Tonga
Our call here in Nuku’alofa was a contrast of extremes. This land which is the first to “see a new day” because of it’s location at the dateline and which is also known as the Friendly Islands completely surprised us. We walked in town in the am only to find whole blocks devastated and barren down to the concrete foundations. As we began to talk to a shopkeeper we got the whole store that on Nov 16th there had been riots and many Indian and Chinese shops had been burned down. The King died in Aug 2006 and all homes and buildings were draped in purple and black banners of mourning. We saw the lovely church and the modest Victorian home of the royal family. Yes, what we expected: the men were wearing the distinctive mats over their clothing and the women with the kiekie, a decorative waistband made of woven strips of pandanus.
Our treat was the Silversea cultural program that afternoon, not the normal tourist trap. The sister of the king attended and we were treated to a Tongan feast and the sweetest children dancing and playing their instruments.