Formalities, and goodbye Tonga

Susan is off with the officials checking out of customs, immigration, etc. In each country we have to bow to the powerful officials and be very nice to them, following all their procedures. This usually means Susan filling out esentially the same form several times with all the same information on each: our names, our birth dates, our passport numbers, country, where the passport was issued, etc. She gets writers cramp by the time it’s all over. The officials here when we arrived were thirsty. We didn’t have much to share as we had just opened the last of diet cokes to celebrate arriving in Tonga. We’ve spent the last two days getting everything together for our departure for Fiji. I bought baguettes, fresh veggies and meat today. The store for meat is called “Pete the Meat.” What a name. The grocery stores are filled with tins of corned beef and not a whole lot else. The boat is still filled with pasta and rice, so we’ll be fine. 2020 Update: All the meat was frozen in the stores. And when I opened the freezers they absolutely reeked. So, I’d move to another store. I think Pete the Meat was the least stinky.

We used two dive tanks and took them in to be filled. The have to be inspected every two years and they were expired. So were the two still on the boat, full of air. We had to have them certified and that’s the last thing we need to pick up. It’ll cost 200 Tongan Pa’anga, about $100 USD.

When we got diesel today we were pleasantly surprised by how little we used. We’re estimating we used 30 gallons or so. We ran the motor a bit over our 8 day passage. I was certain we’d used more. We’re full up again, which give us about 110 gallons total.

Tonight we’ll go anchor away from town and be on our way tomorrow. The fridge is full, the fruit and veggie hanging hammock is full and Steve is off buying coffee. Good coffee is difficult to find. Royal Tongan Coffee is available though, and not bad. It’s not the French roast we prefer, but it’s tasty.

The day started with coffee and presents. It’s Susan’s birthday here and several people sent along gifts. She loved them all. I baked a cake this afternoon that ever since it came out of the oven she has been begging to eat it. I just frosted it and it’s falling apart a bit, but hey, we’re in Tonga, not my kitchen.

We were going to try to leave today, but the weather isn’t good. Big seas and strong winds are out there. I just over-heard on the radio from someone who turned around, that it was rough and not comfortable.

The VHF radio is just like a big party line phone of the old days. You can listen to everything. People meet on channel 16 and then say they’re going to channel 6. So, you can change and listen in, if you’re inclined. It’s fun, because you can make restaurant “bookings” (reservations here) and inquire about just about anything. There is a daily morning show at 8:30 that gives the weather and local advertisements for cruisers. That’s how we knew to take our garbage into town today at 8:30 a.m.

Susan’s been gone 45 minutes. Formalities! Update she’s back. We’re good to go.