Soldier at the Taliai Military Camp.

A popao on the lagoon in Nukuleka.

Vegetables at the market.

America has the Crips, Tonga has the Cribs…LOL

Political protest slogans in town.

I can’t remember what village this was taken in but it was in the Hahake side.

Yes, Shoreline workers actually work! haha….

This was a recycling campaign initiated by the Tongan National Youth Congress. You’ll see thise recycling bins in almost every village. As you can see, the people are actively recycling.

When I first saw this sign, I didn’t get it…I thought maybe someone in Tonga had something against curry…haha…well, turns out that people buy curry which comes wrapped in foil and usually served with manioke, and they eat it and throw the trash on the grounds. This tree is in Mala’e Kula.

School’s out…one of the Government Public Schools, near town.

I can’t remember where I took this…I think somewhere near Tokomololo.

I will probably get a lot of crap for this because I know that as Tongans, we like to put our best face forward, think positive, even in the most dire of circumstances. But, I have to share one of my most memorable experiences in Tonga.

I think a dose is reality is a good thing. I could have easily blogged about the beautiful beaches and resorts in Tonga, and there are many, but this particular experience left an impression on me.

I heard of the landfill at Patangata from various people in PT and through news stories on the internet. I wanted to see it mostly because I was intrigued that Tonga, an island so small with an equally small population, could actually have a landfill. But mostly, I wanted to see the people who have moved next to it and depend on the landfill to provide them with their everyday needs.

So, one day, I went with my driver, Verna Tukuafu, to Patangata. As we pulled up, a truck had just arrived and unloaded its contents. There was a family sitting across the street, anticipating the next garbage delivery and sure enough, they raced across the street and sorted through the garbage, looking for anything they could use.

I saw two ladies examine a monomono and then fold it and put it aside. They continued to rummage through the trash, this time other family members came to join in. I pulled out my camera and started taking pictures, but I don’t know what came over me…I felt like I was intrusive, even though I was at a far distance, and I felt sorry for them so after a few shots, I tucked my camera away. I guess in my own naive way, I wanted them to retain the little dignity they have left.

We drove past the scene and I looked over to my left and saw a woman there holding her baby. She made eye contact with me, and I felt this immediate uneasiness, but then she smiled at me! It was the biggest smile I saw in Tonga, very sincere, warming, inviting and happy. I smiled backed and as we drove away, I was so touched by this experience - that in Tonga, even the poorest of the poor can still manage to smile and make your day.

Before I forget, I was asked by several Miss Heilala contestants to put in my blog that they don’t appreciate being groped, grabbed, molested by men during the Heilala Block Party.

So, to all you nasty men out there in Tonga, LOOK BUT DON’T TOUCH!

On the other hand, all the Miss Galaxy contestants said it was perfectly already to grope, grab and molest them, as much as you’d like.

You know, I wanted to conduct this experiment and compare the level of service I get from a Tongan store vs. a Chinese store.

I am amazed at the Chinese stores - they are everywhere, even in the most remote villages, they stay up all night, they open first thing at midnight on Sunday night and they live in the cramped up space behind their stores.

However, they still give courteous prompt service. Well, except for this one Chinese man…when I said to him “Can I get a large water?” He said, “‘Ika’i! Lea Faka Tonga!” hahaha! He sounded like my grandfather.

(Anapesi and Melenaite Uata, in front of our favorite Chinese Store, one of many on Taufa’ahau Road)

As time went on, I abandoned my experiment when it became clear to me that, except for a few stores like my aunty Latai’s store in Veitongo, the Chinese excelled the Tongan stores consistently in prompt, friendly customer service and common courtesy.

Hopefully, someday, more Tongan storeowners will realize that good service means repeat customers which translates to more money for them.

Did the right girl win?

YES!

Folks, Sina Nauahi is the real deal. Many have dismissed her simply because of her young age or that she isn’t Tongan enough, therefore, she wouldn’t make a proper representative of Tonga. I think before we try and impose our definitions and expectations on a Miss Heilala winner, let’s really look at the mission of the Miss Heilala pageant.

According to the Miss Heilala pageant website, the mission of the winner is defined as:

“……to act as a roving ambassador for Tonga’s tourism industry, joining delegations to overseas trade shows and promotions. She will also participate in the promotional activities of the Festival’s major sponsors. She may also be required to represent Tonga at other international pageants.”

That’s it. Nothing more, nothing less.

Sina, a promotional dancer for the world renown Polynesian Cultural Center, may be young but she has many years behind her as a cultural ambassador for PCC, traveling all over the world.

