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Published: March 26th 2008
Easter Island...wow!
These are truly amazing....We were able to amend our trip to give ourselves a full day and two nights in Santiago, Chile....what a wonderful and safe city.
After seeing Santiago we are for sure planning a trip back to Chile to travel through more of this amazing country. Santiago lays in the shadow of the beautiful Andes mountains, and every part of the city we visitied was wonderful. These two days allowed us to catch our breath and relax before we headed out to Easter Island. We plan on returning to see more of mainland Chile.
Now after I gave the glowing review let me tell you the #%$% drawbacks....first, Chile is angry with the USA governemnt for charging a very high fee to acquire a travel visa for residents of their country. So who pays for that frustration? That's right, we do. When you come off the plane they send Americans to this special line and ask for $131 per person...that's right, we had to cough up $262 cash (they said their credit card machine wasn't working). Talk about a budget buster. I am always surprised how many times traveling Americans have to pay the price for our government's actions like
If you look close...
I started wondering if Jess was a decendent of the islanders...just look at that profile. this.
Then the only real way into downtown is a $40 cab or a $30 bus trip...it was late, so we took the expensive cab. A "cheap" hotel was $90. Chile is a rich country, so everything is pretty much expensive. We were trying to stay on a budget, but we spent a fortune on this day..ouch!
Our surpise for this portion of the trip was how wonderful our ultimate destination was: the island Rapa Nui, Isla de Pascua, or as you know it - Easter Island!
We arrived with no real travel plans, and that really worked out for us. We were told that there were plenty of hotels and hostels that wait at the airport, which was totally true.
We stayed at Hospedaje Vaiany
with Theresa. For about $40 USD we had a very comfortable room with ensuite right in the middle of town. Everything was close. Theresa transported us to and from the airport to the Hostel and supplied breakfast as part of the charge. She even let us have the room late into the afternoon to shower and clean-up before our evening flight to Tahiti. Truly a wonderful host that we Totally busted
Apparently I wasn't supossed to be standing so close to the Moais...got yelled at after this photo would recommend to anyone.
Due to the limited number of flights in and out of Easter Island we had to choose between 36 hours in Easter Island or 5 days -- because we only have so many days in these three months we picked the 36 hours. Although we got to see most everything in the day and a half, 5 days could easily be spent on this wonderful island.
This island is one of the biggest travel surprises that we have ever experienced: first there are no big hotels or resorts...it is all small family hostels or small hotels. Second, this island is more than a few Moais, this is a beautiful place on the globe. Little beaches tucked away from the road, peaceful views, amazing volcanic craters, stunning sunsets, no tourist traffic, a great atmosphere, and affordable prices for an island!
This island is a travel MUST. If you have a chance, you must come and see the famous Moais, and enjoy an island that will surprise you with history and beauty.
We got to Easter Island in late morning, took an afternoon tour of some of the special areas. That night we went
The quarry...
Over three hundred in different stages of construction are scattered here. up to the volcano crater and watched the sunset...incredible. The next day we got a tour book, and headed out with a rental car....which is a great way to see the isalnd on a short amount of time. The number and size of the Moais on the Island will shock you. You cannot miss the quarry where over 300 Moais were in different stages of formation before being abandoned.
Jess and I don't feel like we missed anything, but we also feel like there was so much more to experience. We cannot recommend Easter Island strong enough as a pass-through or ultimate destination.
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Michelle
non-member comment
Wow
Hey guys! I miss you so crazy much!! I'm really happy that you're getting this time together, away from all of us who like to consume your time. I can't wait to see pictures. Your adventures sound beyond amazing. They sure makes my upcoming trip to KY seem dorky. ;-) Love ya!