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Hello! Or as they say in the Rapa Nui language, 'Iorani'!
What can I say about Easter Island that hasn't already been said! Probably not much but I will say that it is a truly amazing place! Not just the world famous Moai statues, but also the people, and of course the giant empanadas filled with tuna and cheese which we lived off of for our 4 days there.
Easter Island has the most isolated community of anywhere in the world. It is a whopping 3,700km from the coast of Chile, with it's nearest neighbours being the tiny community of Pitcairn Island over 2,000km away! Our flight to Easter Island, known as Rapa Nui or Isla de Pascua to the locals, was over 4 and a half hours from Santiago which shows just how isolated it is!
The welcome we received on the island was amazing! We were met by Theresa, one of the ladies from a local family with whom we would be staying with for the next 4 nights, and she presented each of us with a flower garland! Theresa's family were lovely and made us feel so welcome throughout our time there.
Our first real experience of the mysterious maoi was when we went to Rano Raraku, the volcanic crater from which 95% of the huge stone moai's were created. Everywhere you looked there were these huge stone creations, some were still actually being carved out of the side of the rock, apparently simply abandoned unfinished. The whole thing was more than just slightly surreal! So of course, being typical tourists we pushed that thought to the backs of our minds while we got some ridiculous photos of us 'apparently' hugging and kissing the moai! You're not actually allowed to touch the figures so that they can be preserved as long as possible, but with some clever photoraphy (if I do say so myself) we were able to give the impression that were we getting up close and personal with the moai men! ;o)
The next highlight of our trip was Ahu Tongariki, which is perhaps the most easily recognisible picture from Easter Island. Fifteen giant stone moai stand proudly atop their ahu on the north eastern side of the island. At one stage all of the moai figures which had been erected on top of their ahu, or 'stand' for lack of a better word, had been felled by the warring tribes over 500 years ago. The moai of Ahu Tongariki were no different and they had the added trouble of being swept inland by a giant tsunami. The reason these 15 moai are now standing proudly once more is due the work of the government of Chile, the University of Chile, and strangely enough a team of experts from Japan! It really is an incredible sight! We were so impressed that we actually went to this particular sight twice, once so we could watch the sun rise over the giant figures.
It is amazing how many moai are to be found on the island. Reports suggest there are over 1,000 scattered all over the island. It seemed to be an obsession which lasted hundreds of years and ultimately, it has been suggested that it was this obsession which led to the tribes dying out. In an effort to move these giant stone monuments from the crater at Ranu Raraku, the islanders over the years completely deforrested the whole island! CRAZY!
It must be said though that although we have done a fair bit of reading on the subject, the history of the island was not truly brought home to us until we watched the move 'Rapa Nui' produced by Kevin Costner! This particular movie is shown four nights a week at a hotel in Hanga Roa, the only town on the island! The movie starred Brandon Scott Lee which should tell you right away it's not a classic! I wonder if a starring role from Kevin Costner himself might have made a difference - perhaps a title change to something like 'Dances with Moai', 'Field of Moai', or even 'Rapa Nui - Prince of Statues' could have seen DVD sales go through the roof!! ;o)
One particular part of the island was especially close to my heart, and believe it or not it did not even have any moai figures upon it! The part of the island I am of course referring to is....the local football pitch! We were lucky enough (or unlucky enough depending on what view you have) to watch a local amateur match. I must say it took me back to my days as a Third Lanark player! Nikki and I were of course supporting oppisite sides with me cheering on the AC Milan lookalikes while Nikki supported the team wearing the blue of Inter Milan. The rivalry was fierce with abuse and profanities being shouted from the stands, and that was just me and Nikki! The game finished 3-2 to Inter with a goal deep into injury time settling the tie! Both sets of players could hold their heads high however as they gave everything they had!
Our four days spent on the island were definitely one of the highlights of our entire trip so far. It's an amazing little island surrounded by the mystique of it's own history. It feels like you are miles and miles from anywhere else, which of course you are, but it's actually quite a nice feeling! It was definitely worth flying out to the middle of the Pacific to see what it was all about.
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