(Sina, exercising with the locals at the waterfront, near the spot where my bread and butter were stolen)

As a matter of fact, I believe Sina is due for a promotional trip to Japan soon. PCC’s promotional team don’t just dance, they also interact with many people worldwide, from leaders to average folks. She has a sound understanding of the tourism industry and that was reflected in her speech.

I believe her experience at PCC will greatly add to the mission of Miss Heilala, as outlined by the Heilala committee and to Tonga.

If we are looking for someone who fits our own definition of what it means to look or act Tongan, you are barking at the wrong pageant. If we are looking for a Tongan historian who can recite legends and Tongan history, again, wrong pageant. If we are looking for the next Rhodes Scholar to represent Tonga in worldwide tourism expos, wrong pageant again.

(Hanging out at Cafe Escape)

I think it’s important that we think globally here, think beyond our sandy shores of our small island. Today, a Miss Heilala winner must be sophisticated, eloquent, savy, educated, able to communicate the mission of Tonga’s tourism sector with the rest of the world.

Personally, If it were up to me and I had a budget of 10% of Bill Gates earnings, I would fly all three all over the world to promote Tonga. That’s how good they are.

I think everyone needs to know that Miss Heilala contestants go through a lot of preparation for this pageant. A lot of them spend a lot of their own personal money, take time off work, school, etc. to participate in the pageant.

It also takes a mental toll on them, having to deal with the media, dignitaries, being paraded, being poked and proded, learning dance numbers at the last minute, being whistled at, being groped by uninvited hands at the Block Party, to name just a few.

Since I was at almost every Miss Heilala event, from dress rehearsals to press events (I skipped the cocktail parties because frankly, they bore me), I got to know some of the girls and the committee members. In addition, I got to witness some, um…..things that were cool and some things that, clearly, were not cool at all.

For example, some contestants were pressured by sponsors to “put out”, i.e. wear clothes that were more revealing. Basically, they wanted them to look like sluts. And if they didn’t comply, the displeasure of the sponsor was immediately felt.

Some sponsors don’t know what it means to sponsor, as many girls paid for their own dresses, gowns, shoes, airfare, hotel, etc.

And some committee members were just downright mean-spirited, talking bad about contestants to the public, or publicly declaring who they think should win or saying that one contestant is a mata’i hoosi or another is mata’i puaka. Yes, sure they were late for rehearsals, but c’mon, can’t you do your business privately?

Oh, here’s another bombshell…..one committee member went up to a contestant and told her she should have won but the scores were changed at the last minute. I told this contestant not to believe this particular person because just a few minutes ago, she was going around publicly declaring who she personally thought will win, and it wasn’t her!

I also have to acknowledge that Misi Sika has organized a committee of hardworking, young individuals in Tonga. I give credit to Misi and his supporting crew, who seemed to really have a grasp for the mission of the Heilala pageant, for all their hard work in organizing not just the pageant but the entire Heilala week festivities.

But, Misi, if you are doing Miss Heilala again next year, for the love of God and for the sanity of Tonga, please cut out the sourpusses. You know who they are. You have a terrific group of committed, young, vibrant people, just like yourself, by your side. Utilize them, tap into their creative minds, their fresh ideas and pour the old, sour milk down the drain.

Here are some upcoming blogs in the works:

• Behind the scenes at the Miss Heilala pageant.
• Did the right girl win Miss Heilala? (The answer is YES)
• The freaks come out at night…for the Block Party!
• Can I hang in Tonga? (My cousin thinks I can’t!..haha!)
• Chinese stores vs. Tongan stores.
• Tourism in Tonga..it’s everyone’s business.
• Predictions for the future of remittances.
• Final reflections on Tonga and Tongan people.

‘ofa atu,
Rich

At the final night of the Miss Heilala pageant, I had set up my camera position at the front of the right corner of the stage, only because other cameramen were already there.

Soon after, the rest of the local media came and joined me. This included the reporter from the Matangi Tonga, the Talaki and I think the other was the Kele’a or the Tau’ataina. There were also the television stations and foreign press.

At all these events, I knew that it wouldn’t be proper for me to criss cross across the front of the stage in all my fabulousness to get some good shots, when the even more fabulous Guest of Honor, usually a member of the Royal Family, was present. That’s the first rule of Tongan etiquette. You might think you are HOT, but if the Guest of Honor is present, and in this case, it was the Honorable Fanetupouvava’u (who I might add is really beautiful) then you just have to accept that you aren’t that HOT and move on.

We were told by a particular woman (who shall go unnamed but was part of the Heilala committee) that this was our designated press area. (Well, NO DUH!)

HOWEVER, later that evening, this woman took one of the photographers straight to the front of the stage and allowed her take pictures. At this time, Hon. Fanetupouvava’u was already on the stage to announce the winners.

