EASTER ISLAND–IMPRESSIONS

∙ WHAT WE DID/SAW/EXPERIENCED

          ∙ Time in port: 9 hours

          ∙ We saw the statues, of course!

          ∙ Our tour didn’t start until 12:30 pm, but we got off the boat early and took the “tender” boat (which was more “rocky” than “tender”) over to the island.  I spotted the Captain and his wife on our tender.  We planned to do some shopping in town.  Easter Island (aka “Rapa Nui”) is a small island, with little infrastructure.  We docked on an alternate side (Anakena Beach), rather than near the main town of Hanga Roa, due to large swells on the other side.  Well, the islanders had set up the cabs, souvenir tables, etc. on the Hanga Roa side, so when we got off, there were precious few vehicles to get us to town.  A couple pick-up trucks were loading people, and a lady offered to let us ride in the bed of her pick-up to go to town.  This man, who was sitting in the truck bed with one other man, said no, we couldn’t go with them.  He apparently wanted all the space for himself.  I told the lady he wouldn’t let us go, and she stopped the truck, got out and tried to intercede, but his rude behavior continued.  Some people in another truck offered to let us go with them, and one man even offered me his seat inside the truck – he rode in the truck bed.  What a nice guy!  (I’ll be sending him a bottle of wine to thank him.  As for the first man, well, I think these things come back to people.)

          ∙ We shopped and bought some gifts to take home.  This one shop lady asked me where I was from, and I gave her a “San Diego” keychain to show her.  She was so happy with the small gift that she gave Bill and I a postcard each.  Then, when I wanted to find a certain gift, she took me around the store to find exactly what I wanted.  Nice!  We walked through the town, visited a local church, with its wood-carved sculptures, and stopped in for a quick lunch at a local outdoor restaurant.  The lady was so happy with the tip Bill gave her that she came out and gave us both a hug as we left . . . these people were super nice!

          ∙ We took a cab back to Anakena beach and joined our Holland America tour to see the “mystical Moai statues”.   After waiting in a long line for what seemed like half of the ship on the HAL tour, we finally boarded a mini-bus and were off with our handsome young guide, Niko.  We first stopped at the largest (656-foot) platform of 15 restored and re-erected Moai at “Tonga Riki”.  From there, we headed to the Rano Raraku quarry, which produced the stone for all the Moai on the island.  We also found many more of the adorable little men, perched on a hill.  A spectacular 20-minute shoreline ride brought us back to the village of Hanga Roa and the ceremonial site of Tahai, where we found some restored platforms and the only Moai with its eyes re-inserted.  Local dancers performed for the tourists, while two young lovers (native to the island) snuck kisses behind some rocks.

∙ THOUGHTS/IMPRESSIONS

          ∙ Land Ho - oh!!  After six days traversing the Pacific, we finally reach this tiny little island, named after Easter, to see what? Some funny-shaped rocks! Like most people in my life, they have big, hard heads! (ha ha)

          ∙ This was Bill’s favorite port to date, he says because it was peaceful, beautiful and a small island (but not too small), with lots of horses and nice people.  I say it was because of the gorgeous girls here . . . just wait until he gets to Tahiti, at least that’s what Niko says!

            ∙ This really is a good place to be a horse – they run free (even walking out into the road) – and they’re everywhere!  Except that our guide was joking about eating horses … I think he was kidding (then again, he told a story about cannibalism on the island at one time).  Hem.

          ∙ The Moai themselves were amazing to see – as with many things, though, seeing them in a photo isn’t quite the same thing as seeing them with your own eyes.  We were a bit rushed through the tour, but it was alright.  I loved the weather (a pleasant 75-80 degrees), the nice-smelling air, the greenery, and the small island “feel”.  Oh, and I got to get off this *** ship!  (Now, it’s another several days before we reach Tahiti … )

           ∙ What surprised and amazed me the most was the stunning shoreline!  This is a volcanic island, whose waves pound into the black volcanic rock covering most of its shoreline.  This made for gorgeous sights as we cruised the island’s outer perimeter.  I found myself taking as many pictures of the shore as of the Moai.  For this reason, I separate the photos by category below:

THE SUN RISES ON EASTER ISLAND (Bill calls the first one “cloud Moai”)

THE MOAI

THE SHORELINE

RAPA NUI

FROM OUR ROOM