Suitcase Photography
Travel and Portrait photography and stories.
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Tonga
Continuing on with the Pacific theme, this time it's Tonga. The first humpback whale of the season has arrived. On the day of arrival it will be a beautiful 25 degrees and sunny. A few days at a resort then city exploration.
Once, in London, many years ago I ended up late one night in a small casino with the King of Tonga. A little place it was, just off the Strand. Felt even small once the King came in. Brought his own chair, he was so big. Cleaned him out on the baccarat table, but pressure was brought to bear and HM Government ended up squaring his ledger, so to speak.
Ahh, you and Casinos and with the King of Tonga, a real Casino Royale :-) I was watching Skyfall on the plane to Auckland, seen it before, but very enjoyable. After several days at the resort, tomorrow we shift to the International Dateline Hotel in the city, run by the Government apparently. Will check out the Royal Tombs and the markets are always a good spot for news. Whilst at the blowholes yesterday, a couple of locals came to talk to us and told us all about the secrets of the Coconut tree, plus we came across an old abandoned 'night club', with a car suspiciously parked inside. Looked like a great lair for Odd Job.
Blowholes, hey? I could talk forever about the blowhards I used to know at the old FCO. Talk, talk, talk; they could bore for England. But send one out into the field, drop them behind enemy lines, give them some wet work on behalf of Johnny Foreigner and they fall to pieces. Next thing you know I find myself in some vile pensione on the Austro-Czech border paying an 80-year-old peasant with a voice like a vice and a cough like sandpaper to get me under the line so I can bring out Sir Barrington Hemmingsworth-Smyther or whatever this one calls himself. Let him rot in a communist gulag, I say.
Those folks involved with Argo must have borrowed some tricks from you eh Bond? But more of interest I cam across a Britannic anchor in Nuku'alofa. See the usual debrief photos. I thought it was the anhcor of the Britannic but apparently the 'Improved Britannic Achor' was not from the Britannic. Although with all the rumours about the Britannic who knows? A lot of Chinese in Nuku'alofa too, photographing a New Zealand ship from afar, supplying aid to fix the roads but bringing in all their own workers to do so. Seeking a bit of a monopoly on the shops too. Did Tupou ever tell you about some of his schemes? Drilling for oil, for example? And of course Bogdonoff. He rings a bell, I'm sure you crossed pathes with him at some stage.
I've crossed paths with everyone at some stage. Bogdonoff. Logdonoff. Strogonoff. I've met them all. One time in Macau I had a run in with a chap called Piotyr Illyich Stolinoff. In a little bar down by the old Inner Harbour. Not that it's there anymore. Chap approached me at the bar, said he had some merchandise I might be interested in. Told the fellow in no uncertain terms I wasn't and went back to my drink. He was waiting for me three hours later when I came out, young Macanese girl on my arm, preparing to stagger back to my hotel. You can imagine the fuss. There's nothing to sober you up like tracer rounds thudding into the girl you've picked up for the night. Luckily she was enough of a distraction for me to take out Stolinoff and his three accomplices. Never found out what his 'merchandise' was. Sad for the girl, of course. Wish I could remember her name ...
Ahh Sir Roger, when you not without a beautiful girl on your arm? I was contemplating a visit to Macau the other day but what with 'work' sending me off to Sweden in the next few months, I have had to put the next adventure on hold and might crib a few days in perhaps Latvia, Lithuania or Luxembourg. Macau is still a possibility with a Hong Kong stop on the way, but I suspect I won't be seeing the current King of Tonga in the Casinos. Might pop over to Melb for a look at Kong Kong though, apparently that's very spectacular.
Once, in London, many years ago I ended up late one night in a small casino with the King of Tonga. A little place it was, just off the Strand. Felt even small once the King came in. Brought his own chair, he was so big. Cleaned him out on the baccarat table, but pressure was brought to bear and HM Government ended up squaring his ledger, so to speak.
ReplyDeleteAhh, you and Casinos and with the King of Tonga, a real Casino Royale :-) I was watching Skyfall on the plane to Auckland, seen it before, but very enjoyable. After several days at the resort, tomorrow we shift to the International Dateline Hotel in the city, run by the Government apparently. Will check out the Royal Tombs and the markets are always a good spot for news. Whilst at the blowholes yesterday, a couple of locals came to talk to us and told us all about the secrets of the Coconut tree, plus we came across an old abandoned 'night club', with a car suspiciously parked inside. Looked like a great lair for Odd Job.
ReplyDeleteBlowholes, hey? I could talk forever about the blowhards I used to know at the old FCO. Talk, talk, talk; they could bore for England. But send one out into the field, drop them behind enemy lines, give them some wet work on behalf of Johnny Foreigner and they fall to pieces. Next thing you know I find myself in some vile pensione on the Austro-Czech border paying an 80-year-old peasant with a voice like a vice and a cough like sandpaper to get me under the line so I can bring out Sir Barrington Hemmingsworth-Smyther or whatever this one calls himself. Let him rot in a communist gulag, I say.
ReplyDeleteThose folks involved with Argo must have borrowed some tricks from you eh Bond? But more of interest I cam across a Britannic anchor in Nuku'alofa. See the usual debrief photos. I thought it was the anhcor of the Britannic but apparently the 'Improved Britannic Achor' was not from the Britannic. Although with all the rumours about the Britannic who knows? A lot of Chinese in Nuku'alofa too, photographing a New Zealand ship from afar, supplying aid to fix the roads but bringing in all their own workers to do so. Seeking a bit of a monopoly on the shops too. Did Tupou ever tell you about some of his schemes? Drilling for oil, for example? And of course Bogdonoff. He rings a bell, I'm sure you crossed pathes with him at some stage.
ReplyDeleteI've crossed paths with everyone at some stage. Bogdonoff. Logdonoff. Strogonoff. I've met them all. One time in Macau I had a run in with a chap called Piotyr Illyich Stolinoff. In a little bar down by the old Inner Harbour. Not that it's there anymore. Chap approached me at the bar, said he had some merchandise I might be interested in. Told the fellow in no uncertain terms I wasn't and went back to my drink. He was waiting for me three hours later when I came out, young Macanese girl on my arm, preparing to stagger back to my hotel. You can imagine the fuss. There's nothing to sober you up like tracer rounds thudding into the girl you've picked up for the night. Luckily she was enough of a distraction for me to take out Stolinoff and his three accomplices. Never found out what his 'merchandise' was. Sad for the girl, of course. Wish I could remember her name ...
ReplyDeleteAhh Sir Roger, when you not without a beautiful girl on your arm? I was contemplating a visit to Macau the other day but what with 'work' sending me off to Sweden in the next few months, I have had to put the next adventure on hold and might crib a few days in perhaps Latvia, Lithuania or Luxembourg. Macau is still a possibility with a Hong Kong stop on the way, but I suspect I won't be seeing the current King of Tonga in the Casinos. Might pop over to Melb for a look at Kong Kong though, apparently that's very spectacular.
ReplyDelete