!I have been in Chile a week now. First the high Atacama Desert of Northern Chile, then back to Santiago for a cooking class on how to prepare the yummy foods of Chile, and now, after a 5 hour flight west towards Tahiti....to Easter Island.
So exciting........I am not sure if I am in Polynesia or Chile. The map shows Chile, but the music and the people are definately from the South Pacific.
I have always wanted to visit Easter Island with it's amazing Moai's....those giant statues standing guarding the coastline of this small island. Big eyes staring out....some across the water and some looking inward, protecting the people. Those that look toward the sea are said to be longing for their homeland. Those facing inward are said to be burial statues (much like headstones) of the ancient ancestors that first came to the island of Rapa Nui (Isla de Pascua or Easter Island). The original inhabintants did not include the name Easter in anything, however the 5th of April in 1722, Easter Day, a Dutch explorer, Jacob Rogeveen discovered the island and from then on it has been known as Easter Island.
One more interesting fact...the native people here can all identify by name their ancestors from the time they arrived on the Island....right down to which Moai was associated with their family. There are 887 Moai's...all repersenting one family or other from a population of 5,000 Rapa Nui people. Really brilliant.
How many of us can remember the names of our family members even three generations back?
It is a beautiful little island only 63 sq miles in diameter. I had always been told that there were no trees as the natives had used them all for firewood. It is cold here at night. In reality, it was the rats that came over on the boats that was eventually responsible for the deforestation. Today however, the Chilean government is currently in the midst of a reforestation project adding a lush green to the landscape.
There are few roads and hiking is a must here....especially if you want to absorb the beauty of the island. There are 7000 wild horses roaming the island.... more than the population of the island. Dogs roam freely, but are all friendly as food is plentiful here.
Fish is the main staple of the island and they know so well how to prepare it. That along with avocados that are plentiful,and guavas that grow wild along the paths that you hike.
Hikes are fairly easy, but as this is a volcanic island occasional rock outcroppings block the path. There are also amazing caves that were inhabited by the early residents and filled with petroglyphs. I am not a fan of spelunking, however I did find myself in two huge caves which went on for 1/2 mile, and another that had two "eyes" opening on the the crashing surf on the shores below the cliffs we were hiking.
So go the days on Easter Island...the most remote island in the world.
Pam Walker is a Virtuoso Travel Consultant and can be reached at pliwalker@earthlink.net or on her website @ Walker Adventures.com
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