Around the World from Z to A ... S Day!

Salutations Smart Students,

This is Bart - your stoked and sun-tanned Traveling Blogger. For my weekend I slowly slithered my way through several islands in the South Pacific. After I made my way across the International Dateline on Friday, I landed in Nuku'alofa, the capital of Tonga. The picture at the beginning of my Blog is Tonga’s Coat of Arms. Do you know what a Coat of Arms is?

It is officially called The Kingdom of Tonga and it has 171 total islands, but only 48 of them are inhabited. Many of the islands are made up of coral and some are volcanic rock. Did you know that on March 19, 2009 one of the underwater volcanoes erupted and spewed smoke and ash 6 miles into the air? Here is a photo: Link. They have many underwater volcanoes in Tonga. I wonder when the next one will erupt!

The habitat in Tonga is tropical and the water is so clear you can see right through it straight to the bottom, which was perfect for more snorkeling!

For dinner I had grilled Octopus with coconut sauce. It is a common meal there and it is superbly satisfying! Have you ever eaten Octopus?

After my small island-hopping adventure in Tonga, I decided to head to a much larger island in East Asia. For S day I wanted to research the samurai. Today I am in Japan! Check out the Map Link.

I am discovering many fascinating facts about the samurai. They are ancient Japanese warriors. Most samurai were bound by a code of honor and were expected to set an example for those below them. They fought with thin swords and heavy plated armor that was made out of bamboo and sometimes steel or iron. Samurai warriors also named their swords. In 1868, the samurai class was abolished.

I am off to visit the Japanese National History Museum in Tokyo to get a closer look at real samurai armor and swords.

Oh, and by the way, I figured out your time trivia questions. I did need the help of the converter. If it is 9am on a Saturday in Gainesville, FL then it is 10pm on Saturday in Tokyo, Japan. They have very unique cartoons here called anime. There is eleven hours between when you watch cartoons and when I will watch them way out here in Asia!

I can’t wait to hear about your weekends and your S day. Post a Blog and I’ll read it as soon as I can.

Your Samurai-Searching Studier,

Bart