EASTER ISLAND (CHILE)

Not a place that everyone gets a chance to visit in a lifetime, but certainly one that everyone should try to see. Comming from Australia, it was quite simple to include Easter Island as a stopover on a RTW ticket... Having read a number of articles providing theories about the Rapa Nui people of the island, prior to arriving, certainly made the experience all the more meaningful, but it was quite easy to simply marvel at the stone statues (Moai) that the Rapa Nui people had created. My stay on the island was for only 3 days, which I thought was more or less long enough. On the second day, myself and 2 other Australians hired a 4WD also visiting the island and we explored the majority of the island in a single day. I was surprised that much of the vegetation was eucalyptus trees, very similar to Australia. Combined with the surf and chilled out nature of the local people (most likely a result of the copius amounts of marijuana consumed!), Easter Island was definately one of the highlights from my trip.

Whilst I was still grappling with the compleixities of the spanish language at this early stage of my trip, I felt that the local people, in particular anyone wanting to cash in on the tourist dollar, were very friendly. One particular instance which comes to mind is that of being entertained by a local restaurant owner in the form of acoustic guitar and accompanying vocals for about 3 hours after we had finished our dinner. Quite an experience and certainly the best customer service I had encountered.

Photos 1&2: Moai recreations in the islands regional centre - Hanga Roa
Photo 3: Volcanic crater in the south west of the island
Photos 4&5: Views of the Moai at sunset.
Photos 6&7: Many completed moai lying abandoned near a quarry in islands centre.
Photos 8-10: Three of the major Ahu's on the island.
Photos 11&12: Sunset over the Pacific Ocean.