No time to blog at the moment, or for the next 10 days looking at my diary! Thought I'd post a few photos in the meantime. Eric and I have just spent 4 days in paradise!!
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
Fafa Island Holiday
7am Apa Fale, Fafa Island Resort, Kingdom of Tonga (that's just above the Tropic on Capricorn in the Pacific Ocean).
I'm lounging on a swing seat on the large covered deck of our fale. A small lawn, well tufts of greenery poking up through sand that is our garden, our hammock (swung between 2 coconut trees of course), green shrubbery sheltering us from the othe 12 fales on the island. Beyond the shrubbery, and immediately in front of me, blue sea and blue skies. There are pretty flax like grasses bordering the deck in deep pinks, almost wine red, and pale greens and yellows. Sun loungers and displays of shells around the base of tree trunks, one string of shells even hanging, can you believe it, with baler twine, from the hammock. Idyllic, yes until I tell you that among the chirping of various words there is the constant roar, no too strong a word, rush, of the wind. It has been blowing for 2 nights and 1 day now and has bought some huge but short nighttime downpours. The skies look less threatening this morning and I am hopeful that we shall see some more sun today. (OK so when I said blue skies I meant grey/blue). Eric and I are here as a belated treat to ourselves to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary. Our first holiday in 15 years without children. I don't think H and A quite believed us when we told them what we were doing!!
Fafa is Tonga's only luxury resort. A 5 hecare island a 30 minute boat ride north of the capital Nukuo'lofa. Close your eyes picture paradise, that's Fafa. Except that my minds eye of paradise has huge beaches and Fafa doesn't as at high tide the water comes right up to the shrubbery, 10' from our deck. On our second night Eric was woken by a huge jolt, a 5.6 earthquake. In the event of a subsequent tsunami we would have nowhere to go. On discussing this with an Aussie later we concluded that the best thing would be to head out to sea on a kayak as that would probably be the safest place!
On Fafa there are no phones, computers, cars, clocks, TV, radio, concrete or bricks. Our Fale (house) is constructed in true polynesian style with the pillars fashioned from cocnut tree trunks and the walls are basically weaved matting from, I am guessing, coconut tree palms. The decking and joists are imported radiata pine. Much of the 'walls' are bi-fold doors which we keep open day and night. The huge beds, one up on a mezzanine floor, have enormous canopies which drop down to act as mossie nets at night. The bathroom is a sight to behold. There is a covered deck that runs along the back of the fala that is open to the back garden (the back being inland from the sea which I would normally consider the front). The back garden is surrounded by a wooden fence about 5' high but the deck is raised so when you are standing on it you can see over the fence. This is the bathroom!! A shower at one end, with drop down matting on 2 sides for privacy from passers by, in the middle 2 sinks and an enormous mirror and to the other end a toilet. I love it! No worry about smells, especially in this wind!
So what do we do all day? Well we've been busy. The big decisions we have to make each day; beef or fish for dinner, play cards or read, which book to read next and where to read; the beach, the hammock or sun loungers in the garden, the swing seat or the table on the deck, the island's library or one of the beds, one downstairs or one up in the loft (I won't tell you what Eric calls that). Yesterday Eric spent about 4 hours getting into a coconut with his penknife. The result was well worth it. Cocktails containing coconut milk are served straight from the coconut here. They hack the top off, slice a bit of the base to make the cocnut stand up then add the other ingredients and ice to the coconut milk. Our favourite is the Fafa Island Special; vodka, grand marnier, pinapple juice and coconut milk. We plan to work on the ratios when we get home!! Drinks here are very expensive. We were forwarned and bought our own GnT. As I said, we have minimal technology here. Eric's cellphone is supposed to have roaming so should work but doesn't. (We took the boat to Nukuo'lofa yesterday afternoon to see if reception would be better there but no. I was hoping to send the girls a text. It feels very odd being completely cut off from them. (Eric is reading my notes out so I can type quicker and said "It is odd being completely cut off from them, but very pleasant" I looked at him startled saying "I didn't say that"!!). We have been discussing if they would like it here and initially I thought yes but since have decided probably not. I think they's be OK for a few hours but then the novelty would wear off.
