Tongan Take-aways : Walking Across Low Tide

October 20, 2012

Perhaps the coolest thing I have ever done occurred yesterday afternoon with my host brothers, Katy and Wren. We got to walk across the ocean about 100 yards out because the tide was so low. It was a spur of the moment adventure when our afternoon walk took us to an amazing beach at the perfect time. The Tongans were without sandals the whole time (walking across coral and through patches of sea grass that could have contained any number of weird animals or sharp objects) and they would stop periodically to pick up different sea creatures and eat the occasional ouster. I guess it is Tongan legend that sea horses used to live in the beach’s water so you would whistle to bring them forth so my host brothers would stand as far out as possible and whistle at the waves. The whole time we were out on the water eating different sea creatures the sun was setting and the sky was crazy colors. We found seaweed that were like little balls of salt and we (my host brothers) broke open this spiky sea creature, poured out its contents and then we ate some of the left over- it tasted like sandy sea food. As we were walking back in the dark with the only light being from Tonga’s cell phone, Koni and Tonga started catching the crabs running along the beach- Koni even started eating one after he pulled off its pinchers and broke of a leg or two. Unfortunately, we had to hike through the bush to get back; the bush at night is frightening. We step over crabs and walked through spider webs, the whole time listening to the bug chorus accompanied by the bats as their backup. Hiking through the bush at night was never an experience I ever thought I would be brave enough to do before the Peace Corps and now I am just thinking I wasn't man enough because i still had shoes on (unlike my host brothers).