It would have been a typical South Pacific vacation in Tonga if a bicycle accident did not happen on the island of 'Eua on March 1st, 2013. My rented bike crashed to the side of a gravel road at the edge of a rainforest. The rest is history...
Tonga is made up of four groups of islands, with Tongatapu group in the South, Ha'apai in the middle, Vava'u in the north and Niuas in the far north. The capital is Nuku'alofa on the main island of Tongatapu. There are weekly ferries looping around Tongatapu, Ha'apai and Vava'u. The remote group of Niuas islands is only accessible from Nuku'alofa 3 times a year.
One of the reasons why I choose Tonga as one of my destinations is that it is a nation that was never colonised. However, it became a "protected state" of the British Empire. The reigning monarchy has absolute power over the parliament in the rule of the country. Even though majority of the young Tongans carry mobile phones these days, everyday life is still imbued in traditions.
I have jokingly coined the term "I-forgot-nation" for Tonga. Because religion is a great part of Tongan life, it is also an "I-for-God" nation. Unlike the rest of the world, there are no schedules and deadlines in their world. If things can happen, they will happen and there is no real push for anything to happen on time. If things don't happen, the typical response is "Sorry, I forgot."
Tongans might not be rich in monetary terms; however, they more than make up for it in "heart". Where would you see family members sleeping on the floor around the bed of a sick family member in a hospital overnight? Nurses encourage visits at all times and death is taken as seriously as birth. Tongans have shown me humanity at its best. May God protect and keep these wonderful people.
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