Tonga

“There is absolutely nothing going on in Tonga on a Sunday, and from what I saw, not much on any other days either. Unfortunately, I didn’t read the Lonely Planet introduction before my arrival: “Forget any notions of ‘fancy’ tourist service; everything here is authentic and subservient to religion. There’s nothing flash, no ‘Western comforts’, and everything can wait until tomorrow.” Of course, none of this would have bothered me if, for example, 1:) I could get something to eat on a Sunday (it was no thanks to Tonga that in the end, I didn’t go hungry) and 2:) if they could find some better way than writing an email to me on Saturday evening, in this country without internet, to tell me that my Monday morning flight had been rescheduled from 10 am to 6 am. 3:) If my ‘dear, sweet, beloved’ the telephone hadn’t chosen this precise country to one again play up on me (I don’t think Filipino LCD screens are the best quality, so now my new LCD screen was dying, just like the last one). Anyhow, I got the message at last and headed out to the airport at dawn on Monday morning. It was still dark, and the road to the airport wasn’t even illuminated. Confidence-inspiring. When I got there the airport still wasn’t open, though check-in should theoretically have started. Our flight, when we, at last, took off, held a grand total of five passengers, plus one stewardess and the two pilots. I was glad they switched the landing lights on because the runway can’t have been more than one kilometer long, right at the edge of the island. (2018)”

Destination in brief

Size: 747 km² (288.4 mi²)

Population (in 2020): 106,000

Capital city: Nuku'alofa

Official language: Tongan and English

Religions: 99% Christians (65% Protestant) 

Political system: hereditary constitutional monarchy - Tupou VI is the current king (2020)

Currency: Tongan paʻanga (TOP)

Average net monthly salary (in 2020): 770 USD

Most common surname: Latu

Climate

“I was there in January, which is the middle of summer, so it’s the hottest month. The average temperature is 28 degrees, and in the evening it doesn't go much below 22 degrees. Winter is, on average, 3 degrees ‘cooler.’ Temperatures warmer than 32 degrees or lower than 10 degrees have never been measured in the country, which appears very attractive at first glance. Here, however, there is a big BUT! It is as follows: the average humidity levels are is so high that they sap you of all energy. Especially if you’re a northern type like me. In practice, this meant that after the first shower my towel never dried out, and I had to change my soaked clothes several times a day. A fair question might be, why didn’t I wash my clothes? Well, it would have cost about ten dollars in the hostel for washing and drying one (!) batch of clothes. No thanks.” (2017)