tonga

Our next port of call in the kingdom of Tonga:We arrived in Neiafu,Vava'u, with Oda,the name of our Norwegian friends boat,
on 9/9/13 and of the same day were invited to a shady character's feast at his house along with 10 other sailors. Most of them were off a square rigger which sailed around the world. The 1st mate was a german fellow who sat next to me. His name is Ioafa and every morning he would row his small wooden boat through the anchorage selling bread and lobster. He was a good sized Tonga, being fit from rowing and riding his bicycle. He was about 70 years old and weathered. We followed him through town and into the residential area passing pigs, dogs, smiling and waving children and adults to his house made of plywood and corrugated metal roofing. We all took off our shoes and sat around a woven mat on the floor covered with various plates of Tongan food: More lobster than we could eat, breadfruit, chicken, pork, fish, taro,cocoanut juice and koolaid. Then Ioafa would break out in song! He sang several songs in the Tongan language. Then he served his home made beer which was horrible. He tried to sell the yeast packages to us but no takers. As Tongan feasts go it was OK but we went to another later on Lape island which was outstanding. It included a roasted weiner pig.

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