Isla De Pascue - Chile (Easter Island)
Trip Start
Jan 10, 2008
1
20
22
Trip End
Jan 20, 2009
San Jose,
Province of San Jose,
Costa Rica
Sunday, November 16, 2008
(Easter Island)
Hola,
Easter Island certainly deserves it's reputation for being one of the Worlds most isolated, inhabited Island's. A tiny speck of volcanic, dry, barreness in the vast blue of the Southeastern Pacific. Over 2,000 miles from Tahiti & Chile.
It's an Island surrounded in mystery & controversy, with only one fact - they have no facts.
The people of Easter Island are called the Rapa Nui & famous for reasons still guessed upon for carving giant statues out of volcanic rock called the moai
Ahu Tongariki
. The moai range from 2 - 21 meters in height, weighing up to 100 tonnes. Erected on an ahu, a ceremonial platform. Some bearing top knots. Thought to be the hair style's of the day, carved out of reddish volcanic scoria. Moai lay scattered all around the Island. But the one thing most people tend to agree on is that their population peaked at around 10,000. Resources become scarce turning the once lush forests into the dust bowl it's struggling to recover from today. Passing seafarers delivered disease - smallpox, TB & the rat, adding to the rapid demise of the Rapa Nui.
So, now that the history lesson is over - we loved it. Loved the fact that men cantered bear back up & down the dusty streets as we tucked into melt in the mouth yellow fin tuna sushimi & perfectly pink tuna steaks whilst sipping Chilean red. That Michael's packed ice-cream cone was akin to holding up the Olympic torch. That the Welsh may well be responsible for the European look of the Rapa Nui people. That there are more horses than people living on the Island. That spaceships & layers of yams & mashed sweet potatoes assisted in transporting the moai into place - maybe. And finally, that there are no real answers.
Crater of the extinct volcano
And now we're in Dallas for a 36 hour stop over, thanks to American Airlines & there air hostess, who all looked like retirement is a definite by the end of the week, along with a hip replacement for one.
Costa Rica Monday!!!!
Lots of love
Suzy & Michael
Off to feast on some Texan steak
xxxxxxx
