SECRETS OF TONGA REVEALED - SwT 163 - Exploring the fascinating Kingdom of Tonga

After a pretty hard sail nonstop from Tahiti to Tonga it was really nice not only to see old friends again but also to have solid ground under my feet. The Kingdom of Tonga includes a total of 171 islands of which 45 are inhabitated. So it’s impossible to have strong opinions after barely touching the surface here. It’s always fascinating to meet new cultures and try to understand how things work. This stunning piece of paradise in the Pacific sure has some odd traditions seen through Western European eyes. Also had the pleasure of meeting Collin on Parley Revival and his friendly crew. And could even be racing them with BE FREE. However, I don’t race with BE FREE because it’s too expensive for me to have things destroyed, and my experience is “amateur regattas” are too dangerous with too high risk. It’s not like I call the other sailors amateurs, it’s the concept of racing I’m pointing at. I have been around for too long to take this kind of risk. It only takes one enthusiastic non experienced racer to make a fatal mistake and you have a crash, and this in a remote place. So like many other cruisers, I always say thank you for the invitation, but can’t afford it.
In Tonga some things are illegal that considered a human right and normal in other places, like who you love. Yet it is normal to raise their youngest son if they have no girls in the family to become a girl. This tradition ofcourse is interestingly seen with a tourist’s eyes. Also that all land is owned by the royal family only, meaning absolutely everyone is leasing the lot where their home or even business is built. From my point of view this could be one of the reasons it’s hard for Tonga to get fresh capital invested in building and developing. Also here the grocery stores are mainly run by Chinese people, similar to most of my pacific experience so far. It’s a mystery to me why its so many Chinese people dominating the small grocery stores, even in French territories. This is even the thing all the way from Panama. Not the big cities, but everywhere else. An here in Tonga the tension between the locals and the Chinese is even possible to feel as a tourist. I have nothing against Chinese people, I am only sharing my observations and experiences about how I see things.

Please be respectful and kind in your comments, we are only human beings. Ordinary people sharing our extraordinary life with you in good and bad.

Thank you so much for tagging along, and for the patrons helping to support making this video possible.
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Sailingwiththomas

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR WATCHING AND SUBSCRIBING!

You can also follow sailing with Thomas on other platforms for almost daily updated pics and videos, and even find yourself a new T-Shirt:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sailingwiththomas
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sailingwiththomas
Shop: https://sailingwiththomascom.wpcomstaging.com/shop/

ABOUT THIS CHANNEL:
Sailing around the world in a Bavaria 55 Cruiser, making videos whenever we have time for it.

Even though this is season 6 on YouTube I did not make that many videos in the beginning. Before full-time sailing, I sailed several seasons in the Mediterranean prior to, and obviously also in Scandinavia. I have been traveling the world before and have also been an active regatta sailor. I had my first sailboat at age 7 and have been sailing ever since. Also, more than 10 years of experience in Search and Rescue at sea in Norway.

PLEASE BE KIND IN THE COMMENTS!
I’m just a normal person sharing my travel adventure through my eyes and experience from my perspective! Remember how I do things that might work for me but not for you. It might even not be the correct way to do things, and I don’t have the blueprint either. I’m not perfect and nobody is. The day I believe I know it all and don’t think I can learn new things I should go ashore.