful young Tongan woman who they are signing with as she is deaf. She is eating small oranges and gives me one to try. She warns me through signing and gestures that they are rather tart. They are, but I like that. The Kiwi couple are from Dunedin and are volunteers for the Seventh Day Adventist Church.
I arrive back at the Villa, delighted at my short adventure, and recognising that it is the unexpected interactions which are making this such a special time. The activities I might have done if I’d been feeling energetic and the weather had been less windy, would pale in comparison.
Nuggets of Purest Green 