Neiafu,Vava'u, Tonga

October 28

In Neiafu, Vava’u, Tonga we took a bus to

a nearby beach where we had a

demonstration of the men cooking Sunday

dinner.

They had prepared three fires, one to show

how the fire was prepared, one with hot

stones where food was added, covered in

bleaves and rocks to hold them down and

covered in dirt. The third fire had finished

cooking and they removed dirt and leaves

to show finished meal.

We then had demonstrations of tapa cloth

making and mat weaving.

We also saw a kava ceremony and dancing.

We had quite an adventure getting back to

the ship. Apparently the tide had gone out

because the water line was very low and it

was about a three foot step from pier to

tender. Everyone had to sit down on the pier

to get in. It was difficult for everyone but

really difficult for those with mobility issues

and people with bad knees.

Later:

Not unexpectedly, we were late getting everyone

on board today. We learned from other

passengers that they changed the dock

location but it was a long difficult walk

and we had to share with other boats.

The waiting line was very long. The captain

said the tender kept getting lower and the

step down higher.