Rapturous!

A few of the Moais of Rapa Nui!!!

Our plane left Tahiti for Easter Island at 2:45am. That's right, at 2 dark: 45. Well, you can't get a taxi at that hour so we left the marina at 11:30pm in a drizzle just as the evening revelers were stumbling back to their boats. Check-in and the flight was relatively painless compared to our return trip to the States. Security procedures are very diligent in Tahiti and pat down searches are common. Last time, I lost my nail file and cuticle clippers so this time we were prepared. The flight was 5 hours and four time zones bringing us in to Rapa Nui at noon, we thought. Our phones showed noon and having missed a night's sleep, it felt like noon. The first thing we had to do is find the ATM and book a dinner reservation for Christmas Day because we were assured that only two restaurants would be open. Walking around town in the midday heat was exhausting but we succeeded in making a reservation for that same evening at 8:00pm but we were out of luck for Christmas night. We were relieved to retreat to our air-conditioned, dark hotel for a nap. Att 7:30 we emerged to find the sun still high in the sky but the guide books mentioned that the time is artificially shifted so it is not too different from Chilean time. Our restaurant when we arrived, was almost empty. Chile is very European so late dinner is to be expected. What wasn't expected was the look of confusion on the face of the maitre d' . "Your reservation is at 8:00," he said.
"Yes, that's right," we innocently responded.
"Well, it's only 6:00, but I can seat you now, if you wish."
"But...AT&T....Oh!" Our phones gave us Chile time, not recognizing the tiny speck of Rapa Nui 2600 miles from Tahiti and 2200 miles from Santiago.

Rapa Nui is surprising in many ways. All the documentaries and guide books gave us no warning of how verdant it looks. The trees are growing back and the agricultural land is red iron-rich. In town, huge 8 inch wide hibiscus, hedges of lantana and vivid purple and pink bougainvillea spread color while ferns, banana trees, palms and liana vines remind one that this is still Polynesia. Almost all of this flora has been introduced since the 1950s and the island is once again becoming the paradise that was found by the original settlers. The people are friendly and welcoming. Almost all speak some English.

Of course, Rapa Nui survives on tourism and the local government are doing their best to keep tourism within bounds. Most importantly, only those with a significant percentage of Rapanui blood can own land. (The name of the people is Rapanui without the space.) This means that the foreign resort companies cannot come in and build huge hotels. Of course, locals can do what they want on their own land, so who knows what will happen. Not counting tourists, there are more 'continentales' living on the island than Rapanui. The only town, Hanga Roa, has two main streets, two ATMs and one pharmacy but many small hotels, restaurants and cafes. Rapa Nui is changing fast and most of the guide books are out of date. Outside of the festival time in February, the pace is slow with no crowds, lines or competing bar noise. Food tends to be Polynesian: fish dishes with occasional Chilean flair (no lamb - check link to find out why this is significant)Your text to link.... Pisco Sour is always at the top of the cocktail list and the Chilean wines are excellent.


Susan's first experience with a Pisco Sour

We have taken two tours of the island, both through the Rapanui Pioneer Society. This is a new tour company run by local people whose stated goal is to provide the most informed, current information available. The first was a guided tour of the Moai (the giant heads) and the second was an all day hike around the undeveloped coastline of the island. Our guide through the Moai was Christian, a historian and the founder of the RPS. His passion for his subject and his country comes through in the amount of detail he was able to impart. Our hike was guided by Sebastian who is an ornithologist, also knowledgeable about the fauna and flora of the island as well as the unrestored artifacts and petroglyphs that still exist. What a privilege it was to see things through the eyes of experts. These two college educated young men have come back to their island to start a business in the only industry available and they talk about keeping the island sustainable, for instance, by developing renewable energy and eliminating single use plastics. They describe plastic trash collecting ontheir coast that has to be cleaned up 4 times a month. Rainfall is reduced and abnormal storm waves undercut the foundations of their ahus. Undaunted, they are determined to protect their Island and not to repeat the errors of the past.


Moai near Honga Roa


Tongariki

Tongariki Backside

Our hike, 8 miles along the cliffs on the north coast of Rapa Nui. The sea is wild below the cliffs and Caracara hawks wheel and shriek. Wild horses and cattle graze on the abundant grass. Collapsed lava tubes showing significant flood erosion lead down from the volcano craters a thousand feet above. There is no road and this stretch of coastline is uninhabited. Ancient ahu (ceremonial platforms) and fallen Moai are plentiful. There are also caves with petroglyphs where the ancient people used to shelter from storms or predatory raids. Without a guide we would never have been able to find them.
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One of the highlights of Rapa Nui is to attend church and listen to the music. Unfortunately, we missed the service on Christmas Day but we made sure to attend on Sunday. It was a Catholic mass, with about 150 people, quite a few of whom were tourists. The singing was in Rapa Nui, but the readings and sermon was in Spanish. The musicians sat in the congregation; there was no choir but the singers all sat together. The service was bulleted by PowerPoint on a laptop with projector. There were frequent reminder screens to silence cell phones and not take photos. The musicians played guitar or ukulele. Traditional percussion instruments were smooth, rounded rocks struck together, a bongo drum and horse jawbone rattle. The priest wore classic vestments but with a flower lei and a magnificent headdress of tropic bird tail feathers. It was nice to see that the people are hanging on to traditional culture while embracing modern technology.
We will be in Rapa Nui for 3 more days before flying to Santiago. Rapture is in good shape, according to Adrian, her babysitter. We get weekly updates and Greg checks the weather in Tahiti to see what she is facing. We are looking forward to starting our Spanish classes so we can be less tongue tied than we are right now,