Dig that Icelandic station, huh? It's totally a super good one. Maybe even one of our favorites!
OK, we've had enough of this 5° F windchill, let's head back to Polynesia and visit Tonga today!
yup, those tiny green dots!
Known as "The Friendly Islands" Tonga was the only Polynesian kingdom to resist colonial pressures during that era and remain independent. It did allow itself to become a British protectorate in 1900, and then joined the Commonwealth of Nations in 1970. They've held onto their monarchy all along, though, and take great pride in that fact. They are currently transitioning to a constitutional monarchy. Their first elections were held earlier this year.
oh hey King George Topou V and PM Feleti Sevele. what's up? y'all look like fun!
OK, with the boring stuff out of the way, we can get on with the trivia! You'll rarely see folks skimpily dressed in Tonga as it's against the law. Even when swimming, folks keep their shirts on. Weird, huh? We think that's totally counterproductive to the cooling principles of swimming. Also, Tongan women are supposed to be really good jugglers. That's a nice talent to be expected to have. Tongans also play "lafo", which is a miniature version of shuffleboard played with seeds. The international date line loops around the islands, so foreigners are often a bit discombobulated as to what day it actually is. Also, guns are illegal and the national rugby team does a war dance before each match, which is a totally rad thing to do. You can see them (Red) dance off against the New Zealand team (Black) here:
This station has just a short little playlist for us, so feel free to bump back over to one of our previous stations when it's completed. We suggest Lebanon and Oman! Even though it won't be long, we will get a nice little auditory glimpse of Tongan music. We're so excited about our subtropical escape to the capital city of Nuku´alofa!
Obviously, pick the Tongan-Only-Music channel.
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