Tonga JUST DOESN'T "GET IT " !!!!!!!

Pulupaki sails, ignoring detainment order, after expert declares ferry beyond repair

25 Jan 2010, 23:45


Nuku'alofa, Tonga:

ONLY five months after the tragic sinking of the Ashika in August 2009 with the loss of 74 lives, a second Tongan ferry is in trouble, an inquiry learned today, when it was told that the privately-owned MV Pulupaki had sailed at the weekend - after its owners, who include a member of parliament, ignored a detainment order from the Ministry of Transport.

Last days before school starts

TONGA "IS" FIRE

An "OLD DOG" learns new tricks

well almost ... i can download pictures but NOT put them in the order i want ... hmmm
OHHHH WELL
soooo the sunset is at the BOTTOM and as you glance up you will see the moon rise then set and the first picture is of the first sunrise of the NEW DECADE

A MOST AUSPICIOUS OCCASION

I certainly wish i could figure out how to download photos onto this blog.
Over the Christmas holiday there were so many good pictures taken ... but the BEST were on New Years Eve.
Several Peace Corps Volunteers and quite a few towniees camped out on the beach together.
Tonga was the first place on planet earth to say good bye to 2009 and the first place on the planet to welcome the new year.
This year December had two full moons, special enough; but the second full moon came on new years eve. It was KraZy watching the sun melt into the sea to the west followed soon after by the full moon rising in the east. The party with camp fires and flame throwing dances went throughout the night. Then at days break when the sky began to lighten up the full moon sank into the sea to the west at the same time that the sun rose in the EAST ... omg ... A MOST AUSPICIOUS OCCASION .... pictures to follow ... someday !!!!

BANG, BANG !!!!!

Tonga is a nation that outlaws GUNS.
As far as I know there are few private individuals that have guns. There is however in every town someone with a rifle that you can pay to shoot your pig and of course the Civil Defense Force has guns to ward off any invasions.
Any other guns are illegal !!!!!
I have to admit that there is a wonderfulness about the fact that getting shot at is something you don't have to worry about in the KINGDOM.
NOW comes Christmas ..... it seems that for the second year running (this is my second Christmas here) TOY GUNS are the number one gift to both boys and girls. Tomorrow the streets will be filled with gunfighters both walking the streets and riding in the back of trucks. This will go on in a state of frenzy until the Chinese toys break, which will not be long after the New Year.
I'm not a psychologist .... but there is something innate about "BANG BANG" that gives a strange joy. I have been in other "third world countries were the fascination is played out with real weapons and THAT REALITY kills for real. The plastic guns in Tonga will soon be part of the landfill but what happens to those "BANG BANG " moments for the next 11 months ???????????????

It's the THOUGHT that counts .... REALLY

Last friday i came home for lunch and the boys in the neighborhood came running up to me to tell me that the power company had been by my house to tell me "PAY YOUR BILL OR ELSE WE TURN OFF YOUR POWER". Well that was all news to me. Where i work they pay my electric bill, BUT this was friday and i certainly did NOT want to spend the weekend in the DARK. So i rode my bicycle as fast as i could and tried to pay the outstanding bill. Part of the charge listed was a reconnection fee. I told them i would pay the electric bill BUT not the reconnection fee because i was never DIS-CONNECTED !!!!!
well this IS the holiday season and i should have known better.
Today the power company stopped by yet again and said "PAY THE RE-CONNECT FEE OR OFF GOES YOUR POWER"
What DA .....
sooo my friends
"IT'S THE THOUGHT THAT COUNTS" .. REALLY
I'm on my way to pay to re-connect what never was dis-connected because of the power of suggestion !!!!

Tis the SEASON

Tis the season of eyes wide open .... some call it Christmas; but for me it's an opportunity to witness other peoples behavior and reflect upon my own.

Today, i hit the mother lode going to the office Christmas party.

I work at the Ministry of Transportation .... and due to the sinking of the ferry boat "Princess Ashika" there has NOT been a normal day at the office since the boat sank on the 5th of August, killing as many as 78 Tongan women and children trapped inside the sinking vessel.

Nothing has defined my experience in Tonga more than the open hearings that are transcribed word for word each day by "THE ROYAL COMMISSION OF INQUIRY" .... something unheard of ever before in Tonga ... a total transparent inquiry ... It could very easily be called "The Ship of Fools" ... but what i find even more amazing is that no one ... and i mean NO ONE that i have spoken to, reads these transcripts ...

