Blogs from Hanga Roa, Easter Island, Chile, South America

A note from Merry Jo: As children we see things that leave an impact on us for life. Our imaginations can run wild after seeing a photograph or hearing a story. How we process that information depends on our creative side and the imagery created with our minds. I remember very distinctly sitting on the floor of the den in my childhood home five decades ago looking at multiple National Geographic magazines. One that stood out featured photos of the carved stones on Rapa Nui often referred to as Easter Island. I knew someday I would arrive in this mysterious land that is isolated from the world. To get there you fly to Santiago, Chile and then fly 2200 miles (5 hours) over the ocean to this remote island. As I walked down the airplane staircase ... read more

M - Easter Island really is a long way from anywhere … Easter Island is one of those places neither of us ever dreamed we would visit. As young kids we both had seen the pictures of the Moai Statues looking out to sea that the island is famous for. Never did either of us ever think we would visit the island of Rapa Nui as it is known locally. Getting to Easter Island - we knew it was a long, long way away, a big thanks to friends Robin and Adam for convincing us earlier this year that it really was worth the trip! Some mention of great Pisco Sours I believe? I don’t think it really hit either of us just how far out into the Pacific Ocean this island actually is until we ... read more

Given that we were due to fly out from Santiago the following morning we chose to overnight at an airport hotel. The taxi driver who took us from the bus station had quoted us a rough price but couldn't be exact as the taxi was metered. In fairness, he tried so hard to get us there within the price range he had indicated that I think we broke all land speed records and he was only a couple of thousand pesos over at the end. He earned his tip! The Hotel Diego de Almagro did exactly what it said on the tin, even providing a reasonably priced and very tasty evening meal when airport hotels usually realise they have a captive audience and charge the earth. The complementary breakfast set us up for the day the ... read more

I'd never been anywhere as remote as Easter Island (Isla de Pascua/Rapa Nui). It's the most remote inhabited Island in the world (the flight was 5 hours from mainland Chile and we crossed two time zones to get there). The closest inhabited neighbour is Pitcairn Island, 2075 km (1289 miles) away with just 100 inhabitants. The minute you land you realise this place is very different. Actually before you land; we flew past the island and took a large u-turn to line up with the runway. The pilot needed to get it right as the runway ended and the Pacific Ocean began about 15 foot from where we stopped. The airport resembled a beach hut, the passport control were nowhere to be seen and we were adorned with fresh floral necklaces as we arrived...I could see ... read more

There are a few things that I really like about Easter Island. One of these things is the fact that, since you're in such a small place, even tourists become locals. I mean when there's only like 4 places to eat, you're bound to get to know some people. That happened today during breakfast when I went into the same place as yesterday and the same lady brought me the same food. I wished her the first hasta manana of the day, or see you tomorrow. It also happened tonight, when I went back to my favorite little coffee shop, the one with the retriever, who's name I learned is blanco. Had the same thing: an Americano, or straight black coffee, and told the guy I'll see him tomorrow night. Hasta Manana. The other thing about ... read more