Day of rest

Well, the entire time in Tonga was a time of rest - but rest was definitely enforced on Sunday. There had been a rain shower overnight, but the daytime sunshine had dried any evidence when I emerged for a walk. The streets were eerily quiet and the only sound was heard when passing churches. Tonga has a lot of churches. The people are deeply religious and like nothing better than to worship and sing on a Sunday, while wearing their best clothes.

The owners of the accommodation where I was staying told me they are Jehovah's witnesses. On the plane from and to New Zealand I saw a group of Jehova's witnesses from the United States who had clearly travelled to perform religious duties.

Almost no-one would work on Sunday. Cafes and shops were closed, but there was a bakery open selling bread rolls and meat pies. My evening meal later that day was in a hotel restaurant. It was a Chinese-run place, where I had sweet and sour chicken. The chicken pieces were coated in batter, and I'm not entirely sure there actually was any chicken inside the batter ! It seems Tongan people are not interested in drinking low calorie drinks, by the way. I could only find the full fat versions of Coca Cola and other brands.