Ha'apai - Part 2

For the week I was at Billy's Place, my life consisted basically of exploring the interior of Lifuka and Foa islands (connected by a sweet causeway, pictured). The place had free use of "mountain bikes." They were one speed granny bikes, good for the flat environment, like the one I used in Holland (the kind you had as a kid where you have to pedal backwards to stop, which was a lot of fun to remember when I suddenly needed brakes).

Biking around Lifuka was about the same as biking around Tongatapu, with one big exception - no crazy dogs. There were oodles of dogs, and I tensed with the anticipation of the chase whenever I passed one, but they were all pretty much asleep. I think maybe, because there were so many more Tongans using bikes than cars in Ha'apai, the dogs were used to the novelty.

The whole island was in general a lot more rural; not just fewer cars and more bikes, but also a lot of locals on horseback. The only place I had seen horse in Tongatapu was at the butcher shop, so this was a surprise. Score one for colonialism (or British protectoratism) because I'm sure horses would have never found there way to these islands without it.

I had heard that there was a museum in Pangai, the capital. And there are few things better in an obscure town then checking out the local museum and its random artifacts. I hear that at a museum in Fiji, for example, there is a collection of wooden forks left over from use when the first few missionaries arrived "just in time" for some great feasts.

I stopped at the Tourism Office to ask where exactly the museum was. The people looked at each other, and then handed me a key. Misunderstanding, I'm sure...maybe they thought I asked about the bathroom. I swear every time I ask for peanut butter at a roadside shop, they think I'm asking for beer, so it could happen! I asked again, and they told me the museum was down the street across from the Governor's Residence, and to lock up when I was done. "Ok...this is a new one," I thought (and think often in Tonga). I biked to the museum, unlocked the door, and found myself among a whole bunch of Ha'apai history artifacts. Of course, having grown up in a city that hires people to make sure you can't touch all the cool looking dinosaur bones at the Civilization museum, I proceeded to touch absolutely everything. The exhibits were mostly natural history stuff - shells, fish bones, informative posters. I especially enjoyed one that had a story about how "rat" pooped on "octopus" when octopus was helping him cross the ocean, explaining the passionate blood feud between these two species. There were a lot of humpback whale bones, including an inner ear. There was even a huge turtle shell on a shelf that I was considering taking down and using like a shield before a couple NZ tourists showed up and spoiled my plans.

All in all Ha'apai was pretty cool, though I explored it real fast. Next school break I'll head to Vava'u. And with any luck someday the remote Niuas (the Tongan tourism brochure reads in a contradicting way, "there are flights every week to the Niuas. At this time, the runway is closed down," making me wonder if I need skydiving lessons for the trip).