So we had to head into town. And by town I mean Nuku'alofa. Remember that I am still completely in shock and would be for the next two years at how cool everything was!
These are what the Vans look like that they missionaries roll around in. They are called Toyota Hiace's and they don't have them here in America. Many a great time was had in these things. We were told that another group of missionaries we supposed to pick us up instead but they hit a dog on the way to the airport and ended up keeping it so they could turn it into a meal.So we boarded up the van and hit the streets. We were off to Nuku'Alofa!
My first initial thoughts of Tonga was like how I picture Hawaii was like probably 50 years ago. Most of the North Shore of Oahu, still very much has the same look and feel of what it's like over in Tonga presently.
Pulling out of the airport there were fields, plantations and crops everywhere. Everything was green, and there were coconut trees everywhere you looked! The smell in the air was mixed with a hint of plumeria and hibiscus with a touch of campfire smell and people bbq'ing pig. I loved it!
Passed through many small villages on the way and couldn't believe the size and condition that many of the houses were I saw. Coming from the States, it definitely felt like a poor country right off the bat. Beautiful, but poor.
It was very strange to see pigs walking all over the place, crossing roads, nearly hitting them with our van, as we made our way to the mission office, eating plants. It was too funny. These pigs would later have a stick shoved up their but and cooked over a fire. Ifo Mo'oni!This video shows you almost exactly what my ride was like in the Van to downtown Nuku'Alofa. I love Youtube!
Here is an aerial of downtown Nuku'alofa. You can enlarge it by clicking it. The red arrow is pointing to two white buildings. The bottom one is the Mission Office, and the top on is an LDS chapel.Nuku'Alofa is a very small town for a Nation's capital. It is a little dirty yes, but only because the government in Tonga sucks. You can find some real gems downtown though. There are some good restaurants; Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, and American. They even have a restaurant that tries to copy KFC but I honestly think it's alot better. There is also an amazing market that sells great touristy stuff, fruits, vegetables, clothes, carvings, jewelry, etc. All the kids hangout downtown all day and so do the drunks, downsyndromes, and cross-dressers. Huge massive Tongan cross-dressers? Yup, they call them 'Fakaleiti's" and they are hilarious to joke with!
Below is a video on Youtube I found that takes you on a tour of the heart of downtown Nuku'Alofa.
So after getting to the Mission Office, we met everyone there, hung out for a bit and then headed to our new home for the next few days. Liahona. My next post will tell you a little bit about Liahona, and what I was doing there.
Let me know if you are stoked on this blog or not and leave a comment. Hopefully, I am getting you more familiar with what it was like on my mission.
-Brandon
1 comment:
Dude, I just barely stumbled upon this blog of yours.. I had no idea you'd started anything like it. I just read all of your posts and I gotta say, I really liked it a lot.
I just might have to steal your idea, I've wanted to do something like this for a long time, but I've always worried about a lack of pictures (stupid serving in the olden days before digital cameras were so convenient), and I'm always worried it'll just be confusing stuff only I'd care about, but I enjoyed reading yours so much that I think you've changed my mind.
Keep 'em coming!
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