We have finally arrived the famous Easter Island. It is certainly not easy & not cheap to come, so we’ll try to enjoy this once in a lifetime visit, see as much Moai as possible!
===== From Wikipedia =====
Easter Island (Rapa Nui: Rapa Nui; Spanish: Isla de Pascua) is an island and special territory of Chile in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania. The island is most famous for its nearly 1,000 extant monumental statues, called moai, which were created by the early Rapa Nui people. In 1995, UNESCO named Easter Island a World Heritage Site, with much of the island protected within Rapa Nui National Park.
So, we arrived by Latam Airline! The small airport looked so green, it felt like Hawaii to me! This whole island is a National Park, so we had to pay really high entrance fee as soon as we arrived. Our hostel sent a car to pick me up. It was actually just 5 min drive, and the hostel was adorable. It has a really nice kitchen & rental bikes (that we never used…)
Indeed, the island felt like a totally different world. It was so relaxing there… I bet this is no crimes there. There were many tropical plants and wall paintings around, but totally countryside feeling, and we immediately see the beautiful coast and some Moai (though they were not real! LOL)
Although everything in the island were expensive, we decided to have lunch in a cafe next to the sea, and had some local beer!
It seems that they have a lot of tuna too. We had fresh tuna salad, which I fell in love with, and such attractive burger!
Unfortunately, it started raining… and became cold.
Our dinner was tuna salad, big burger and local beer again! We couldn’t find any stores to buy water, so I used my water filter & water pot to filter/boil the tap water to drink, so far no stomachache!
Next morning, we joined a tour to several places sigh-seeing. The coastlines were beautiful. There were many graves surrounded by stones, many Moai, all look different. The guide explained that the smaller ones were actually older, the bigger ones were newer. Most of the moai had fallen and faced the ground, orginally they should all face outside, they represent the ancestors to protect the island.
The island was a volcano, so their rocks look so different. We visited a field where there were a lot more Moai. There were some still making but never completed. All these Moai were crafted from piece of rock from the mountain, but they were so heavy like tons. It is still a mystery how the people carry them in the past…
We had chicken steak as lunch, while we saw the chicken in the garden.
We visited some gift shops, and other sites next to the sea. These round stones seem to have strong magnetic power. They are my favorite.
The final stop of our day tour was the Anakena beach. Also, the most famous Moai were there! Also, many dogs were sleeping on the beach…
We were finally by our own, but our day hadn’t ended yet. It was so relaxing to walk alone the coastline of Rapa Nui. The sunset there was unforgettable. Also, we have night show to watch!!
Right, this is our Night Show!! It was in fact quite expensive… but I’ve always enjoyed watching local dance show, an the local dance and custumes of Rapa Nui was unlike anything I had ever seen, so exotic!!! Unfortunately, I cannot record the show, so please enjoy the panel and imagine. We also had face paint for free! The show included full course dinner, and it was beautiful. I really loved the dinner and the show. The dancers were so beautiful and good!
The next morning, we could finally enjoyed a slow day, having empanadas (tuna & cheese, of course!) and did some shopping. You see, there are beautiful wall paintings and moai everywhere! Dogs too, sitting at the cafe floor.
Today we had a little hike, passed by the famous “Ana Kai Tangata” (but I don’t remember why we didn’t go, maybe it was closed?), followed the “Te ara o te Ao” Trail. We reached the “Mirador Rano Kau” (Volcano hole). It is a famous spot. Actually, I enjoyed the whole trail.
There was a really friendly dog, followed us all the way up… When it reached the Volcano, some tourists gave it water and foods. I guess South American people are really nice to the wild dogs, so they are never hungry or aggressive. In fact, the dogs in Rapa Nui live freely and so relax, I envy them. We also saw many horses and cows around. I wonder if they have owners.
When we came back to town, it was the perfect time to see the sunset! We walked along the coastline, took pictures of Moai until dark… It rained again, and we saw a beautiful rainbow.
It’s interesting that we walked pass a graveyard at night, but it was not scary. In fact, the graveyard was so beautifully decorated, I was amazed. Again, we enjoyed our last night at Rapa Nui in a local Pub, eating the usual…
This is our last morning at Rapa Nui. It was so sad to checkout our lovely hostel, say goodbye to the beautiful coastline, relaxing cafes, adorable dogs, the rainbow after rain, everything that I can only see in the Easter Island. Good Bye!!