| Other Places | | Travel Guides |  |
| Don't Just Visit...Experience |
Product Information
Pages: 234
Published: July 2011
ISBN: 978-0982261941
Dimensions: 8 x 5 x .6
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Tonga (Other Places Travel Guide) | |
| Kate Asleson (with Steve Hunsicker, Jason Schneider and Shawn Quast) | ||
| "I very much appreciate the direct practical information for what to see, hidden gems, activities and places to stay and eat. I loved the description of the culture and history as well as how to best interact and understand the people of Tonga." | ||
| - Rhonda Myrmel, Acutual customer | ||
Now Available on Amazon.com! Also find it at Amazon.co.uk |
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- Overview
- Reviews
Time begins and then stands still in the Kingdom of Tonga, an archipelago nation of 177 coral and volcanic islands scattered through the South Pacific just west of the International Dateline. It is a proud nation of long-standing culture, deserted sandy beaches, and reefs teeming with exotic marine life. Tonga is still undiscovered in the tourism realm, there are no franchise restaurants or hotels but in exchange you get a real Polynesian experience. Each island group in Tonga flaunts unique attractions; from hiking in rainforests, swimming with humpback whales, enjoying international cuisines in the city, or just relaxing on pristine sandy beaches, you’ll find something to suit your style.
Kate brings the best of Tonga to this comprehensive guidebook, with years of experience living in the Friendly Islands as a volunteer. She’ll take you through cultural norms such as the eyebrow flick and greeting sniff, explain the curious clothing fashions, help you find unexplored attractions, and recommend world class diving/snorkeling where new reef systems and wreck dives are continuously being uncovered. After reading this guidebook you’ll be ready to discover the hidden gem that is Tonga.
Most current and comprehensive best travel guide of Tonga
I have been to Tonga and am familiar with the country. This guide was the most comprehensive and complete current information on the country. I very much appreciate the direct practical information for what to see, hidden gems, activities and places to stay and eat. I loved the description of the culture and history as well as how to best interact and understand the people of Tonga. The blogs and stories of the peace corps experiences were fun to read and gave a great flavor for the country and personal touch to the land. The author is actually Kate Asleson as the primary contributor so please list her as the author. I would highly recommend this book and would place it at the forefront for products with Tongan travel. Other books are no where near the depth and expertise of this book. It would be the best tool possible for anyone traveling to Tonga. The descriptions on each island group gave great suggestions on what to see and do and really wets your appetite to go back and experience what I have missed on my first trip. I believe these are islands that are incredibly beautiful, have some of the best reefs and sealife to experience equal to the Great Barrier Reef and the travel remains pure and not commercialized, a rare thing to find these days. GO TONGA!
- Rhonda Myrmel, Amazon.com review
Informative, Personal, and Fascinating!
An easy and enticing read. Filled with great information and advice for travel along with customs to follow or be aware of or simply fun facts.
Loved the recommendations and photos in the book. An interesting novel of the country filled with a personal touch that made it a great read even if your not traveling to Tonga (but it will make you want to!)
I would defintaley recommend it to ALL who plan on venturing to Tonga now or in the future, or those who like to understand our world just a little better, or anyone planning on moving to another country/joining the peace corps.
- Adam Godfrey , Amazon.com review
About the Author
Kate Asleson
Kate grew up in Minnesota, and quickly developed a love for travel thanks to all the long road trips with her family. She studied abroad in Australia, backpacked through Europe, studied tropical biology in Central America, explored the hutongs in Beijing, and drove around New Zealand in a packed campervan. Before joining the Peace Corps, Kate worked at a large advertising agency for three years. But after staying still for a few years the travel itch took over. So Kate and her husband ended up living on a small island 6 miles long in the South Pacific nation of Tonga with the Peace Corps, from 2008 – 2010. In Tonga she immersed herself in the culture, learned to cook from scratch, and made lifelong friends. Kate now works as a freelance advertising professional and writer, still taking every chance she gets to travel.
Steve Hunsicker
Steve Hunsicker is the South Florida based recruiter for Peace Corps. Steve was a Peace Volunteer in the Kingdom of Tonga from 2007 to 2009 where he worked to help small business owners. Each week during his Peace Corps service, Steve wrote stories about his adventures that are posted at blog.stevesadventure.com. Before volunteering with the Peace Corps, Steve spent 23 years in Television News, including 15 years with Freedom Communications where he was most recently the Executive News Director for WPEC CBS 12, in West Palm Beach, Florida. Steve is an avid SCUBA diver and enjoys volunteering with the United Way. He is a graduate of West Virginia University.
Jason Schneider
Jason currently lives in Marquette, Michigan where he serves as a city commissioner and manages an online retail business. He served in Peace Corps Tonga from 2007 to 2009 as a business and organizational development volunteer in ‘Eua where he shared his time assisting the tourism businesses to build their infrastructure, organizing youth development programs and occasionally teaching in the neighboring kindergarten. Jason grew up in California and moved to Michigan in ’96. He had traveled extensively for both work and school and decided that after a number of years staying put in small town Midwest it was time to go for a while, and ended up in ‘Eua exploring it enough to help out with this guide.
Shawn Quast
Shawn was born and raised in the Midwestern United States spending most of his time around the Great Lakes of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Chicago. Tired of wearing a suit to work every day, and in a bid to satisfy his hunger for travel, adventure, and helping those in need, he joined the United States Peace Corps. He was posted in the remote South Pacific island nation of the Kingdom of Tonga. It is here that he traded his suit and leather shoes for a skirt and flip flops, and went from rigid skyscrapers and sub-zero snowstorms to sandy beaches and swaying palm trees. He spent two months living with a local family in the village of Leimatua in Vava'u learning the language and culture before moving to Nuku'alofa to spend the next two years working as a business development volunteer. His main project was working with local fisherman to develop their business skills and had various secondary projects, from helping with marketing at a local resort to teaching tennis at a high school. It is also here where he met his girlfriend and fellow Peace Corps volunteer, whom he now lives with in Brisbane, Australia.
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