May 1,2004

Lady Starlight from Swallows Cave, Vava'u Tonga

May 1, 2004
It's Saturday and the market was crazed with action today. I was able to pick up a heap of clams and fresh basil to make a scrumptious sauce. Fresh bread will top off our little feast. Ah, it is so nice to find the little things that make life so fine!

The kids awoke this AM with a parade on their mind. It is the crown prince's birthday and each year the major businesses as well as the hospital put on a parade in his honor. Of course, they had to not only be on the float but make the float before it left by 10am! Tonga - the land of instantaneous action!  They had fun and that is all that counts. Not much will rile them in their future after being exposed to the ways of islanders. It seems each place we visit has its own form of what we Americans want to call laziness but instead guise it under culture. I am still not sure they don't have it right, however, as westerners are so worried about things which are only superficially important. It will be interesting to see how the world develops in the next 50 years.

In the quiet after they left I was able to phone my mother and grandmother. My grandmother being 98 this year has so much wisdom, which I can only futilely hope to obtain. Carts and horses were what lined her vision of a traffic jam … what will line ours in the future? And what will my children think of their lives after being exposed to the cultures of the South Pacific, not to mention Panama and Columbia and the rest of the Caribbean?

May 6, 2004 - The Ball!  Celebrating the crown prince's birthday.
Well it was quite the night - the ball of the year Tongan style.  All were dressed in their finery with the governor and his wife in upstanding attendance. We danced all night, my borrowed shoes disintegrating underneath me due to the age of the soles and this environment. Other than that and a little headache in the morning, the night was uneventful. Lole and Amecia sat at our table and we enjoyed the views of who's who of Vava'u, Tonga. The boys opted to stay on the boat and managed to polish off a kilo of hamburgers and watch two movies. Life on a boat can be "normal".

Ongo and his grandkids at the Mermaid during Ongo's daughter's birthday party.

May 9, 2004 - Mother's day
Friday night was the first yacht race of the season. What a kick. Jim, Nick, Chris, and Lole as well as Gary (the manager of The Moorings) sailed on one of the boats. A poor start was blamed for their 4th place and a bunch of harassment went to Gary for looking at his watch rather than paying attention to where the start line was.  It was his job to start the race.  I have now been appointed that job so the guys can look after their strategy. The night was filled with fire dancing and young women doing hula dances and much drinking and food. You get the message!
The rest of the weekend was spent out and about at Nuku island and Bennies place. Trish and her family met up with us and we enjoyed dinner on their boat. We made our now infamous clams, which Trish made a challenge to Nick about, as she did not think it was possible for her children to even try them.  Half a batch of clams later we shooed them off to draw and keep them otherwise busy. They now like/love clams! Naturally Jim had a patient hunt him down who had twisted an ankle. Wonderful people, we didn't mind helping and the payment of much beer was greatly appreciated. Now back in harbor so Jim can work tomorrow.  We all are winding down or up - we can't really tell.  All I know is that life as mom was really nice today as I cooked dinner and had no dishes to do.

May 13, 2004
All week I have been diligently doing earrings and thinking about life here in Vava'u. I find the locals very congenial but the white folks here are very cut throat and jealous.
Jim and I have had our work permit papers in for a month and expect them any day. Everyone keeps asking us when we will have them?  What is the big deal?  Half of these people did not have a permit for years and then the other half don't have them?  Anyhow the craze is nuts but then what do you want from so many who live behind a bottle and have not much of a purpose to their step in life. Still, it frustrates me as Jim gives so much time to the locals at the hospital and we will do anything to help anybody. As Trish explained to me, these folks are not used to a good wholesome family arriving and actually giving of their time instead of taking from the community. I don't know what to think, just that I want to leave, but then I guess the yuck would win and the locals would lose?  Instead I will bide my time and wait for the work permits so I can film the whales and have my thing to make me feel connected with the place.  It is a shame as this place is so beautiful and has a community of Tongans which are hardly spoilt and still so wholesome. Time will tell if I can deal with the jealousy or if I can just mellow out 'till all get used to a family with ethics who is not willing to be selfish just because giving to the locals is frowned upon??!!

May 15, 2004
Finally have the work permits - at least, they said so and we paid for them, but then there is Alan Bowes who owns the whale watch boat I want to be on.  He now is changing his mind from what Lole thought he had meant.  I am a bit upset but will hang for another week before giving up on the whole thing and going with someone else. Such goes life here in Tonga - never what you expect.  Chris is now 17 and we have been getting along like oil and water. All say this is normal but on a small boat this type of normal is intolerable. I also feel I can't ground him from everything fun but it looks like I'll have to start.  Tone of voice is definitely a tell tale sign of teens! But then he is getting almost straight A's, does not use drugs or alcohol and does his chores. Could be worse … the boat could be smaller! HA!
Anyhow the sailing race was a kick Friday eve. I was the timer and had a great time harassing the contestants. Chris, Jim, and Gary came in 2nd and Nick and Baker came in third. A racing boat smoked them all so they were very happy for their places.
My friend Paula comes in on Thursday the 20th and Ocelot should be here the same day with KIDS!!  Ours will be jazzed.  Oddly Enough, who we have not seen since French Polynesia, will be here in two days also.  All at once company everywhere - should be fun!

