Easter Island

Sunday, November 1, 2015

We arrived at Easter Island this afternoon and immediately got leid.

We were greeted by the tour guides with beautiful leis.  

Welcome to "Bedrock." Our hotel, Hangoroa Eco Village and Spa, looks like something out of the Flintstones.  On purpose.  The architects wanted the structure to resemble ancient architecture, right down to the low lighting.  Well, they succeeded. 
 

Concrete everywhere including the tub.  Notice the shower in the background.

It's quite nice, but very Flintstones looking.  Where are Pebbles and Bam Bam?

I found myself constantly looking for Fred and Wilma Flintstone.  It was actually quite nice, but very dark and stoney.  All of the furniture is built-in and made of concrete.  The bedroom and bathroom were all in the same room with a large concrete bathtub in the middle of the room.   A large concrete bowl sink rests on the built-in counter attached to a wall near the tub.  Large tree trunks support the ceiling.  Sliding glass doors open up to a beautiful view of the Pacific, which was the best thing about the room. 
 

Check out the sod roof.

Oh.  I forgot mention, the entire hotel has a sod roof.  I hope the photo will help you envision the rustic design. You can click on this photo to enlarge it so you can truly study the place.

Irma, Gail, Pat and I close down the place AGAIN!

We arrived quite late, but that didn't stop us from having another meal and cocktails.  Gail, Pat, Irma and I managed to close the bar, which seems to be the norm, instead of a rare occurrence.  

We got another early start today to visit the sites of Ahu Tahai, Rano Raraku (the Quarry) and Ahu Tongariki.  These sites are home to the stone statures that I'm sure you've seen in documentaries. 

This statue was started, but never finished.  

 

Ahu Tahai site

Another architectural wonder, these statues were literally chiseled out of the side of a mountain and hauled to various sites around the island.  Some quite far from the quarry.  The statues were not built as gods, but rather to resemble ancestors.  They were strategically located around the island facing inwards so the ancestors could keep watch over the people.

Easter Isand was at one time 63% covered with palm trees.  They were all cut and now the Island has only a few forested areas. 
 

Bruce rounds out the count to 16 instead of the normal 15 statues.

Next, we visited Rano Raraku (the Quarry).  Most of the statues at the quarry appear to be busts, carefully placed on the landscape.  In reality, most of them are buried under ground.  

The Quarry - Rano Rarahku

What is seen above ground has two times that amount buried under ground.  Historians tell us this was caused by a catastrophic landslide centuries ago.

More than two thirds of these statues are underground.  Buried by a massive landslide.

Pat gets LOTS of air.

We had a picnic today at the only natural beach on Easter Island, Anakena Beach.  I loved the palm tree covered beach.  

Picnic lunch at Anakena Beach.

Sadly, some of our group developed food poisoning from the food served at the picnic.  Not me.  Oh yes, I forgot to mention the cheese that I ate in Peru didn't bother me, either.  Thankfully.  I must have an iron stomach.  So glad.

Tonight, back at "Bedrock", we had a Polynesian dance show.  I didn't realize that Polynesia encompasses a triangle from Hawaii to Easter Island to New Zealand.  So it's only natural that Easter Island would entertain us with a fabulous Polynesian dance show.  Turns out, it was a very sensuous "fertility dance", which is great if you're here with someone you love.  But not so great if one is traveling solo.  Still very entertaining!  Especially this guy.

What can I say that the photo doesn't??????

After another wonderful dinner, we were the last to leave the bar AGAIN.  Well, someone has to close the bar.  Might as well be a seasoned veteran.  

EARLY ... VERY early, the next morning, several of us joined Michael Medford, National Geographic's award winning photographer, for a sunrise photographs of the Ahu Tongariki site.  

Closer look at Ahu Tongariki statues.

Another one of my photos.  Michael wants to use this one in his slide show.

I took this photo at the exact spot the professional photographer was standing  My photo is as good as his!!

Fifteen statues flank the Pacific Ocean looking inland.  These statues were washed away by a Tsunami in the 1960's.  In 1990's, a Japanese company shipped a crane to Easter Island to assist with the reconstruction of the statues to the original location. The results were stunning and what we photographed this morning at sunrise.  Breathless.  Here's what I'm having trouble understanding.  These statues were placed on this island centuries ago.  They had no cranes and no Japanese to help.  They just sat crumbled on the ground for over 30 years until Japan came along with a crane.  Times have surly changed.  Probably an OSHA regulation prevented them from picking up the pieces.

After the sunrise photo shoot, we hiked along the coast line and explored lava tubes.  In various locations around this volcanic island, the ground collapses, creating openings or an entrance to the lava tubes.  There are over 200 lava tubes in this area.  Very interesting.

The opening to a lava tube

Pat and I stand inside the lava tube entrance.

Thes lava tubes are HUGE.  We are walking through one now.

Later in the afternoon, we checked out Orongo, home of the Bird Man ceremony.  Each year, Rapa Nui competitors gathered here, climbed down the steep cliffs and swam over one mile to the island of Motu Nui, where they waited for days or weeks to find a a Sooty Tern egg. 
 

The distant Island is Motu Nui, a one mile swim.  Crazy, yes??

He would then return the egg to the village and won the sacred honor of being The Bird Man, living in seclusion for one year,  not allowed to bathe, nor cut his hair or nails that entire time.  Doesn't sound like much of an honor to me!  

Time to board our jet to Samoa, pronounced SAM'oa.  Heavy emphasis on the Sam.  This will be our longest trek yet in the plane, ten hours, with a quick stop in Tahiti for fuel. 

Tonariki is where the 15 statues rest by the ocean.  You can see them in the background.

Entrance to a lava tube with an Avacado tree growing from inside the lava tube.