I find it AmaZing that people continue to accept "SAI PE" (everything is KOOL) ... ≈still sailing on boats that are at best borderline seaworthy and if you read the transcripts you have got to wonder about the crew members from the Captain on down to the lowest of the ship hands trained in Tonga.... the transcripts are compelling!!!!!!

But this is Tonga; and there we all were at the Christmas party ... drinking ... eating ... laughing... it was a very tough year .... but who would have guessed ... it was a time to celebrate a birth ... maybe a new beginning.

be careful what you wish for

This is a follow up entry in reference to last week's issue with "DOGS" ...

Simply put the dog issue really came to a peak when my landlord got a new puppy. We already had two dogs that would bark at strangers, but always had a warm wiggly tail when i walked into the yard. i was happy with that.
Then a new dog arrived. Well right from day one this new puppy would growl and when i returned from America the puppy... now much bigger, started to bite at my feet.
I swear i have a long standing dislike when dog owners say "ohhh he is just playing" ... well i don't think a dog growling at me and then trying to bite into my foot with every step i take, is much FUN and as far as i'm concerned it's NOT how "I" want to play.
i tried several methods to get this DUMB-ASS dog to like me.
After failing at dog biscuit therapy and trying to be nice "I WISHED THE DOG WAS DEAD"

Then on thursday in front of my very eyes, as i bicycled into the yard the dog went running right by me and was whacked DEAD by a passing car ....
It didn't take long before the neighborhood boys came by, scrapped him up, and then brought the dog into an open field, started a fire and eat HOT DOG for their supper.
A hard reality .... but ... the "TONGAN WAY"

Seeing the dog in a bun wasn't the end i wanted for "ANGEL" .... yes the dogs name was "ANGEL" ... but it certainly fast pathed the dog to it's name sake and i hope now ANGEL has really become a "GOOD ANGEL" !!!!

I figure i still have a few wishes to come true ... unfortunately i feel as if i wasted ONE of them on ANGEL .... but more likely it was just that dog's KARMA ... personally .... Well NOW i'm using all my wishes to win the LOTTERY
JUST BE CAREFUL WHAT "YOU" WISH FOR .... IT JUST MIGHT BECOME TRUE !!!

peace out from the flip side of the world

Royal Commission of Inquiry

I have been totally engrossed in the daily transcripts regarding the Princess Ashika Royal Commission Inquiry. I have to commend Tonga for the complete transparency of the inquiry. Word for word testimony is available each day of the preceding days hearings. It certainly takes time to read the entire days events, however it is fascinating to be a witness to all that went wrong from the beginning of the purchase search for a replacement ferry in Tonga until the tragic ending as the Princess Ashika came to rest at the bottom of the sea.

www.rcimvprincessashika.to

Accidents seldom happen as a sole single act, accidents more likely are the results of a series of events leading up to the misfortune.
Fingers are pointing everywhere !!!!
The cast of characters; many of whom i work with at the ministry of Transportation and the complacency of Tongan "SAI PAE" culture .... clearly defines my experience of life in Tonga.

The hearings will be going on for at least 2 more months and the conclusions with not be announced until March of next year.

Certainly there are lessons to be learned, but one doesn't need to wait until the final report to learn from this tragic event .... i suggest everyone at least take a daily look at what is actually being said "under oath"

IT"S A FASCINATING READ"

peace out from the flip side

the people you meet on the streets of Tonga

Riding back to work today after a rather hectic lunch hour of shopping and eating i came upon a bicyclist with a de-railed chain.
It's only since i have been back from America that my own bicycle has been plagued with a similar issue. I was overwhelmed with sympathy.

I stopped to help; after all it took my mind off "DOGS" ...

Barking, growling dogs, DOGS that show their teeth....
These freakin BEASTS have been on my mind for weeks .... i'm NOT a violent person but after being home in the USA for nearly a month; in the land of LIABILITIES and RESPONSIBILITIES i find it harder and harder to just accept roaming ANGRY dogs, who view ME on my bicycle as a project they could really sink their teeth into. Fooled into thinking i might just lie down and become their next meal.

