After church we spent a lazy day in the Tapana Harbor, said our good-byes to our new American friend, Larry, owner and resident of the Ark Gallery. We decided that since our favorite part of the trip has been the Tongan people and learning about their culture, we headed back to the main harbor to enjoy the Mother’s Day dinner we had been invited to at the Mango Restaurant. First, though, since the winds had finally laid down a bit we decided to make one last day stop at the beautiful island of Ovaku. Despite the winds having quieted, we were blown quite a bit at this tiny little island that was completely exposed to the trades. It was really beautiful, just what we envisioned a tropical island to look like and uninhabited other than a herd of goats who seemed quite fascinated by us. We made the stop a quick one as we had to be back in before dark so at 4:00 we headed back to Neiafu.
Mother's Day at the Mango was yummy and a treat for me as I did not have to cook. The staff had been invited to bring their moms for the evening - their first trip ever to a real restaurant! They were a friendly group and their kids (the staff) performed a routine to a Tongan song that closely resembles the American country hit "No Charge". If my sibs are following, they will appreciate that as our mother took great pleasure in often singing "for the 9 months I carried you growing inside me, no charge . . ." Although we didn't understand the words, the staff told us that the children were asking for money and the mom was reminding them of all she had already done for them. Somewhere in the heavens, my own mother was smiling down at the irony of this evening.
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