Easter Island

Day 1: Moai

The famous Moais

After a 5 hour long flight we landed on Easter Island. It was named so because it was discovered (by Europeans) on Easter Sunday 1722. Of course there already was a Polynesian native population here. How exactly did these natives arrive on this Island is still a mystery. Polynesia may be seen as a huge triangle encompassing New Zealand in the west, Hawaii in the north and Easter Island at the extreme east. Inside this triangle lie all the other Islands we have heard about: Tonga, Samoa, Cook Islands, Iles Marquises, Tahiti, Bora Bora, Mururoa, etc. This loosely tight group of people displays the same physical features, has similar cultures, rites and cult and an insatiable love for fishing and sports in general.

Easter Island is the most isolated place on Earth where people actually live. The closest inhabited place from the Easter Island is Pitcairn Island 2075 km away (!) and has less than 100 inhabitants (the descendants of the famous Bounty mutiny). Easter island is 3510 km west of Chile, of which it is a “special territory”.  

It is possible that ancient Polynesians following migratory patterns of birds and sea turtle finally landed on this island in the 7^th or 8^th century A.D. after centuries of yearly iterations. Accounting for the fact that about 80% of their vocabulary is common to the language spoken on Mangareva, it is theorised that they came from there. Mangareva is however 2600 km away and in 1999 a scientific experiment to test the feasibility of this theory demonstrated that given only material and technology available in those days, a team of participants could reach Easter Island after 19 days of navigation.

When we got off the plane I at once had two clear feelings. The first one was that it was obvious we were in Polynesia because of the physical appearanceof the locals, their first names or name of places and the music in the airport building (very small by the way). The second feeling was that I was certain - 100% sure - that I was going to feel at home here. The vegetation was exactly like in Mauritius, the light, the blue tone of the sky, the scents, the Japanese vehicles waiting in the small parking lot, the locals bringing lots of goodies from the continent that are scarce and/or expensive on the island. After all I’ve had 19 years of training in “Islandism”!!! The only difference was that there wasn’t a huge crowd in front of the whisky section in the Duty Free shop!

We've just landed

After collecting our bags, we are greeted by Joana and her 9 year old daughter Tacona who promptly put flower garlands around our neck and lead us to their van. There, Stephen from Scotland was already seated and we introduced ourselves. We were driven to our hostel but only after Joana gave us a village tour in the van. She pointed out where we should eat out (and where not), wash our clothes or get a tattoo. The two original feelings I had were only being reinforced. We finally got to the hostel which is a nice little home with a few guest rooms. It seemed cosy and warm.

First thing we did before even unpacking was to nip down to the port and book ourselves SCUBA dives for the following day. We hear the visibility can reach up to 80m here in perfect conditions with 40m being a bad day! We have very high hopes, as I have seen very clear waters before in Mauritius and Stephen has had 2 disappointing dives in Brazil the week before.

The new South American Champions

On our way back we see three young men training on what looks to be fibre glass Polynesian one seater rowing catamaran. The rower sits in the main boat and a floater linked to the main boat by two parallel rods ensures balance. These men just came back last week as the new South Pacific and Polynesia Rowing Champions. And you could tell from their physique that they were athletes.

That evening we had a quiet dinner at home, using some of the things we brought from the mainland as we’ve been told that everything costs about twice or three times as much as on the continent. Alcohol was of course best avoided considering the dives the following morning.

Day 2 : SCUBA Diving

Henri is the young man next to Cousteau

Right after a light breakfast we made our way to the ORCA Diving Centre owned by two Frenchmen, two brothers in fact, Henri and Michel Garcia. Henri first came to island in 1978 and Michel followed in 1979. Now Henri is a fascinating man. He is born in Antibes, South of France and always loved the sea. That’s very convenient as one of their family friends was the great Jacques Cousteau himself. Cousteau took Henri Garcia under his wing since the age of 11 and taught him how to SCUBA dive, arranged for him to join the French Navy where he could perfect his diving skills in the Fusiliers Marins

Henri later joined Cousteau on his expeditions and travelled with him several times around the world for 30 odd years. That’s how he first came to the Easter Island. In the diving centre one would expect to see a lot of pictures of the expeditions with Jacques Cousteau, and they are there. There are also a few DVD’s of Nicolas Hulot’s Ushuaïa when Henri showed him around (and under!) the island and some Canal+ nature documentaries. 

