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Our third stop in Tonga took us to the Ha’apai island group, where we did little more than perfect the art of doing nothing. After a 45-minute flight from the capital, we spent five days at a place called Sandy Beach Resort. The highlight here was just what the name implies: a gorgeous sandy beach.

Boris, the German owner of Sandy Beach, has built a row of comfortable and functional fales overlooking this stunning beach, with lots of room in between to afford plenty of privacy. In theory, we could have gone out on kayaks or taken bike rides, but we never really got around to those things. The days mostly consisted of moving back and forth between our fale, a chair or a towel on the beach, the crystal clear water itself, and the communal dining area. Admittedly, Jim did go running a few times, and I put on a snorkel mask a few times, but not much else at all.

At dinner time we compared notes with our fellow guests from Australia, New Zealand, Germany, and Austria. Most of them hadn’t accomplished much either. It’s pretty easy here to slip into “Tonga time,” enjoy the lovely views, and just let the days pass.