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.
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