Ha'apai is thus often described to me as "Tonga's best kept secret," or "untouched beauty" or something similar. It's supposed to have kilometers of those white sandy beaches with turquoise waters that everyone associates with the South Pacific. Which would be great, because the beaches on Tongatapu are nice but the real good ones are on the western side, a fair ways from my apartment.
When I first made plans to spend two or three weeks of my break in Ha'apai, a Japanese teacher I know tried to dissuade me. He had gone to Ha'apai for five days, and pleaded, "there's nothing to do!" In that exclamation, he summed up my number one reason for going. Of course my guidebook mentions hiking, caving, kayaking, and snorkeling in Ha'apai, all activities that my friend has no interest in, so I was confident that I would find"something" to do. But if none of these activities existed, I would be just as happy reclining in a promised hammock at my private beach falé with a good book. The Green Dictator can testify to the pleasure I take from doing, literally, nothing. It was what I did for months after Afghanistan, while he begrudgingly departed for work every day.
"I would get bored with all that free time," friends told me. At yet, it never happened to me in the entire six months. It's this attitude that makes "island living" so attractive to me, and this attitude that causes me to occasionally look ahead with concern to my eventual re-integration into Western society... I look forward to retirement, but in the meantime, I've been looking forward to a vacation within a vacation in Ha'apai.
I'll write about it and post some pictures in a few weeks when I get back. In the meantime, by popular demand (Leo's popular, right?), here is me sporting my Tongan haircut while I'm eating my breakfast:
I see now why you want to go to Ha'api. Doing nothing usually sounds good, but doing something is good too. ... I'm surprised how much I like doing volunteer work lately - it's kind of a little thrill when you know that what your camera is pointed at is on live tv. Caving sounds really cool. You don't get to do that much around here, especially if your science teacher refuses to tell you where the Trim Road tunnels are! Snorkeling would be pretty lame in Ottawa too, unless you're a police diver, but it would likely be too cold.
ReplyDeleteFrom the sounds of it Dan, you want to become a professional slacker - which would be pretty cool. Just that living there would cut you off from the world of technology you love so very much. Maybe your next trip should be a year in Tokyo - teach English, visit Shiguru Miyamoto in person, get a Hatori Hanzo sword made, fight Godzilla, the works.
Also I'm quite disappointed by the Guile-Dan haircut. I was expecting more Guile, less Dan.
And an early happy birthday! As it says that it's just after 6 in the morning over there - making you 26! Not sure if you're still near your home though, as you may be off to the other islands by now.
Happy time zone delayed birthday. Yeah, doing nothing but lounging on a beach and reading sounds like a horrible, boring vacation.
ReplyDeleteWhat fruit is that in the flat-top pic?
Happy Birthday Dan,
ReplyDeleteAnd may I comment that I've known you for 24 of the 26 years that you've been alive, and I can say that I've seen much worse hair cuts on your head... mushroom cuts and rat tails definitely included.
Have a good trip!!
Tonga dan! Remember that crazy dancing guy? Well he made another video and this time he was in tonga too.
ReplyDeleteTonga is at about 2:20 and 3:03
http://break.com/index/where-in-the-hell-is-matt-2008.html
Hahaha no way! That's the "King's Whistle," in the first part, they're blowholes on the southern coast of the island that I'm on now. I wonder when Matt was here...
ReplyDeleteOh yah, they're just mandarin oranges. They grow here, and they're sold on the "branches," which for some reason are wrapped around a stick like that, for presentation I guess. Still, there's something to be said for a good old cardboard box and some green tissue paper!
ReplyDelete