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I arrived last night and was greeted at the airport by Mauricio, a guy from the accommodation and given my first lei (flower necklace) - a nice welcome to the island.
The next morning I got my first look at my new surroundings. I'm staying at a place called Mihinoa Camping. It consists of private rooms, dorm rooms and camping. The view is amazing, positioned right on the coast with big waves crashing onto the rocks. After a simple breakfast I walk the 10-15 mins along the coast into town. First impressions are good, people are friendly, the sun is shining and as I get towards the small town beach and fishing boats I see my first moai (statue). I visit the tourist information centre and book a half day horseriding tour for the next day to the highest point on the island. Then I wander around tour agencies to book a full day bus tour for Friday. I find a supermarket, stock up a little and return to the hostel to make lunch. As the island is expensive I'm trying to cook all my own food, much of which I brought with me from mainland Chile. After lunch I head out again. I walk past the town to Ahu Tahai, my first proper Rapa Nui site. The book I bought for my kindle ("A companion to Easter Island") comes into its own here as it gives me a run down of all the things I'm seeing. I see a hare moa; a traditional chicken house where the islanders used to hide chickens during times of conflict, some foundations of a hare paenga; upturned canoe shape stone houses that people used to live in and of course a traditional ahu (platform) with five moai on. A couple of other large moai are nearby including the only one on the island where they have replaced the eyes. The eyes have been destroyed on all the other moai. This moai also has a red coloured top knot called a pukao. After this I walked to the museum. This was extremely interesting and had information boards explaining everything from how the first Rapanui people arrived to their everyday lives, special festivals and of course the making of the moai. A great intro to the island. I walked back to the hostel along the coast, made a cup of tea and watched the sun set over the ocean, eager to see more of what the island has to offer in the upcoming days
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