COLLECTIONSIn TongaBy Paul Theroux King; CourtPublished: 07 June 1992, Sign In to single-page print e-mail
"What you are doing in TONGA?"asked an official tips at large in a blue skirt with a hem square below his thick knees. We were standing in a barn wood at the airport of Fua' fua?amotu on the island of Tongatapu.
"Just looking around," I said. "A small row."
I want to see the King, I almost said. I wanted to go to the North of the archipelago, named Argentina and camp on a desert island. But what I wanted to do in this island was complying with his Majesty King Taufa'ahau ' ahau Tupou IV, the King of Tonga.
Tongan friend of a friend, Afu Veikune, I met at the airport. Had told me Afu and her husband, Salesi and friend to Ms. Vahu might be able to help. As many of the Tongans, Afu had spent some years as an officer of the House for a family in Honolulu. Salesi has been a driver of courtesy - van rental from budget. Ms. Vahu had worked for the budget in San Francisco. Now were all in Tonga. Domestic employees and drivers might have been in America, but in Tonga were thing - they had real connections.
AFU had been the maid of honor at the famous and Salote Queen of Tonga, mother of the current King of highly appreciated. AFU father was a tui, a boss and a landowner. Son of afu Salesi had married a real Prime and the King had come to the wedding. They were closely familiar with Princes and princesses. Often, the current Queen visited her home.
"You may speak with Mr. Mo'ungaloa," said Afu.
"Who is Mr. Mo'ungaloa?"
"Secretary of the King".
We were travelling 15 miles an hour. The road from the airport to Nuku'alofa, travel agencies ("abode of Love"), the capital, was riddled with potholes. All roads were terrible; the buildings were grim, too. Tongatapu Islanders personally were ordered and ordered but lived in a State of continuous disorder.
Nuku'alofa, travel agencies did not have any visible industry. Seemed dusty and down at heel. Even its singular building, the Royal Palace resembles nothing so much as a rural Christian Church, wood and white with a bulky belfry. In fact, Christianity came into full flower in Tonga with the approval of the monarchy.
Anything local manufacturing was for sale in Nuku'alofa, travel agencies except postage stamps. What money had came from Tongans remittances in Melanesia (my personal neologism New Zealand and Australia) - New Zealand in particular - and America, mainly in Hawaii, where worked as gardeners, car washers and tree trimmers Tongans.?
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