Tonga

Saturday, February 23, 2019

Well, as I woke up this morning, I’m still in pain. I had purchased a shore excursion to see the sights of Tonga this morning (I learned from my Bora Bora experience) but when the time came to get out of bed and get on with it, I had great difficulty raising myself up from the mattress. Once I was on my feet, I walked around the stateroom a few times to try to measure how I might fare on the excursion. Ultimately, and with great disappointment, I elected to not go. I really didn’t think I could stand any jarring motion as that is the kind of thing that really aggravates my condition.

So, I went back to bed.

A few hours later, I managed to get back out of bed and took a long hot shower. I let the water beat down on the epicenter of my injury for many minutes. In the end, I must confess that I felt somewhat better. I got dressed and went out to the Lido deck to, at least, get a glimpse of Tonga.

I have had a relationship with Tonga for many years. If you look at my email address, it ends in “ifyouwant.to”. The “.to” part of that email address stands for Tonga and it has been because this island nation offered the world access to their Top Level Domain that I could acquire an email address that gathers so many nice comments.

From the Lido deck, aft, I could see that Tonga, unlike Bora Bora, is a very flat place. I could see no mountains. (In Bora Bora, I could see no flat places!) Actually, the view reminded me very much of my visits to Florida.

Tonga is a country made up of islands. 169 islands, to be exact. Some of those islands could be seen lying just offshore of Nuku’alofa (which is the capital of the country.)

From where I was perched on the open-air deck, I could also see that the Tongans had set up a little marketplace on the pier just outside of the ship’s gangway. I decided right then and there that I was not going to come this far and not touch Tongan soil, back pain be damned! So I went down to, at least, take a look at what the vendors were selling and maybe pick up a souvenir.

The impromptu marketplace was strung out along the pier for what I would presume was the length of a city block. The vendors had created little “tents” out of collapsible awnings. Inside those “tents” could be found a variety of handicrafts. The were some beautiful animals carved from wood, some shell jewelry, and lots of the ever-present t-shirts.

I walked to the end of the pier, and then tried to walk into town, but after just a couple of blocks I decided that I was pushing the limits of my aching back. Maybe it would not serve me well to put too much stress on those muscles that were, only an hour ago, just starting to show some signs of healing.

So, I turned around and headed back toward the ship. On this pass, however, I decided to do some serious shopping and find something to help me remember this place and this day and how great it is to be on this trip of a lifetime. And, I found a souvenir that I think will serve me well for years to come. What do you think?

Coming back aboard the Amsterdam, I took a moment to consider some of the other passengers that I saw around me, many of whom were using walkers, canes, and even those “Hoveround” scooter things. Today was my first walk-around in several days, but I was out on the pier today enjoying my recovery. I may recover quickly, or it might take a few days more. In either case, I used that moment to focus on my good fortune. I am so lucky to be as spry as I am (though my spryness is suffering just a bit at the moment) and to know that my temporary disability is just that: temporary. So many others around me will never recover from their disabilities, may God bless them. I have flirted with not being able to walk around properly, and I don’t like it. I may yet face a more permanent disability but for now I feel that I can look trouble in the face and say, “Not today!”

After returning to the ship, I went back out to the Lido deck, aft (also known as the Ocean View Lounge) ands enjoyed a couple of Anchor Brewery’s Liberty Ales and enjoyed the tropical warmth.

I didn’t get to do what I set out to do today, but it was a very good day, nonetheless! My “shore excursion” was very brief but I found a souvenir, chatted with the locals, gave thanks for my improving physical condition, and focused on being in this glorious moment.

Not such a bad day, eh?