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.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Brown, with hairy legs
The night I arrived in Tonga I got to my accommodation after midnight, so I stepped out to find a 24 hour shop and bought some bottled water and snacks. I read for a while, then got out of bed to turn off the light. As I did, I froze.... because of the BIG spider I noticed just outside the bedroom doorway.
When the spider and I saw each other, there was an instant realisation between us that this would be a fight to the death. There was no way I could sleep, knowing there was a tarantula-size spider in the room with me. My first effort was to grab a hardback book and hurl it at the arachnid. This failed, and it ran away into the bathroom. There I tried again with the book, and failed again. Eventually I acted with determination... and SPLAT !!
Now, of course I'd rather have said nicely to it "you'll have to go outside", or would have had some way of trapping it and expelling it to the outside... but these really were not options available to me. I plead guilty. I murdered a spider. It made quite a mess, and I cleaned up with tissues and some lemon scented air freshener. It was an interesting start to my time in Tonga.
Other creatures affected me to a lesser extent. There were barely any mosquitoes, but I have ended up with a total of ten insect bites on my legs. So far as I know, there is no risk of malaria in Tonga... but Dengue fever could be a possibility. Some readers would think that karma for killing a spider. We shall see... symptoms wouldn't show for five days or so.
My other annoyance was that I had bought a box of museli, and the second time I went to eat some I discovered it was already being eaten by dozens of tiny ants. I put the whole box into the freezer compartment of the fridge to stupify them, then served myself a bowl and used the spoon to pick out the bodies of the ants that were floating on the surface of the milk.
When the spider and I saw each other, there was an instant realisation between us that this would be a fight to the death. There was no way I could sleep, knowing there was a tarantula-size spider in the room with me. My first effort was to grab a hardback book and hurl it at the arachnid. This failed, and it ran away into the bathroom. There I tried again with the book, and failed again. Eventually I acted with determination... and SPLAT !!
Now, of course I'd rather have said nicely to it "you'll have to go outside", or would have had some way of trapping it and expelling it to the outside... but these really were not options available to me. I plead guilty. I murdered a spider. It made quite a mess, and I cleaned up with tissues and some lemon scented air freshener. It was an interesting start to my time in Tonga.
Other creatures affected me to a lesser extent. There were barely any mosquitoes, but I have ended up with a total of ten insect bites on my legs. So far as I know, there is no risk of malaria in Tonga... but Dengue fever could be a possibility. Some readers would think that karma for killing a spider. We shall see... symptoms wouldn't show for five days or so.
My other annoyance was that I had bought a box of museli, and the second time I went to eat some I discovered it was already being eaten by dozens of tiny ants. I put the whole box into the freezer compartment of the fridge to stupify them, then served myself a bowl and used the spoon to pick out the bodies of the ants that were floating on the surface of the milk.
Photo Post : Tonga's capital, Nuku'alofa
The post office.
NZ High Commission building.
One of the many churches.
Tonga visitors' centre.
King George's palace.Country 68, Tonga
I took a short trip to Tonga over the past weekend, adding the Pacific island nation to my list of countries and making it country number 68. I've applied the rules quite strictly to come up with my list... which contains countries I have been to for a minimum of 24 consecutive hours. Where a group of countries or states make up one entity (the United Kingdom for example) they count as one.
So, Tonga was a pleasant break from the start of the New Zealand winter. The temperature in Nuku'alofa was 25 degrees and it was dry and sunny. I stayed in a two level apartment in the city centre, close to the Royal Palace and Royal family burial ground. Not a lot happens in Tonga. It is very quiet (especially on Sunday when almost everything is shut for religious reasons) and is therefore perfect for sitting and reading, listening to music, strolling along the waterfront etc.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Rainy day in Bangkok
Looking out my 7th floor window I saw it was a dull and rainy day in Bangkok. Heading home to Wellington again now.Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Myanmar
Don't change too many dollars. In fact, you can pay for many things with US dollars cash. You can pay for NOTHING with credit cards, and there are no ATMs in Myanmar. Visitors will definitely need some local currency, and the current rate of exchange is about 900 Kyat for $1 US. The best rate is for $100 notes. The best place to change is in a shop or at your hotel. I changed a single $100 note and found myself having to go for posh meals so I could spend it all in five days. Oh, and people are very fussy about the cash dollars they'll acept. Please, no tears, creases or marks on the notes... and only the new notes - no old style ones.
