Talking about Tonga

Today we made two very valuable contributions to ED.

 Firstly, we ran the place solo for an hour and half while the doctor went to lunch (he seems to have decided that we're pretty much competent if a little over-cautious)

 Secondly, and more importantly, we set up a WiFi router after everyone else had failed. We made the password Palangis2018, and since no-one else knows how to change it, I imagine our legacy will live on in Vaiola hospital for many years to come...!

Spotted today in ED: The much honoured gift from the country of Japan of.... a filing cabinet.

I'm a week in now, and I thought it was a good time to reflect a little about Tonga as a place. Nuku'alofa is lovely- possibly because of the need to rebuild recently, everything is very shiny and new to look at. There's also a lot of churches. More than you could ever think possible in such a small place!

A church- in case you weren't sure what one is

The people are all also very friendly an helpful- they're not as openly outgoing as in Fiji, but everyone I've talked to has been lovely (no matter how little English they may speak!). The children here in particular are keen to talk to foreigners, but for some reason will shout 'Bye!' at you as you approach, which can be a little disconcerting. 





The main thing that I can't get used to here is the love of reggae music. Any song you can think of will have been remixed here, to feature a reggae backing track (matching key and rhythm are only optional) and will then be played on repeat wherever you go. I won't lie- I'm not a huge fan!

I'm amazed how little tourism there is to this beautiful little island: the weather at this time of year is just right to be able to get out and about without overheating, and the sea and coast is beautiful. This really is a bit of an undiscovered paradise!

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