10) The Vava'u Island group is best known as a breeding ground for humpback whales. Tonga is one of the few nations in the world that permits swimming with whales. Unfortunately, we were a week too soon and didn't see any.
9) Caves! We visited Swallow's Cave and Mariner's Cave. The former is a large cave you can take a dinghy into; the latter requires you to swim under a rock ledge in order to enter. As the waves force water into the cave, the interior pressurizes and you can watch the water vapor condense into a cloud.
8) Tongan Feast! We participated in a large feast along with the nice folks on the Bluewater Ralley. The evening begins with music and a traditional Tongan dance demonstration (including a fire dance), and ends with everyone pulling up benches to a massive pile of local food.
7) Clear, blue water! Probably the clearest ocean water we've seen thus far.
6) A maze of islands! The Vava'u group is an intricate maze of islands, sporting flat water, rocky cliffs, and pristine white-sand beaches.
5) Expat-owned tourist industry. On the main strip in Neiafu, most of the restaurants and bars are owned by Americans and other foreigners who moved to the islands to run seasonal businesses. The man that owned 'The Giggling Whale' also claimed to own 'Lake Louise,' a ski resort in Canada. (Can any of you Google detectives verify that? We couldn't tell if he was messing with us).
4) Long Live The King! Tonga is a monarchy, with a governing royal family (and King). Many individuals wear straw mats to signify allegiance.
3) Roy Orbison! The famous song 'Falling' is popular throughout the South Pacific. We heard it sung in Tongan and accompanied by guitars, ukeleles, and a banjo.
2) Pigs! There are as many pigs roaming the streets as there are dogs and chickens. In the Tongan village we visited, the entire village was fenced to keep pigs in, while everyone's house was fenced to keep the pigs out.
1) Evergreen Trees! We saw evergreen trees growing on cliffs, much as you'd expect to see in a more temperate climate. This reflects the southern nature and cold ocean currents of the islands. Certainly our coldest nights since Florida!
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