Day 3 on Rapa Nui

Hello - Day 3 (Wednesday) was an attempt to see as many Moai and as much Rapa Nui culture as we could squeeze into our remaining morning on the island. The Anthropology Museum was very good; the island's cemetery was fascinating, unlike anything we've ever seen, with Rapa Nui and Catholic symbols decorating the graves. There's a riot of color, too, since flowers are abundant on RN, and are used on most the graves.
We returned to Santiago in the evening, to temps of 45 F.

Day 2 on Rapa Nui

Day 2 highlights on Rapa Nui: Today was our opportunity to see the large statues (Moai) on the island, the quarry where they were carved, the path(s) they were transported to the coast, and all this from the point of view of a native Rapa Nui-an whose perspective was that of a cultural anthropologist and defender of the heritage and language. We learned a lot; saw a lot. Wonderful experience, lots of walking on rocky ground.
Tonight we shared raw tuna with lemon, olive oil and capers; then a fish called cara cara with roasted vegetables. Tuna is the most common catch on the island. Oh yes, we enjoyed a pisco sour and toasted Al and Winnie!
Wed afternoon, back to Santiago.

Day 1 on Rapa Nui

Day 1 on Rapa Nui (Easter Is.). We arrived here with 300? others on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. They get 4 flights/wk from Santiago and 1/wk from Tahiti. The place definitely has a Polynesian feel, with a lot of Chilean Spanish spoken.
The majority of the island is a Chilean National Park, and all visitors pay a $60 park entrance fee upon arriving.
Our mode of transport today: we rented a four-wheeler (& helmets). Amanda's driving. It made quick work of getting to the top of Rano Kau volcano to see the crater lake. That spot also overlooks a couple small islands noteworthy because a native Rapa Nui competition was to dive off the cliff, swim to the island for an egg from the nesting birds, and the first to return with egg in tact was de facto political leader. Hey, seems like an idea for Nov 2016!
Our travels today took us on road and off road to see several sites where Moai (statues) were destroyed and not restored. The Chileans seem to have lookouts at all these spots to prevent tourists from spoiling them or taking trophies.
Tonight we dined on the main road in Hanga Roa, the island's only town. We enjoyed Caldillo -- a stew of tuna, shrimp, squid, scallops, plus sweet potato, squash, & plantain. Delicious!
Having trouble posting pictures. Will try tomorrow.

Welcome to our blog

Hi, Sister, Cousins, Children, and Friends:
Amanda and I are beginning our Chile adventure together. We met up at the airport hotel in Santiago, following Amanda's overnight flight and my conclusion to a week-long mission trip in Chile.
Tomorrow we fly to Rapa Nui (Easter Island) for a couple days. Photos begin tomorrow, although we don't know if we can post to our blog from the south Pacific. If you don't see something Monday or Tuesday, we'll post when we get back to Santiago on Wednesday evening.
Cindy