Well anyhow DOGS are a BIG part of Tonga and they will be for quite some time. They will be there tonight when i ride home and again on the streets tomorrow and the day after that .....
it's best never to get on your bike without a plan of defense... think ROCK !!!!

I find it all to be exhausting, to be so guarded.
Just like terrorists; to be effective it only takes one dog to bite me and then "I" in order to avoid a surprise attack;
i have to view each and every DOG as a possible biting suspect .... it sucks !!!!

Sooo why can't dog owners care enough for their pets that they won't attack innocent bikers . aughhhhhhhhhhhh (yes, THAT IS A TONGAN WORD)

Now back to the distressed bicyclist ... while fixing her chain we carried on a simple conversation and she mentioned that she reads "MY BLOG" .... omg ... that is now "TWO" people that i know of ... i swear it was enough for me to sit down and write about !!!!!

peace out from the flip side of the world

LOVE

I work at the Department of Civil Aviation. There are a few new job openings, so i had the opportunity to read about the job qualifications.

and ...There "IT" was .....under the heading of necessary "VALUES";
right along with; self motivated,hard working,trustworthy,respectful,loyal,and courteous.... IS the need to have "LOVE"
Well i began to think, maybe in America if more jobs required the value of "LOVE" there would not be so much stress in the work place.
So now i have to figure out how do you quantify "love" as a value or is it just one of those things ... YA EITHER GOT IT OR YA DON"T
after all in the end "IT'S ALL ABOUT LOVE"

it's all-ways harder to hit a moving target

Long ago i discovered it's harder to hit a moving target .... that's been my policy of late; until i became sick and just stopped in my tracks and at that point i would have gladly taken a bullet to the head .
Actually i have been in America for the last 3 weeks. It was all part of an endless magical mystery tour. I traveled non-stop and i took endless HOT showers. i marveled at the SPEED of the internet. i drank black rich coffee and i ate toasted sesame seed bagels with cream cheese. Every store had choices... red wine came in bottles not boxes, the chocolate caused an endorphin overload of delight. Driving on the right hand side of the road took about a nano second to remember; yet i was filled with self doubt every time i turned a corner and lived in fear that at any time i might forget what side of the road i SHOULD be on.
Then there was the movie theaters with stadium seating and surround sound, can you believe that in all of Tonga there isn't a single movie theater ... omg !!!!
ohhhhhhh well there aren't a LOT of things in all of Tonga !!!!
It was GREAT to see my kids, family and friends. The autumn colors were brilliant, but the first light snowfall reminded me ... NEVER/EVER ... will i live in the NORTH during winter!!!!
I was sooooo caught up in travel (LA-DALLAS-PHIL-NYC-GREENSBORO NC.-ALBANY NY.,GREAT BARRINGTON MA.-BOSTON-MONTPELIER VT.-Keene NH.-MILFORD CT.-NYC-LA)... it wasn't until landing in LAX on my way back to Tonga that i looked out the window and thought "how does ANYONE make sense of all this madness!!!!"
I got bumped in Fiji trying to get to Vanuatu, the real cost of a standby ticket .. then when i got back to "sin city" Nukualofa i just collapsed ... for four days i couldn't be out of bed for more than a 1/2 hour at a time
I'm back, and now once again all is well in the KING-DUMB
i'll try to write more .... in my absence 24 NEW volunteers arrived, it will be great to join forces with them when they return from Ha'apai
until NEXT time peace out from the peace corps

rain rain go away

This was my first dry season in the Kingdom of Tonga and like most everything here.... things are not always what you thought they might be. It has rained on and off just about every other day.
Last week we had 60cm of rain ... 2 feet in 21/2 days time. That my friend is a LOT of water.
The Tongans don't often swim and when they do , they do it with all their clothes on. Personally i might ask why bother, but the Tongan's save their water sports for the rain. It is NOT unusual to see Tongan's happy and laughing walking down the streets in the pouring rain (again fully clothed). You can also catch them under the rain spouts washing their hair.... again fully clothed.
During the rain is a favorite time to get out onto the rugby field and try to kill each other as everyone slips and slides.
So rational thought would be "if it rains in the DRY season, then the wet season must be dry" .... WRONG !!!!! ... i have been here for a rainy season ... and it rains even harder... the rain just happens to come down sideways due to the strong winds.

a 3 banger day

YES ... 3 posts all in one day ... i think the reason is that my inter-net is so random at home, that when i'm in the mood to write... very often i don''t have access. That and my mind has become just as random... a thought once thought is just that ... and quickly forgotten .. it's a very common malady in all the Pacific islands.