I'm lounging on a swing seat on the large covered deck of our fale. A small lawn, well tufts of greenery poking up through sand that is our garden, our hammock (swung between 2 coconut trees of course), green shrubbery sheltering us from the othe 12 fales on the island. Beyond the shrubbery, and immediately in front of me, blue sea and blue skies. There are pretty flax like grasses bordering the deck in deep pinks, almost wine red, and pale greens and yellows. Sun loungers and displays of shells around the base of tree trunks, one string of shells even hanging, can you believe it, with baler twine, from the hammock. Idyllic, yes until I tell you that among the chirping of various words there is the constant roar, no too strong a word, rush, of the wind. It has been blowing for 2 nights and 1 day now and has bought some huge but short nighttime downpours. The skies look less threatening this morning and I am hopeful that we shall see some more sun today. (OK so when I said blue skies I meant grey/blue). Eric and I are here as a belated treat to ourselves to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary. Our first holiday in 15 years without children. I don't think H and A quite believed us when we told them what we were doing!!
Fafa is Tonga's only luxury resort. A 5 hecare island a 30 minute boat ride north of the capital Nukuo'lofa. Close your eyes picture paradise, that's Fafa. Except that my minds eye of paradise has huge beaches and Fafa doesn't as at high tide the water comes right up to the shrubbery, 10' from our deck. On our second night Eric was woken by a huge jolt, a 5.6 earthquake. In the event of a subsequent tsunami we would have nowhere to go. On discussing this with an Aussie later we concluded that the best thing would be to head out to sea on a kayak as that would probably be the safest place!
On Fafa there are no phones, computers, cars, clocks, TV, radio, concrete or bricks. Our Fale (house) is constructed in true polynesian style with the pillars fashioned from cocnut tree trunks and the walls are basically weaved matting from, I am guessing, coconut tree palms. The decking and joists are imported radiata pine. Much of the 'walls' are bi-fold doors which we keep open day and night. The huge beds, one up on a mezzanine floor, have enormous canopies which drop down to act as mossie nets at night. The bathroom is a sight to behold. There is a covered deck that runs along the back of the fala that is open to the back garden (the back being inland from the sea which I would normally consider the front). The back garden is surrounded by a wooden fence about 5' high but the deck is raised so when you are standing on it you can see over the fence. This is the bathroom!! A shower at one end, with drop down matting on 2 sides for privacy from passers by, in the middle 2 sinks and an enormous mirror and to the other end a toilet. I love it! No worry about smells, especially in this wind!
So what do we do all day? Well we've been busy. The big decisions we have to make each day; beef or fish for dinner, play cards or read, which book to read next and where to read; the beach, the hammock or sun loungers in the garden, the swing seat or the table on the deck, the island's library or one of the beds, one downstairs or one up in the loft (I won't tell you what Eric calls that). Yesterday Eric spent about 4 hours getting into a coconut with his penknife. The result was well worth it. Cocktails containing coconut milk are served straight from the coconut here. They hack the top off, slice a bit of the base to make the cocnut stand up then add the other ingredients and ice to the coconut milk. Our favourite is the Fafa Island Special; vodka, grand marnier, pinapple juice and coconut milk. We plan to work on the ratios when we get home!! Drinks here are very expensive. We were forwarned and bought our own GnT. As I said, we have minimal technology here. Eric's cellphone is supposed to have roaming so should work but doesn't. (We took the boat to Nukuo'lofa yesterday afternoon to see if reception would be better there but no. I was hoping to send the girls a text. It feels very odd being completely cut off from them. (Eric is reading my notes out so I can type quicker and said "It is odd being completely cut off from them, but very pleasant" I looked at him startled saying "I didn't say that"!!). We have been discussing if they would like it here and initially I thought yes but since have decided probably not. I think they's be OK for a few hours but then the novelty would wear off.
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