In the meantime, we were completely ignored, like we were a collective pile of dog crap, while this woman pampered and doted on this photographer, giving her all the access she needed.

I asked some of the other press “Who is this photographer and why does she have access and we don’t?” They replied, “Oh, she’s from the New Zealand Herald.” I asked “Does this happen all the time?” They said, “YES, all the time.” I asked “Why?” They said, “I guess because they feel the Herald is more important than us.”

Really, who in the hell in NZ really cares for the Miss Heilala pageant other than the Tongan population there? And how many of them actually read the NZ Herald? I would imagine that the Tongan population in NZ would rather prefer the Taimi Tonga or one of the other Tongan papers.

Give me a damn break.

This was a severe lack of insight of an individual that really needs to learn to be fair to all media, especially the local Tongan media. How can you treat local media like that?

Oh, after the NZ Herald got all her shots, we were “invited” to come up to the stage and fight over the leftovers.

Thanks for nothing.

This whole “who you know” mentality in Tonga is so archaic and needs to banished to the 19th century.

Prior to this, I was on this competitive trip with the local media. At every event, we would run into each other, size each other up, jockey for the best positions and shoot away. I had a camera capable of 12X zoom and I was taller than all of them, so it was no sweat for me.

Some of the local papers were even blatantly ripping off the pictures I took for Planet Tonga and cropped and printed them!

At first, I was pissed.

But if this is the way they normally treat local, independent media in Tonga, then it was more important to me to drop my cutthroat attitude and support the local media and the hard work they do.

So, to my friends that I met from the Matangi Tonga (Linny) and the Talaki (Hola), keep fighting the good fight and doing the great work you do! Never settle for less!

This trip to Tonga was mostly to work on our TYA project and also for Planet Tonga.

So, most of my time was spent either looking at the beige, brick walls of my hotel room (and watching the spider the size of my open hand, crawl in and out of the AC) or staring at the yellow walls at Tau’olunga Komipiuta.

What is Tau’olunga Komipiuta, you ask? It’s the only Apple reseller in Tonga and the preferred internet cafe of Tonga’s most intelligent people, yes, I’m talking about Mac users. (Shut up Anapesi!)

There goes Anapesi, giving us orders again….she’s so bossy.

If you want the best service, hassle free and reliable computers, or you want to buy and iPod or the newest Mac, go to Tau’olunga Komipiuta. This is where my cousin Sione works, along with Trish and owner of the store, Kik Velt, who was so generous to let us come and do our work and tie up their lines uploading photos for our PT readers.

When Elsie isn’t doing the robot with me on Taufa’ahau Road, she’s practicing with our other cousin Teresa

Another cool thing at TK is the sun dial on the outside wall, facing the road. It actually works!

No, it’s not graffiti! It’s the sun dial at TK…

If you are ever in Tonga and need the internet, graphic design services, large format ink jet printing, movie editing, Tau’olunga Komipiuta can do it all.

Tau’olunga Komipiuta’s store sign..thanks Anapesi for the pic!

A deep, heartfelt thank you goes out to Kik Velt, Trish and to Sione for your help and allowing us to use TK as our work center and giving us the edge over the local media…(yup, our stories and pics were always up first, even though they they were always butting in front of me at all the events……woo hoo

We love you!!

Check out their website HERE

PS…thank you Sione for my Tongan fonts!!

My cousin Sione took Anapesi and I to Houma to look at the blowholes. It was such a beautiful day and it was towards the evening…so the sun was setting, it had just finished raining and the clouds had just began to disburse, allowing the rays of the evening sun to pierce through the clouds. It was truly breathtaking.

I told Sione, “You know, if I wanted to end my life today, it would be right here…just jump into the blowholes and let it blow me up in the air and slam me on the rocks. It would be the most beautiful way to go.” Knowing my luck, I would probably clog up the hole and and get pummelled by the ocean into bits and pieces.

But alas, it wasn’t my time to go, just a twisted thought, and I have many of those.

(I stole this from Anapesi’s blog…tee hee hee)

So, when Anapesi and I got out of the car, we started screaming things like:

“Dang, that’s so AWESOME!”
“OH-MY-GOSH……..this ROOOOOOOOOOOOCKS!”

(OOOhhhh, I felt that one up my back!)

And then, when one of the waves crashed upon the rocks, spraying water upwards, we started screaming:

“Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuude, that was SOOOOOO FREAKIN’ AWESOME!!!!” while jumping up and down and screaming in amazement.

We noticed our cousin Sione was very very quiet. He waited until we were done screaming and then he said:

“YOU TWO ARE SO DAMN AMERICAN! You are driving me nuts! Get in the car!”

hahahaha!

We love you Sione!

(Thanks for the pictures Anapesi)