That's the proof!

But the cherry on the cake was a Guinness Book Record that Henri holds. Henri Garcia is the man who has SCUBA dove at the highest altitude on earth. In 1995 for the purpose of scientific research, as well as for exploration, Henri dove in the freezing water of the Licancabur Volcano at an altitude of 5900m! I had never met a Guinness Book Record holder before … something else off my list.

Anyway we get ready for the dive and set up our bottles and BCDs. Cata is our diving instructor today. She is in her mid-20 and comes from the mainland. She is a beautiful young lady and although she seems to have a good sense of humour I resist the urge to ask her if “Cata” is short for Catastrophe! Of course it’s not, in fact I already know it’s short for Catalina. Henri told me he trained Cata himself to do expeditions in Patagonia and the Antarctic. So for Cata this dive is a piece of cake. She probably could do it with only one fin, a leaking mask and one hand tied to her bottle all the same. They give us 5mm full wet suits plus another layer waist up including hood … I think that’s a bit of an overkill as the water is at 22°C. But hey, better be safe. We choose our fins and mask and are ready to go.

Our first dive is at a Moai. These are the gigantic statues the Easter Island is known for. This one lies at a depth of 21m. Visibility this morning is estimated at 65m and therefore we’ll see it from afar. The briefing goes on for 5 more minutes. We are told we’ll go down along the anchor rope, so that makes it easier for everyone. We request to be photographed underwater and Cata brings her sealed Canon G11 (same as mine) down with us.

After only a 2 minutes boat ride we’re at the dive site, it’s a bit cloudy but no wind and almost no currents. It’s going to be very easy. All the better for air consumption (and therefore dive time) and quality of pictures. We go down and are bewildered! This is AMAZING. I have never in my life seen water so clear, well except in a swimming pool. 

That's the beast

Water in Mauritius is (clear)² but here it’s (clear)³. The reason for that is that there is almost no phytoplankton. No suspension = Excellent visibility. But the flip side is that there are hardly any fish to look at. But none of us mind, we’re just under the charm. And then here it is, we start discerning the Moai in the distance and slowly glide towards it. It’s big, about 3½ meters high and is looking up serenely towards the surface. We take a few pictures there, make our decompression stop (5meters - 3minutes) and surface. We are lost for words!

When we reach the port Henri asks us how it was, although he knows the answer already. He shows us to the showers. They are hot, that’s amazingly nice after a 40 minutes dive. We have quick tuna and shrimp “empanadas” on the go and by 2pm we’re back at the centre for our 2^nd magic moment of the day.

Entrance to the Cathedral

The second dive as briefed by Cata is the Cathedral. No it’s not a cathedral per se, which fell in the sea after an earthquake or something. It is a geologic formation where you have to dive under a ridge through an opening and swim back up into the structure. This time Cata gives Stephen and I 15L bottles filled at 200 bars. That way we are sure to be able to enjoy the Cathedral even if we need to wait several minutes at the entrance. Roxana’s air consumption is low so she keeps her 12L bottle. We get into the boat and ride for 10 minutes. We arrive at the site, gear up and submerge.

Those formations are impressive

Visibility this afternoon is 70 meters and we are quick to spot the Cathedral. There is one “window” that opens up in the “roof” close to the surface and light comes in from there. There a several small opening down in the structure and we enter through one of those. If conditions are bad (like a choppy sea or big waves) water gushes in through the holes and can shoot an inexperienced diver up like a bullet and out of this top “window”. As none of us want to be the next Canon Man/Woman, we obediently allow Cata to go in first and inspect the inside of the structure. She gives us the go ahead and we swim in. It is absolutely beautiful and we realise how lucky we are to be here.

Taking the mask off for the picture

Once the dive is over, we go back home and make ourselves a nice big pasta bowl with Bolognese sauce. Well that was the intention but as we did not have enough tomato sauce, I quickly turned it into a “Spaghetti al ragu”. Anyway it was a hearty homemade meal that hit the spot!

For more amazing pics on our SCUBA Dives

Day 3 : Tour and Dance Show

     

The third day on the island was going to be a long one. We agreed for Christian, a cousin of Joana our landlady to take us around the island on tour. Christian is in his mid-thirties and like many young people these days has gone to Santiago for his studies. He lived there for 6 years and holds a degree in anthropology. So it was an unusual but learned approach to the tour that we got that day. He also understood much better the socio-economics of Easter Island in its relation to Chile.

