Wednesday 11th June
It’s grey but not raining – we decide to head ashore and embrace the Kingdom. Kick off is breakfast in the Tropicana, a buzzing little internet café full of information, good food, crack and home-made pies. We decide to rent a car so Ian and Stewy go to get it organised while Annie goes on the internet to apply for the Ozzie visas. Ian and Stewy get a lift to the car hire place with the local pastor. While on the street, Ian meets a man offering to sell lobsters - Ian orders 3 in the hope that the weather might improve and we can organise a BBQ for tomorrow. We meet Norfy on the street and he decides to come with us. Before we set off Annie takes Norfy to the market to bulk buy some necklaces from Mr Tui he’s delighted. Off we go with a very basic map to explore the Kingdom. We drive through several wee villages, heading SW. There’s pigs and piglets roaming everywhere. The villages are busy with people ; happy, smiling women and children, and men walking around with machetes chatting and working in the fields. Every doorway we look through there are women weaving and crafting. We arrive in Tefisi village where we see a group of women working outside on a huge tapa cloth in what looks like the local basket ball court. Annie gets out and gets chatting – not all can speak English, but one lady speaks good English and explains that the women are working on a large tapa for the Crown Prince’s coronation later this year. The women are very happy to be photographed and Annie promises to send photographs to them all in August when she gets home. Asking if there are any to buy, she is offered a 30 x 10 foot tapa, guess what…….. Off we go further on - lots more villages, friendly smiling people and photographs – no wonder Captain Cook named these The Friendy Islands. That night we’re off to lady boy (billy boy) night at Tonga Bob’s. As in all of the islands of the South Pacific, there continue to be a high number of lady boys and this is a little local show! It’s hugely entertaining , especially as Stewy is right beside the stage – his facial expressions are better than the show itself and we’re soon sore with laughter. Then, to top it all, Norfy decides he’ll also take the stage and ends up pole dancing with the star acts and wearing a very flamboyant head-dress – apparently the photos were up in his local pub in Northamptonshire within 24 hours! Another night of Island culture!