Tonga and Home
Well... paradise is nice ...but home is best!
After six months of travelling...overspending of budget, and hearing that Bobs Mum was going into hospital for further treatment on her leg....we wanted to be home.
It doesn't matter where you are, how beautiful it is..if you want to be home thats all that matters.
Unfortunately we were in our most remote spot, as far from Scotland as I think it is possible to be...save perhaps the South Pole. Remember we are in a beach hut on a remote island with no electricity!.....but amazingly with mobile phone reception!...so managed to find out that yes there is a plane to Samoa ( " you have to stick to the same route you planned for the rtw ticket but can change the dates") a week earlier and yes there are seats available ...and yes there is a flight from this island on the same day which connects...Hurrah!....so we just need to ask Kalafi to phone his son to pick us up to get the boat ride back to the main island where the airport is.....well 'airport' is bit grand ...airstrip rather.....where they have to stop the traffic crossing the runway, as its the main road down the island, when the plane is arriving or leaving!..and the ground staff...have to interrupt their game of Ping Pong using the round orange bat things that they direc the plane with...as table tennis bats!.......BUT ...sorry there is only one seat on the plane...its only the 6 seater thats flying that day!.....after speaking with the pilot the lady I was speaking with said .." you can turn up at the airstip one hour before the flight and speak with the pilot who may agree to let you on...it just depends on the size of the passengers and amount of luggage....no guarantees...no children booked on the flight...so all adults" Tongans are big!....what chances do we have of getting on?
Our connecting flight to Samoa only runs once a week!...and then our first and only connecting flight to Fiji from Samoa after that is 4 days later!
Decided we needed to go and hope for the best. So we got Kalafi's sons boat off the U'olava on to the main island of the Ha'api group and spent our extra few hours waiting in 'Mariners' agreat cafe run by Magda originally from Poland and her South African Partner. Its the only cafe/place to eat/drink on this 'mainland'. ...and it has internet access.
Then my phone rings.."Mr Murray?" ( as he was 'booked' on the last seat on the plane) ..."yes his wife"...sorry the Ha'api plane today is cancelled!...we can get you on tomorrows flight......that flight which doesn't connect with the flight leaving today for Samoa and the next one being in a weeks time!.....OH OH OH!
Magda was great ...I was phoning the travel agent in Nukalofa ( main town, main island) to see what was possible re the round the world ticket...and Magda was trying to look at alternatives on the internet. The travel agent then called back after an hour and said " sorry we can't organise your rtw ticket changes as we are not Quantas! "...but they are Air Pacific...a company of Quantas and whom some of our flights are with!!!! .."There is a Quantas office in Samoa and Fiji you can go to when you get there"...by this time Magda had found out that a flight to Fiji might be a possibility so I asked for the number for the Quantas office in Fiji. I topped up my phone at Magdas. What a marvelous place...in the middle of nowhere, population of around 200 for the whole island...houses barely shacks, pigs and chickens running around everywhere,...and she can top up my mobile phone ..which works...and sort out stuff on the internet!....at home I barely have dial up internet..and my mobile phone doesn't work!
I phoned Quantas in Fiji...and found 'Margaret'...what a fantastic person she was...a whirlwind, sorting everything out checking and co-ordinating everything as I just listned in amazement at how brilliantly efficient she was in managing to get us home...." and of course I can change not only the dates but destinations of all your flights...at only the re-arrangement fee $50 each. " Wow!...she called back and within 30 mins had sorted everything re-issued our tickets and e-mailed them to me and I was able to print them out on Magdas printer!
I had my first gin and tonic! ..bob had a beer to celebrate.
We had three more nights in Tonga, flew to Nukalofa the next day and enjoyed a lovely day on a day-trip to Pangamoto..a quiet island off Nukalofa where we swam, snorkled and ate amazing food western ..(Tongan diet is heavy root vegetables...cassava, sweet potato ...sometimes rice and fish..*).. and chatted with Barbara...from Hawai...
* We did have a traditional South Pacific meal...called something slightly different in all the different islands...its raw fish marinated in lemon with raw onions and coconut milk.....ours was slightly 'westernised' with the addition of chilli,green pepper and peaches....served cold ( as oppose to' isolated island with no electricity' warm, with fried breadfruit...delish.
We flew from Tonga to Fiji on Friday..overnight in Fiji...in a posh hotel!...It was soo good to be in a clean modern place with air con and where everything worked....and the shower was hot, clear water ( as oppose to cold and brownish) and the hose stayed on the wall!
Saturday morning flight from Fiji to Sydney to Bangcock ( no problems at airport), Heathrow then Edingburgh. Missed the BA strike chaos by one day , and the volcanic ash... It was great to be greeted at the airport by our dearest friend Caroline who took us to get the train and Mum and Dad picked us up at Leuchars at 3.00 Sunday 24th May.
So we're home...and happy to be home. We've had an absolutely fantastic trip, so lucky to have been able to enjoy all these amazing countries and great experiences....that will be with us forever. It also helped us enjoy our trip away to hear from all of you from home, and to be able to skype with our family...so thank you all so much for keeping in touch.

Also thanks to everyone who gave us lovely travel gadgets...mossie nets, pillows, notebooks,travel towels, paints, sarongs etc...all used.

And thanks to Mary and Morag for angels which worked!

As you may know Bob has retired from Adam Smith and is now a free agent. His round the world sketch book is filled with amazing ideas for furniture and other gadgets which he will be working on over the next few months.....commissions taken! ...and I have another six months of freedom to enjoy..and hopefully improve my ceramic skills.

Looking forward to seeing you all over the next few weeks and boring you some more with our tales!...and catching up with your news.

I may keep this blog going ...so pop in every so often for Crail adventures.....or e-mail [email protected] or phone 01333 450655

Lots and lots of love to everyone.
Heather and Bob....aka intrepid travellers inc.!