South America Part 1

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Ola! Some serious recapping to do here, you will be pleased to note. Firstly, I forgot to mention how Orla and I met. I was just returning from my walk along Lake Tekapo, when I bumped into Jill chatting to this girl outside. AS I sat down, she says "Ola!" I looked at her a bit puzzled, wondering why she'd said that and thought immediately that Jill must have told her that I was going to S America. So I put up my hand in a salute and said "Ola!" back. She looked at me like I was completely weird and then said, "no my NAME IS ORLA!!!" Well I did laugh, but was genuinely surprised that no-one else had ever mistaken her introduction as a Spanish greeting. We then got drunk and consolidated our new friendship.

Our trip to the airport for our flight to Auckland was relatively uneventful, except for the fact that Orla was in some considerable pain, having done a window sill squat, which entailed trying to put a sock on whilst leaning on the window sill, sliding down and landing rather heavily on her arse, jarring her back. (I wish id been there, but was in the middle of a blazing row with senior management of Stonehurst hostel after they were refusing to give me some money towards my food which their faulty fridge had frozen to death. It was a sad loss.)

The flight was comfortable as we secured emergency exit seats and took our safety responsibility seriously by glancing at the emergency exit door knob and assuring ourselves that we'd just get someone else to open it for us before we then legged it out first in the case of emergency. It was an emotional farewell, but at least I'd prepared a schedule of Oz for Orla for the next 6 months! Jean met me at the airport and off we went...to the hospital to get my pelvis x-rayed! I know.I know. Only me! But it gave me the opportunity to check out the medical service here and it is very good. It's subsidised, as its part of the Commonwealth. I was seen by a doctor, x-rayed and given the all clear with tablets, all within 30 minutes and it cost me NZ$30! Bargain.

I then spent the next day packing, re-packing and buying painkillers, immodium, first aid kit and other necessities for S America and some flowers for Jean, Francie ad Sarah. I was getting very excited. I also thought I'd indulge in a small bag of muesli and a lime for my bottled water. All good to go. Jean dropped me off at the airport. I checked in. We were delayed by 4 hours. Great. I discovered the roof top viewing area of the airport to see the aircraft landing and taking off, which never fails to fill me with wonder. It falls a little thin though when you only see 1 aircaft landing or taking off every 30 minutes. Auckland is not the busiest of airports by any stretch of the imagination!

Finally on board my first experience of LAN and not bad I have to say. Good separate entertainment consoles etc, but anyway, a few diazies and off to snoozeland in the rather comfortable seats. 12 hours later I arrived In Santiago Chile. I was actually in Chile! WOW! Passport control, stamp, no problem. All smiles I put my bags through the x-ray machine. Problem! Big Problem! The customs woman nearly had a coronary. She grabbed my bags and hauled them in front of me, shouting at me in Spanish as I loked on rather surprised. I thought I've got nothing. No liquids, no sharp implements, nothing! I'd learnt from my mistakes. She insistently fumbled around my bags as I looked on completley puzzled and she then found what she was looking for......."Limao" she cried pulling it from my bag like a prize. A lime? Are you serious? She was serious. Very serious. She then dived into my bag again. I thoght Lordy, what now and was in disbelief as she then pulled out my muesli. OHMYGOD! So what now I asked by shrugging my shoulders thinking she would just keep them and id be on my way. Oh no. Documents were produced. A customs man armed with a gun arrived and I was escorted to a room where I was made to sit with my bags and wait. Crikey. So I waited and watched everyone else safely put through their bags and collect them and go on their way, whicle I was left to quietly comtemplate my crime. And it was indeed a crime. I was called in to this room where 4 armed cutoms officers were. I was questioned about my smuggling of the 1 lime and 1 ounze of muesli. I confessed that I had no idea they were contraband. They were purely for me to eat and to flavour my water. They said they took these crimes very seriously. It was then that I looked down and saw a note stuck to the desk which said maximum penalty US$4000! Oh shit. Erm, it was my first time in Chile. I am a stupid traveller. I am sorry and smiled pathetically at them. They smiled at my honesty and said they believed me and were only going to fine me the minimum. Oh good...erm how much was that? 34000 chilean pesos...about £45! for a bloody lime and muesli! shit again. i said i had no money, but that was Ok they'd escort me to the cashier. oh well, at least it gave me an opportunity to get some cash out. I was escorted by armed guard and back again. Signed affidavits which were all in Spanish and I had no idea what they were but was assured that I was just agreeing that I had broken the law and was paying for my crime. Oh Ok then. I was then free to go. The woman then asked whether I would like to see the items destroyed!?! Yeah why the hell not? So she took me over to this area where she chopped up the lime, not without some considerable vigour, poured out the muesli and pured ink all over them and put them in this huge bin. She assured me that they would all be taken out at the end of the day, along with another 250 kilos of confiscated goods and ritually burnt. Gosh, they were not joking around here! I said I was satisfied that they would not be recycled, smiled and went on my way.

