Travel to tonga
The kingdom of Tonga is perched just east of the international date line: when it’s a fun-packed Saturday at the beach in Samoa, it’s already time for Sunday prayers in Tonga. Thus it’s said, most often by the island’s tourism industry, that Tonga is ‘the place where time begins’. Others, perhaps observing the pace of local life, call it the place where time stands still. Both statements are true in a way, as Tonga is an eclectic country where ancient traditions sit alongside the latest offerings of modern life. Tongans avidly devour DVDs and download the latest hip-hop or international news and opinion from the Internet, but they also still resolve difficult issues the traditional way, around a bowl of kava, and many still weave, and wear, traditional mats.