Tonga!

After three flights (which I mostly slept through) and a lot of sitting in airports, I have finally arrived in Tonga, marking my last week of adventure and the journey homeward bound after some incredible adventures in the US and Haiti, feeling alive, inspired and deeply, humbly blessed. (I will be posting more stories about my Haiti experience soon..)

Always in tune, these were the final words of wisdom I received on departing Los Angeles airport:

Now in Tonga, I am staying the night in Nuku’alofa with an old friend from high school whom I haven’t seen for maybe 10 years, who has been working with AusAid in Tonga for the last two and a half years.

Never far from inspiration, my friend took me to a little craft market – a locally run arts initiative On The Spot. (Yes, please check out their page!)

It again reaffirmed for me the power of inspiration, initiative and collective action to make the world just that more beautiful… They had just got the electricity connected and the lights working of their little wooden building, showcasing and selling contemporary local arts and craft, driven purely by passion and a love for creativity. A reminder that even the smallest things, done with the greatest love, can make the hugest difference.

And now for the whales… my purpose here in Tonga is to experience freediving and swimming with the humpback whales that come here every year to calve, to feel the majesty of their presence, their wisdom, and their song, which weaves together the world’s oceans. Two of my yoga students, a wonderful couple Ally and Erez, run freediving and whale-swimming retreats on the tiny island of Iouleva, based out of a gorgeous little eco-resort Serenity Resort (www.whale-encounters.com).

I love so much how when certain things are meant to come into your life, they come in from all angles… in this case, it seems like ocean and whale energy is all around me… this is a millions of years-old fossilised ear bone of a whale that Susan Harper brought as part of our ‘ancestors altar’ at the Continuum retreat:

So the story keeps unfolding… whales, ocean, fluid motion, creativity and social connection… in absolute gratitude…

xox Mei Lai