Why the hell not...?????

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How do you take a vacation that includes a lot of things you've always wanted to do but never expected to be able to do even better...? Do another one!Convinced by the author of Footprints Chile that we really shouldn't miss it and Lan Chile is a good deal, we decided to go back more than 4000 km. From the Pacific Ocean to Easter Island (Isla de Pascua as the Chileans know it). I didn't even realize it was Chilean territory until recently.As a tourist destination it is quite a remote place...nearest neighbor is the Pitcairn Islands about 2000 km away...how would a Polynesian or European explorer ever find this that place (not the idea of ​​going back home) is incomprehensible to me.I imagined since I was a child that I would see this place one day, although I really did not expect that I would have the chance. . In fact, standing outside the airport to see the first Moai statue (the big heads the place is famous for) made no difference. At least it didn't rain.If we hadn't spent time planning this, we would have been at the mercy of the islanders offering accommodation at the airport and managed to choose the wrong one. A lovely old lady offered a double room with a private bathroom for a reasonable price, but when we got to her place - what a surprise - all the rooms matching the description were 'booked for tomorrow'... Hmmm. A spare room with chickens and use of the family bathroom didn't cut the mustard, so we packed our heavy bags and left the very disgruntled liar home. Luckily a nice taxi driver (no doubt needing a tip from a lady to get us what we wanted) spotted us and helped us out. All good.We were in the capital Hangeroa (everyone stays in Hangeroa... the only town) about 15 minutes walk from the airport and 5 minutes from the beach, so after a shower we wandered down to explore the rest of the town and our first encounter with the local tourist attractions - the Moai. n nAt a walking distance from the town, there are quite a few impressive Moai statues perched above the jagged cliffs of the Pacific Ocean. pointing inward to the center of this magnificent volcanic island. The moai, damaged by humans or even tsunamis over the years, give the place a very mysterious atmosphere. God knows what the first European explorers must have noticed about this place when they got there.The next day we got organized and rented a jeep to see the rest of the island. 20km or so, shouldn't be too long of a day and the sun was shining on us most of the time...guess who didn't wear enough sunscreen?? Following the coast from the airport we were lucky to have a 4x4 - as with most things here, tarmac has to be transported and for a few years there didn't seem to be a boat in town. When I was riding, I was fine, I had the bike locked; Laura took the worst hits and a few bruises from her ordeal.We must have passed several ruined Moai on the first part of the route - the local tourist maps are a bit inaccurate and the roadside signs look like Australia. good But we enjoyed special memories, especially the quarry where most of the moa were probably carved and where, incredibly, they were transported across the island. Here you will find several hundred Moai in various forms of transport, construction or burial (heads sticking out of the ground, etc.). Since the statues were "born", there is something graveyard-like about the place... even suspended animation. Historians speculate that a lack of funds or local disputes caused these ancient activities to suddenly stop almost overnight.Another notable site was the famous row of 15 giant moas on their pier by the sea. This place was very special and spectacular and I was glad that the wide angle lens allowed me to capture it all in one photo. All I can say is that it's the kind of place you just walk into and stand in awe.A little way down the road we found one of the two beaches on the island (and luckily one with a public toilet ), where another group of moa stands that were buried in the sand for years until they were found again. They sit perfectly next to the nearby palm trees and would make a great photo if the sand wasn't constantly flowing on the beach and over their bottoms. No wonder they were buried when no one was looking!On the third day, the sun stopped shining and it started raining. How different this trip could be. When it rains, Easter Island is a gloomy place. Fortunately, the "curator" at the local museum was kind enough to take us out in the rain 20 minutes after we paid to go to a really interesting museum. It would be nice if we were told before going in that the place closes for 2 hours for lunch. The 20 minute walk back into town was wet and miserable. Arriving in town, we were even sadder to realize that everywhere else in this tourist mecca seemed to be closed for lunch - even the lunch places and especially and inexplicably the cafes.Sorry to ramble on, but really... .Blessed with the last bit of sunshine, we walked on the road up the volcano near the town, following the local Alsatian who had adopted us in the morning. We heard that the crater.

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