Feast..

Neiafu August 4 2006

Yesterday evening we went to the feast in Hinakauea bay. A beautiful spot with a little village, children playing on the beach, and yachts in the bay. There where a little market with local handicraft of good quality. In all, we where some twenty person at the feast. Before eating the children in the village, all dressed up, danced traditional Tongan dances, which lack hip movements and instead concentrate on rather slow gracious arm and hand movements. They also showed sitting dances and the boy's danced some warrior dances. To accompany two gentlemen played guitar and banjo. The food was a variety of fish, meat and vegetables cooked in the umu (earth oven) and a small pig that they had grilled whole. At the end, for those interested, there was kava tasting. I took just a little sip from the coconut shell used as a cup. It didn't taste anything special, but it had a transient anesthetic effect on the lips and tongue. The locals seamed to enjoy it though. Later in the evening, back in Neiafu, guided by the music we slipped in to Tonga Bob's Cantina where they had a Drag show. We left rather early but the music continued to play, ready audible at our yacht, till two a clock in the morning. This morning we had the third visit at our yacht from a local guy who wanted to sell handicraft. They go round to every yacht in the bay. This is, I think, the downside to tourism. Still it's less so here compared to Bali and Thailand.

Take care

H�kan

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