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News – November 2009 (Nuku'alofa/Tonga, November 24, 2009)
- > Due to problems in Tonga the News of December 2009 and January 2010 will be merged.
- Website statistics: In October we were able to welcome on our website 46'467 visitors who did 1'596'484 hits.
- (September = 36'691 visitors – 1'229'110 Hits / August = 33'217 visitors – 1'115'318 Hits)
- The visitors are coming from about 162 different countries!
- Record day since 12/17/1998 = the birthday of our website: on 11/5/2007 = 13'407 visitors and 787'456 hits
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- Since three weeks we are in one of the last "real" kingdoms of the world – in Tonga. However, also this won't work anymore
- much longer as an "absolute" monarchy, because King George Tupou V announced three days ahead of his coronation on
- August 1, 2008, that he will relinquish much of his power to the prime minister, once the parliament gets elected for the first time
- in 2010. Yet we had the chance to see His Majesty already "live" during our first week in Tonga, when he laid a wreath at the
- Cenotaph in honor of the victims of World War I
- Tonga is in a way unique: As already mentioned it is (still) an "absolute" Kingdom – by the way the only in the Pacific – that
- consists of 169 islands of which only 36 are inhabited; then the rather small main island of Tongatapu (100 sq.mi.), where the
- capital of Nuku'alofa with about 23'000 people sits, is completely flat and peppered with innumerable coconut palm trees under
- which a lot of vegetables is grown on a very fertile soil; until 1995, Tonga was the first place to greet on New Years Day the new
- year, because it is situated a bit East of the International Dateline (GMT +13); but afterwards this feature was taken over by the
- Republic of Kiribati, its island of Kiritimati (Christmas Island) that lies even more to the East (GMT +14"); Tonga produced
- during the 1970s and 80s huge oversized coins (Pa'anga >2½ in.) and the Tongan stamps featured the strangest shapes (e.g.
- forms of hearts, bananas); furthermore Tonga sold passports for US$20'000 to wealthy foreigners as a source of income,
- amongst others to Chinese from Hong Kong, who were afraid of the upcoming takeover by China; the former ruler – King
- Taufa'ahau Tupou IV – who died on 9/10/2006 – was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the "world's heaviest
- monarch", weighing 434 pounds; Sunday on Tonga is a strict day of rest – all commerce and entertainment (even sport events) is
- prohibited during 24 hours, which is even stipulated in the constitution for ever; hence there are no planes flying and ships sailing,
- there are neither buses driving nor shops, restaurants, internet cafes and gasoline stations open; and last but not least, Tonga was
- never colonized – it became from 5/18/1900 just a British protectorate for the following 70 years.
- But unfortunately not everything was always peaceful, although the Tonga island group was called formerly also 'the Friendly
- Islands': Already during the 12th century, the Tongans consisted of a "net of seafarers, chieftains and adventurers" and had from
- the 17th to the 19th century always their feuds between different clans. Obviously this wasn't the end, as on 11/16/2006 riots
- and violence erupted in Nuku'alofa, when around 70% of the city was burnt down, some casualties were mourned and over
- US$60m of damage was counted for. According to the "Pacific speed", still today – three years later – the destructions are
- visible clearly everywhere in downtown: Besides some new buildings and construction sites, there are still many gaps.
- The more than 100'000 Tongans are genuine Polynesians and look partly "tanned". As already their previous King, they tend to
- "obesity", speak Tongan and mostly also English. They are strictly religious Christians, the majorities are members of sects
- (Wesleyans, Mormons, etc.). As a change, driving in Tonga is once more on the left side, according to the British tradition.
- Hence we had to move for the 22nd time from the right (on Tahiti) to the left side in Tonga, which thereby became our 45th
- country of "driving on the wrong" side.
- Again we were lucky concerning accommodation. Located 6 miles out of Nuku'alofa on the South coast we found a small resort
- hotel. Like on most of the previous Pacific islands, camping is not only discouraged but even explicitly forbidden. Thus, we
- rented once more a bungalow with cooking possibilities on a monthly basis (US$40/day), because the next vessel of the "Greater
- Bali Hai" shipping line will arrive only shortly before Christmas. Whether we book for this opportunity, or whether we take the
- following one in mid-January due to the elevated higher airfares over Christmas/New Year, is not yet cleared.
- Because Tongatapu doesn't have a reef, the prevailing Southeast surf pounds pretty heavily on the coral limestone; otherwise we
- enjoy the quietness and nature around us. Even if initially there were some difficulties with internet, it works now sometimes
- amazingly well, but also amazingly slow; but we have to keep in mind where we are situated.
- We are sure that we shall know more in the December "News", where and when we shall end up after Tonga.
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Tongatapu Island |  |
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Tahiti
1st part Picture
Gallery (Aug.-Sept. 2009) Tahiti 2nd part Picture Gallery (Oct. 2009) Moorea Picture Report (Sept. 2009) |
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Rarotonga Island |  |
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Temples, Pagodas, Shrines | |
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| The visit of 13 Pacific Islands with and 1 without our LandCruiser | Pacific February 2008 - |
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| The visit of 13 Caribbean Islands with our LandCruiser | Caribbean June 2003-Dec. 2004 |
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| + added from the United Arab Emirates: | Fairytale Wedding in Dubai (March 1999) |
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| + added from a earlier visit to the USA: | Las Vegas (Millennium change) |
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| + added from our Arabian Peninsula round trip: | Pictures from Yemen (May-June 1996) |
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| + Flashbacks of our Worldrecordtour: | Pictures from "all the continents" (Oct. 1984 - April 1997) |
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