New Blogger

Well, I'm going to give this a try but as I've never used a blog before it may be like my first try at video....a mess. Anyway, I am sitting at a local internet cafe. It is 1:30 pm. on Monday here in Tonga and 6:30 pm. yesterday back in my hometown in Canada. 27 degrees here, probably 8 degrees back there. It will be a strange Christmas for me this year but I am planning to spend 3 days over Christmas at a local resort where I'll be able to swim in a bathing suit...the locals here swim in their clothes.

I find that to be rather odd since they are so modest in dress but the dancers wear traditional garb...grass skirts, coconut shell bras, etc. When the missionaries first arrived here about 150 years ago the natives wore apparel which was suited to the climate. However, since this was judged indecent by the Christian missionaries they were forced to cover up and now, 150 years later the older women mostly go around in long black skirts, long sleeved shirts, etc. Shorts are seen only on the "plangi" tourists and sleeveless shirts or God Forbid, tank tops are rarely seen.

So swimsuits are obviously not acceptable and can be worn only at the resorts where the palangis gather.