Easter Island Day 1

Rapa Nui. What a place! Steeped in culture and history, with hiking, diving and much geographical diversity, it has something to offer everyone. I have to admit though, that when we landed, I was a little disappointed. I had heard so many raving reports of the island, and of course the Lonely Planet has pictures of the most beautiful parts of the island on a sunny day with clear blue skies. We came in over the sea and I was poised with my camera as we had been told that the landing had to be photographed, but I didn't really see much to photograph other than the possibility of landing in the sea! The landscape seemed a bit dull, flat, and uninteresting. I had expected more tropical. But my opinions were to change quickly, and were probably tarnished by the fatigue brought on from the 5 hour plane journey.

Excited tourists littered the tarmac taking photos of their arrival on Easter Island. Our host, Vicki from Residencial Tahai, met us in the tiny airport arrivals hall and greeted us with the traditional garland of flowers, which of course thrilled the girls. There was another guest staying at the same bed & breakfast as ourselves, a girl from England who was learning Spanish in Buenos Aires. She was spending a month in Chile, and had tagged on Easter Island as a special last minute trip. The girls took to her friendly personality immediately. The drive to our accommodation was short and Vicki thoughtfully drove us via the town of Hanga Roa so that we could orientate ourselves a little.

Our room was basic, but clean and perfectly adequate. There was no-one staying next to us and we had a lovely patio outside with our own table to sit at, looking out over the garden which was brimming with colours of bougainvillae. Freshly made papaya juice was brought to our table to refresh and welcome us. After settling ourselves in we started our exploration of the surrounding area. Friends had recommended this particular place to stay and mentioned that there were some Moai statues very close by. I also liked it that the accommodation was near to the Museum, so we set off to learn more about the history of the island and the traditions of the people and why they had built the Moai.

Firstly we came to the Moai at Tahai. These overwhelmingly large, carved figures have survived for centuries, and depict the living faces of deified ancestors. They would have been carved between the years 1250 and 1500. Not so many of them are still in tact, but some can be seen to be very well preserved. There are strict laws on the island which forbid anyone to touch the statues or to stand on the Ahu, the platforms on which they are erected.

The Moai at Tahai

The sea was beautifully clean and glistened like a dark blue jewel in the sunshine. Waves were gently breaking behind the Moai which added to their appeal. Ross was checking out dive spots and was feeling quite spoilt for choice. The sun was beginning to break through, dispersing the morning cloud and giving way to the warmth of the afternoon. To our disappointment the museum looked decidedly closed. There was a small sign confirming our suspicions, which looked quite aged, so we guessed that it was unlikely to reopen during our 5 day stay. So we settled down on the coastline for a snack, hoping to improve our energy levels. Ross and the girls recovered well, but I was just too tired, so I decided it was best for everyone if I went and had a rest back in our room. Ross took the girls for a walk along the east coast going north, stopping also for a snooze in the warm sun.

As always, we were travelling overweight as we had brought with us a suitcase full of fruit and vegetables for 2 missionary families who live on the island. Luckily there was no problem at the check in desk.. I called and arranged with Bob that he would come over and collect the food after we had been for dinner. As she was alone, we invited Hema to come and have dinner with us which she accepted, and we all strolled down to a nearby cafe also recommended by our friends. We were shown to a table on the rooftop which overlooked the pretty cemetery and out to sea. Dance music was flowing through the speakers and the girls were enjoying entertaining us, with dancing and magic shows. Our efforts at ordering were quite comical that evening. For some reason the girl taking our order wasn't making our options very clear, but we had no complaints about what eventually arrived! Tuna steak with a type of sweet potato and grilled vegetables, all cooked to perfection. Our starter of ceviche arrived after our main dish, but that wasn't of any concern to us. It was equally as good. I was a little worried that as the service wasn't swift we would be late back to meet with Bob to hand over their goodies, then discovered that the island is actually 2 hours behind Chile, not 1 hour as I had understood on the aeroplane (I think the hostess gave the wrong time in Spanish, and I assumed she had it wrong in English!).  That explained the comment when we were greeted at the restaurant that they opened at 6pm, which I thought was slightly strange considering my watch showed 7.02pm!! So I relaxed and enjoyed the slow pace of life. It was fun to meet Bob when we returned to our B&B, and we were surprised to hear that they had been living on the island for 33 years. I was very glad of my bed that night, as were the girls, who had been kept up way past their usual bedtime.