In preparation for my show atPS122, The Jester of Tonga, I am posting the missives that I sent from Tonga to the people who helped me get there. I went to Tonga to find out what real Tongans were like, as the only information I really had was disparaging comments from news articles and historical sources. I met some really great Tongans, as you will see...

I will try to post a new day of my missives every day until the opening of the show on Thursday, November 13th...

DAY ONE:

Hello everyone,

I am presently sitting in a Hotel porch in Tonga. It is hot and muggy, and I have yet to really see anything as I arrived at night and just grabbed a Taxi and headed to a hotel thingy. I have my own room, Toiletries shared down the way. $30 Tongan a night, $15 US, Which is actually expensive, but since I had no preset plans I took what I could get. I am planning on writing just daily notes and sending them off to those who helped get me here and to others who may be interested. I am not sure if I have everyone who helped out on the list, so if Sarah, Erin, or anyone else who knows of someone I am missing please let me know so I can include them in future emails. I am going to write something daily if possible, but don't know how easy it will be to access the net, so you guys might get these in clumps.

I arrived just at sunset. The main island of Tonga is so small that I could see the entire thing from the window of the plane. We landed at the main airport, which is one runway and a building without walls, really. It seemed like the local place to hang out, because even though we were the only plane, the airport was crowded with folks, and the observation deck was a solid wall of people there to just watch the plane land. The Immigration signs were hand painted with misspellings. I hoped to find a cash machine and a place to log on to the internet to see if any of the Tongans I had been emailing had responded. Found a cash machine, no web. So I went to the tourist office, and she randomly chose a place for me to stay. The Tongan language seems similar to me to the Maori we were hearing in New Zealand, though I haven't heard enough to really know. "Marlow E Lay Lay" is hello and welcome. That is as far as I have gotten. Got to the Hotel. The drive reminded me of Liberia, in that there are no lights but car lights and the occasional open air general stores that we would pass. Got my room, and walked out to an Indian Restaurant we passed on the way. Sat under the one blaring fluorescent light they had in the Restaurant and had fish curry, garlic naan and a salad that consisted of a sliced raw onion, a sliced unripe tomato, and something akin to a cucumber. Tried the Royal Tongan Beer that was cloudy and sweet, so I switched to VB. The meal was $30 ($15) and the waitress giggled while serving me, her only customer. There are dogs that all seem friendly roaming everywhere, and the cats are thin and short haired like Marianne's Victor. I am wearing my striped socks pulled up to my knees because of the mosquitos. Cicadas and crickets are providing the constant drone everywhere. Socializing seems to be gathering in semi dark communal buildings sitting on the ground, or riding around in the back of trucks.
UB40 plays here tomorrow night and I think I am four blocks from the stadium. Aside from having no interest in seeing the band, I believe I should go, since this is the biggest band to play in Tonga ever.
Ever. And it should be quite the social event, even though it is happening on a Wednesday. So I will let you know how it goes there. Right now I think I will sip a little more Duty Free Laphroaig then hit the hot, humid bed.
Kisses

Stubbs Silovsky