Meet Us In Munich!

Extremely large monuments of mysterious origin, the Moai have seemed to always fascinate people since they were introduced to the western world. The most isolated island in the world, Easter Island (Rapa Nui to the local Polynesians) is home to these marvels. Our excitement for visiting this place had been with us from the first stages of planning this trip. When I found out that our One World RTW ticket could include a stop at Isla de Pascua, I was already on cloud nine.

Since Rapa Nui is so far from anywhere else on the planet, the only flights to it come from either Santiago or Tahiti. From Santiago, it was approximately a six-hour flight that took off early in the morning. We made our way to the airport, boarded the plane, and jetted off towards our legendary destination. An hour into the flight, I heard the captain over the intercom saying something in Spanish. I thought I heard him say there was a problem and they had to turn the plane around. After hearing some moans from other passengers, my understanding was confirmed when he said that the fuel gauge wasn’t working and he had been ordered to head back to Santiago. Many passengers looked upset when we landed in Santiago, but they all soon forgot about their disappointment when the televisions at the airport started showing the first match of the world cup (South Africa vs. Mexico). For the next three hours we all watched the game, flight crew included, and just as the game finished, we all boarded the plane and took off. Hmmm….did we really turn around for technical reasons?

Just about 6 hours later, we finally landed at this rock in the middle of the Pacific. We stepped of the plane and were shocked at how tropical the weather was, warm and humid, a stark contrast from the frigidness of Santiago. We were then greeted by our friendly campsite owner, Marta, and made acquaintances with some of the fellow campers who had been on the plane with us. Marta then drove us to Camping Mihinoa, where I realized that I again looked like the locals. The locals were looking at me with curiosity as if wondering where in the world I was from. We ended up resting for the remainder of the day since the sun disappears pretty early from the horizon during winter.

The next day, Christina and I hiked up to Rano Kau, the volcanic crater near Hanga Roa town. The views were amazing.

Big waves along the coast

Lone tree

The vast Pacific beyond the hill

View of the crater

As we were soaking in the view, we were shocked when the campsite dog approached us out of nowhere. I asked him what he was doing so far from home. He just stood there panting with his tongue hanging out.

Christina was instantly smitten again

From that point on, the dog began following us for the rest of the day. He must have gotten a delayed message from the dogs on the mainland that we had arrived.

First, we made a stop to Orongo, a sacred site where the famous annual birdman competition occurred, and the 2 hour hike back to the campsite with our friendly dog accompanying us all the way back (I think he was making sure we didn’t get lost). We also went to visit the local Moai near the town. After what we saw that day, we decided to extend our stay in Rapa Nui.

View of Motu Nui from Orongo

Fighting for Christina’s attention

Christina on the cliffs near Hanga Roa

Rocky coastline

Moai at Tahai

Our second day, we rented a car with two fellow guests staying at Camping Mihinoa. We were able to drive to the other side of the Island, stopping at other archeological sites along the way. It was definitely visually inspiring.

The fallen Moai at Vaihu

Moai stare-down. I lose.

Pensive Moai at Rano Raraku

Horses on the outskirts of Tongariki

Tongariki

The Tongariki Moai are my favorite. Like most Moai, they had been lined up in single file to watch over the land. I kept reminding myself to stop taking pictures once in a while, just so I could enjoy the scenery.

We found the weather on the island very unpredictable, changing every 10 to 15 minutes. At one spot it was cloudy, then rainy, then sunny, and finally cloudy again all in a time span of 1 hour. Knowing this, a few of us still took a chance the following morning and woke up early to try and watch the sunrise on the other side of the island at Tongariki. I was sad to wake up to a blanket of clouds, but was hoping for the best. When we reached the other side, it was still cloudy, but in the distance we saw a clearing.

And just like that, as the sun began to rise, the clouds parted and treated us to a magical moment.

The most beautiful sunrise I have ever seen

We all sat there admiring the view and looked at each other and smiled. These Moai were very sacred to the Rapa Nui, and at that instant I could understand why.

After lunch, Christina and I were going to hitch-hike to the beach on the other side of the island. But, we happened to run into a couple staying at the campsite, and we split a cab instead. On the way there, the cab-driver showed us something crazy! He put his car in neutral at a point in the road that was at a slight incline, he let go of the brake, and we still moved up the hill! He explained that there was a strong magnetic field coming from a certain point of the island (cue Twilight Zone music).

By the time we reached the beach, the weather had gone south again, and I decided not to swim. Instead, I bought some fishing line, weight and a hook and decided to try and catch us some dinner (Easter Island is really expensive). I used bread for bait and caught four fish. When we got back to Mihinoa, I cooked a fish stew (Sinigang in Filipino) with tomatoes, onions, and with palmitos.

Camping Mihinoa turned out to be a really chilled out place with a great atmosphere. Everyone we met there was really cool, and we had a lot of fun talking with people from all over the world. One of the nights Marta threw a tasty Chilean BBQ with lots of meat, grilled veggies, salad, and sweet potatoes. If anyone of you readers ever decide to go to Easter Island, make sure to stay there. We stayed in a tent that overlooked the ocean. It was calming and peaceful to wake up in the morning with the sound of the water crashing into the rocks. Also, if you are on a budget, make sure to buy food to cook and drinks in Santiago before heading out to the island. I think I bought a liter of coke for 4 US dollars!

The following day, we all woke up, ate breakfast, and made our way to the airport. It turned out that 90 percent of the guests at the campsite ended up having the same flight. When we arrived in Santiago, we all said our goodbyes, wishing each other safe travels, and best wishes. Many of our new friends, had places to go to in Santiago. Christina and I decided to stick it out at the airport since our flight for Brazil was so early the next morning. We ended up having one of the worst sleeps in our entire trip that night.

We wish we were still in Rapa Nui

Hasta luego,
Jay