NOW ... what was that i was going to write about ?????

ohhhhh yea ... how much everyone is looking forward to the NEW group of Peace Corps volunteers to arrive.

Significantly it means that we have been here for a year ... kinda of "over the HUMP". With their arrival it means our end is in sight; NOT that i want to get outta here ...I"M VERY HAPPY in Tonga... i just get overwhelmed with the idea of a commitment that far off in the distance .. i'm way to spontaneous a person and this 27 month gig has had a psychological affect on me. I can now start to breath easier.

On the bright side I'm also looking forward to a trip home in October to visit with my adult children and take as many HOT showers as i can. AHHH just one month from today, i can hardly wait.
Then there is December, Back here in Nukualofa the new Trainees will be sworn in ... it's my birth month .. i'll be a year older and I'll start to collect a social security check that is FIVE times my peace corps check ...
so @ Christmas time this year it will be PARTY HARDY in HOT Tonga while at home everyone else will be freZZZZZZing.
and that is JUST FINE with me !!!!!!!!

POST MOURNING

just an update ... there was a mass memorial over the spot were the ferry boat Princess Askia sank. The family members were brought out by chartered ship... they dropped wreaths into the sea and bands on board played funeral music. Later that day at the house of a Prince; a feast was held for those who had lost loved ones. There a talking chief asked for the mourning to come to an end and life be celebrated.

So that's it ... the Tongans will now move on from the greatest tragedy since 1918 when Swine flu; of all things, wiped out thousands of people.

as for my package ... NO ONE really knows where it is ... but i'll keep the faith

YEA... I'VE GOT MAIL !!! well kinda of !!!

Okay i have been in and out of 3rd world countries for years. I take lots of deep breaths and heavy sighs. My expectations are very very low and my eXcitement when things go right is sincerely one of gratitude.
BUT answer me this one BATMAN ...
how bad does it happen to be that a package mailed from Seattle on july 27th and arrives with a postmarked stamp in NUKUALOFA TONGA ... my home town and where the P.O. box is located ... it arrives here on the 17th of August and i don't get it until September 2nd.... what is sooo WRONG ... the post office floor plan is NOT so BIG that it takes more than 2 weeks to walk across the room and put my envelope in the PC mail box ...
i'll find out later today ... there is a new CEO at the P.O. and i'm going to ask him .. and while I'm there i'll be looking for my other package mailed 6 weeks ago from the USA .. the USPS swears it's in TONGA ... and yet there is NO SIGN OF IT HERE !!!!!

!!!OIAUE !!!

Princess Ashika underwater pictures

Hopefully the following link will open for you and you can see the absolutely eerie pictures of the Princess Ashika at rest 300 feet below the sea... also at rest are the 93 people who never escaped when the boat suddenly capsized and sank in the middle of the night. Tongans can now begin their mourning process ... any recovery is way beyond the financial ability of Tonga.

May those aboard rest in peace and hopefully all of Tonga will take safety to heart and develop attitudes that insure the public safety

the link:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/image.cfm?c_id=1&gal_cid=1502757&gallery_id=107011

LOAD limits and car safety

Maybe you can remember "back in the day" ... when american made station wagons ... the precursor to the VAN.. they had a rear seat that KIDS LOVED... they were the only ones that could fit back there. The seat faced backwards.
However after numerous deaths and injuries ... it was deemed an unsafe feature.... soon all seats faced forward and seat belts became mandatory.

Step back in time ... omg .. you are in TONGA ...
here seat belts i think are used only in Peace Corps vehicles and for towing disabled cars. As for seating arrangements, well it's everybody get into the back of the truck ... there is NO load limit.. and the first ones in get to sit on the standard Tongan truck seat. It is a 4x6 piece of lumber laid out from side to side of the back of a truck bed. The rest of the people ... AND there are always plenty ... they happily stand and let the wind blow onto their faces.

My record sighting was a fork lift going down the street holding in front of it, a 4 foot by 4 foot pallet ... on that pallet were 12 Chinese workers.... ohhh were was my camera that day !!!!