My first day exploring Yangon made me realise that the central area is pretty compact. I got lost just twice; both times by missing my turning because I didn't think I'd walked far enough and continued down a particular road (watching my step at every pace to avoid holes and loose stones). I also underestimated the weather. It was overcast when I set out, but within a couple of hours I was walking around in hot and sunny conditions. Back in the hotel I noticed how red my arms and neck were ! The next days I wore my cap and applied sun lotion. This resulted in the irritating combination of sweat and lotion on my face and in my eyes.
When you visit a Paya (or pagoda) you need to remove your shoes and socks. To show full respect, walk in a clockwise direction around the pagoda. For the best of luck, do so nine times. I didn't need any extra luck, so once or twice was enough.
On the Saturday, I walked around from the hotel to the National Museum. It's only about 15 minutes' walk. The huge sign outside read "open daily from 10am to 4pm". The sign on the gate read "the museum will be close today". When I went back on Sunday it was open. I later found out that Saturday had been a full moon day, which is a special occasion. It was pretty quiet in the museum. I accepted an offer of a guide, who turned out to be one of the senior curators and had been personally to many of the excavation sites and collected exhibits. We were joined by a small party of visiting dignitaries from Russia's armed forces. Four soldiers (?) who were being shown around by a young captain in the Myanmar army.
The museum has an ecclectic mixture of exhibits. There's the royal throne and treasures, art, musical instruments, fossils, artefacts from other ASEAN countries etc etc. It doesn't have very effective air conditioning. It does have a lift.
On Monday I went on a day trip to Bago, a former capital about 80 kms away. I'd engaged the services of the driver who took me from the airport to my hotel on arrival in Myanmar. He turned up as arranged, but told me he wasn't free and I should go with his friend. Everything was fine, and his friend turned out to be a good guide. We stopped along the way at the Second World War cemetary. Main Road No. 1 to/from Yangon has at least three big military installations along it, but there are no checkpoints restricting movement like you would see in many other countries.
In Bago the first stop was a monastery, where it is fine to wander among the monks and take photos. I'll post a video of them filing past huge bowls to collect rice for their lunch. Afterwards we toured the various pagodas and the royal palace. There's a very large reclining Buddha, and a big four figure pagoda I've already posted a photo of.
My first day exploring Yangon made me realise that the central area is pretty compact. I got lost just twice; both times by missing my turning because I didn't think I'd walked far enough and continued down a particular road (watching my step at every pace to avoid holes and loose stones). I also underestimated the weather. It was overcast when I set out, but within a couple of hours I was walking around in hot and sunny conditions. Back in the hotel I noticed how red my arms and neck were ! The next days I wore my cap and applied sun lotion. This resulted in the irritating combination of sweat and lotion on my face and in my eyes.
When you visit a Paya (or pagoda) you need to remove your shoes and socks. To show full respect, walk in a clockwise direction around the pagoda. For the best of luck, do so nine times. I didn't need any extra luck, so once or twice was enough.
On the Saturday, I walked around from the hotel to the National Museum. It's only about 15 minutes' walk. The huge sign outside read "open daily from 10am to 4pm". The sign on the gate read "the museum will be close today". When I went back on Sunday it was open. I later found out that Saturday had been a full moon day, which is a special occasion. It was pretty quiet in the museum. I accepted an offer of a guide, who turned out to be one of the senior curators and had been personally to many of the excavation sites and collected exhibits. We were joined by a small party of visiting dignitaries from Russia's armed forces. Four soldiers (?) who were being shown around by a young captain in the Myanmar army.
The museum has an ecclectic mixture of exhibits. There's the royal throne and treasures, art, musical instruments, fossils, artefacts from other ASEAN countries etc etc. It doesn't have very effective air conditioning. It does have a lift.
On Monday I went on a day trip to Bago, a former capital about 80 kms away. I'd engaged the services of the driver who took me from the airport to my hotel on arrival in Myanmar. He turned up as arranged, but told me he wasn't free and I should go with his friend. Everything was fine, and his friend turned out to be a good guide. We stopped along the way at the Second World War cemetary. Main Road No. 1 to/from Yangon has at least three big military installations along it, but there are no checkpoints restricting movement like you would see in many other countries.
In Bago the first stop was a monastery, where it is fine to wander among the monks and take photos. I'll post a video of them filing past huge bowls to collect rice for their lunch. Afterwards we toured the various pagodas and the royal palace. There's a very large reclining Buddha, and a big four figure pagoda I've already posted a photo of.
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