May 17, 2004 - Tapana
Well today Oddly Enough got here, but still being over in Tapana we told them we will see them tomorrow when Chris brings the boat over. Yesterday, while the kids did their homework and scrubbed the bottom, Jim and I went to Maria and Eduardo's place up on the hill. They run a fabulous Spanish restaurant which we visited over New Year's with Philip. Anyhow Maria's computer glitched out and Jim spent a couple of hours trying to fix it. He still has many more hours of work as the whole operating system has to be redone! He is getting to be known as the major handy man around here - as we have all known him to be on the boat for years. Should bring us a wonderful Spanish dinner and new found friends. They are a kick - soooooooooo Spanish!
On the boat today I had Jim pull everything out of his storage room!  What a garage!  The walls needed lots of TLC as they have not been cleaned in literally years.  He spent an hour pulling all out, two cleaning, and then had to repair several things having to do with the engine. Now it is 3:30 and he is reorganizing things!  We now have a whole bin of things to get rid of plus garbage galore! Funny how things pile up just like at home in the attic and garage!  Must go help so more makes it to the garbage heap!

May 18, 2004
Went up to Maria and Eduardo's home on the hill in Tapana last eve with a bottle of wine and ended up talking 'till all hours. Great sense of humor and huge hearts - we enjoyed them immensely. Today Jim and Nick went to town, Jim to do the hospital thing and Nick to do French with Hollie. Chris and I sailed over - or should I say Chris sailed over to town while I lounged around all day. Once we got to our mooring it started pouring and we went to Oddly Enough and heard the antics of Suva Suva, Fiji.  It has not been all roses there either, but hey, today we got news that we were approved for our work permits. So now we are legal and all the chit chat about us working, even though most of it has been for free, can stop!  Tomorrow Ocelot gets here with the kids - finally!

May 20, 2004
Nick spend the day at the hospital with Jim, watching him assist during a C-section. Nick is enthralled with what he saw and tries to go with Jim whenever he can. He has an opportunity to see operations and the practice of Medicine first hand here in Tonga. He never would be able to have this kind of experience in the United States. At this point he is setting his goals on going to Medical School. Looks like he will spend his inheritance!

May 30, 2004
For the past week we have sailed to Nuku'alofa and back. Puking people everywhere but good attitudes!  They were all troopers. Having been stuck in Vava'u due to the plane crisis here, our first 3 passengers, Heather, Richard, and John, were happy to find us and happier to not have to take the ferry. They had ridden it up to Vava'u and found it appalling. Living in New Zealand they were gracious enough to offer their mooring for the boat next season!  The other couple, Leanne and Warren, were newlyweds. Leanne was totally sea sick on the way but her smile did not quit even when a rouge wave broke over the boat and ended its journey on her head in the cockpit. Hinano, our dog, who happened to be curled up next to her, was not so humored!  Lastly was Dillon's girlfriend Tess (from the boat Firebird). He begged me to take her and I agreed. She helped with dishes, and the last hours of the trip, when I was exhausted, she kicked in and made a beautiful batch of eggs with Christopher. The trip was one of our roughest, on the nose, close hauled and fast. Our only glitch was the port diesel tank breaking, and Chris and I having to deal with a quarter inch of diesel pouring from the saloon to the kitchen. Bouncing along through the waves, Chris was a trooper, squeezing it into the bilge as I poured simple green in the compartment where it was leaking from and pushed it towards the steps where he dealt with it. Teamwork prevailed, and the job got done. 30 hours after leaving Vava'u we arrived to Nuku'alofa. In the eve we went to a fabulous restaurant, Luna Rosa, which would compete easily with many 4-5 star restaurants in San Francisco. I didn't know Tonga had such a jewel. The next days were spent doing laundry and cleaning up the boat to receive our next guests, who we would return to Vava'u with.

The trip back was even more eventful!! Once again we were close hauled. I don't know how one gets so lucky to have the wind switch with them in the opposite direction desired but we did. At least we could sail but that didn't help those on board. Paula, my girlfriend from Redding CA, was the ONLY guest not to get sick. Our guests, Andy and Graeme Oxley, and Meg Taylor and John Pawson from Wanaka, came back with us for a two week adventure aboard Melinda Sea Adventures. Their adventure began when they arrived on the boat. The seas were awful. Meg, poor thing, got so violently ill that she would pass out at each wretch. Jim had to inject her with Phenagrine, as, if she threw up while passed out, she could have choked to death. With a queen size berth available, Meg slept on the cabin floor while her husband John stuck to the cockpit and fresh air. Chris did the night watch while Jim and I slept but I got up every hour or so to check on our patient. All said and done, 27 hours after leaving Nuku'alofa we arrived safe and sound in Vava'u, although our jib sheet (head sail) clue broke free and we had to motor the last 30 miles due to high winds preventing us from using our other head sails.

Check out John and Meg's private resort, Riverrun, at www.riverrun.co.nz and Graeme and Andy's place, Te Wanaka Lodge, at www.tewanaka.co.nz.

All in all an interesting trip.  We were all glad to pull into Port Maurelle, where all took the long swim to the beach for terra firma!  Now we will see if the planes of Vava'u return or if our home becomes a permanent ferry!