Outside the airport, there was obviously barely anyone around by this time and managed to get a bus (Transbus) to my YHA hostel. I was only here for a night before I then had to go back to the airport, god help me and food free, to get my flight to Easter Island. Back at the airport the next day, I was hoping for less hassle, but believe it or not, this wasnt the case. The thing with Easter Island is that it is a domestic flight from Chile, but international if you then want to go to Tahiti and it is not clear at which area of the departure lounge you leave from, as of course its the same flight. It also transpired that the airport staff were not that sure either and meant that I and 2 americans traipsed all over the sodding airport from international to domestic and back again before we were finally able to get on the flight! I dunno.

6 hours later and I arrived in Easter island. It was just beautiful. Lovely thatched airport, awash with colour from the surrounding flowers which stretched as far as the eye can see. You couldnt help but just relax and grin. I was on a mystical island in the middle of the Pacific, thousands of miles from anywhere. Fantastic.

I was met as promised by Rodrigaz from the Easter Island YHA, with a garland of fragrant flowers. My bag was collected instantly and off we went. We drove around the area to show me where everything was, which took all of 10 minutes and I promptly forgot everything anyway, I was so tired and it was at night. I arrived at the hostel, unpacked and slept.

The next day, I arranged for a sight seeing tour of the island to take in the archeological sights of the Moai, which was the reason i was here. You can see for yourselves the pictures. They really are magical. Briefly, it is believed by some, that the island was populated by the Moaris from New Zealand (rather than from Chile). They were called the Long ears (as they had long ears). They had slaves, called the short ears (as they had short ears). They were simple in their naming. The long ears had chieftains of their various tribes throughout the island and when they died, they went along to the quarry of volcanic rock, where the short ears toiled day in, day out, mining and carving these huge statues and simply chose whichever one they wanted. The bigger, the better and more important the chieftain was. They were then carried (they do not know how) to their position and then regarded to embody the spirit of the chieftain and revered. They always were on the coastline of the island but always looked inwards towards the villages as protection.

There was then an uprising by the short ears who, presumably got bored of making these Moais and beat the long ears and slavery was abolished. White man then came and started to steal, knock over and generally destry the Moais. Over the years many have fallen into disrepair or still lie buried underground in the area of the quarry. The island is literally littered with fallen Moai, either in pieces or face down and is such a shame for something so majestical to be treated with such disregard. This beautiful island is truly very magical and the day was very special.

The following day I went on a dive, which was great fun. When we came back to shore, it was raining and it just got heavier and heavier, which meant that I was forced to read and chill out for a day, goddam! i was very grateful as I had been travelling and on the go no-stop for about 3 days! I had arranged to attend the traditional Rapa Nui feast and dancing that night, which was very like the Maori hungi, where the food is cooked in the earth with hot stones and was delicious and met some really lovely people who helped me with my Spanish... es putre madre....ahem! Great night.

The next day was my last and I only had time to get up with my hangover and get my stuff together quickly, get my lift to the airport, grab a quick Moai wood carving as a souvenir and get on the plane back to Sabtiago, (for the 3rd time) ensuring I had no food whatsoever, even if it meant starving, which inevitably it did! I went back to the YHA for another single night, to then return to the airport again the next day for my flight to Rio. So far, I had spent most of my time in Chile in the airport and most of that, in Customs! Anyway, Rio, here I come!

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