Jumping into the sea from the lowest point in front

We started the tour by going up to the nearest of the three volcanoes that are on the island. It was beautiful and there he told us about the birdman contest that took place once a year on the island till 1878. Each one of the dozen tribes would send their champion. It would often be the chief, but it could be any representative from the tribe. They would stay confined at the volcano site waiting for migratory birds to come to an islet 1.5 km offshore to lay their only egg. When the birds arrive to that islet, the race began and they would all run down the volcano and jump into the pacific, swim the 1.5km to the islet and look for that egg. It could take man only a few hours to locate the prize or sometimes it would be a week before they found one. During that time they would have to fish, make their fire and sleep in the open on that small islet. Once they got an egg they had to swim back and deliver it intact to the king of the island. The first man to accomplish that would have special privileges for one year as would his tribe.

And you know what they did with the egg? Well they kept it and saw it through to the birth of the chick. They would raise him till it could fly and tattoo one of its feet a message to the Gods to send more birds the next year! They would then release it, thinking they were returning it to the sender!

Moais from the quarry

We then went to the actual quarry where they sculpted these giants. They would actually cut a statue in one piece from solid rock. Once finished they cut the multi-ton statue out of the rock and transport it over several kilometres to their site of display.

The moais are always looking away from the sea and onto whom they were supposed to protect. Many of them are fallen, some by natural catastrophe like an earthquake but others through inter tribal wars and and their display of superiority. We went to a site where 15 of them are standing once again thanks to a restoration program from the Japanese government.

There are still about 4 meters buried in the ground 

Pretty nice beach

In the afternoon Christian brought us to a wonderful beach where we could relax a little bit. We had a swim, we sunbathed a little (I hid in the shadow J) and we were picked up a couple of hours later. That evening we had decided to go to a local dance show and wanted to have a bite before in a restaurant close by.

We took Joana’s advice and went to the Kanahau. The restaurant has great location, it is only 100 meters from home and is also next door neighbours with the dance venue! You would have guessed that Hanga Roa, that’s the name of the only town on the island, is not big. 

Cooked to perfection - I rest my case

We are sat down and Roxana orders a tuna steak “a punto” and I order a Ceviche de la Casa (raw fish salad). The plates arrive and our eyes pop out! Roxana’s tuna steak is enormous… in fact there is not one but two of them. My Ceviche is huge too with the main constituent being tuna fish chunks. Anywhere else I would be served with white fish but noooooooooo, here tuna is the poor man’s fish. Roxana’s tuna is cooked to perfection and my ceviche is to die for. Our wines marry well with the food. Stephen is also happy with his choice of a sea food sauteed noodle.

After genuinely struggling to finish our meals, (Roxana gave up and I’ve had to help her, poor me) we walk the 10 meters to the show venue. We choose adequately elevated seats and get our camera out. We chose this show over another one in town because this one was supposed to be more authentic: the original rhythm, everything unplugged. I’m curious. I like the Polynesian rhythm but I wonder if it will be what I am hoping for. Let the show begin.

The ladies set the tone

The musicians, between 5 and 9 of them depending on the piece, are sitting at the back on a slightly elevated platform. 6 beautiful young women storm onto stage and start shaking and swinging their hips. They are dressed in traditional dance attire and their arms, hands heads and eyes move in harmony with the music. It’s beautiful to look at. And so far so good for the rhythm too. 

Response from the men - that's the rower

Then after 3 minutes the guys come in. They are muscle bulging, baby oiled, tattooed men who have incredible rhythm and move with great gusto around the scene. At first everyone is a little stunned by how good they look. Don’t get me wrong, the girls are beautiful but the guys all seem to be working out for the Olympics or something! As a matter of fact I recognise one of them from the port the first day. He is one of their champion rowers.

The dance show is excellent, professional and the rhythm is just what I like. Sometimes it gets very warlike with very aggressive gestures from the men. Remember this is the culture that performs the Haka, the famous war dance. It’s a very small venue, they fit only about 100 people in so they are right in your face most of the time.

Oh I forgot to mention I went up there too. 

The show lasts just under 90 minutes. I’m relieved that the group of 4 girls next to us behaved till the end. They were going absolutely crazy whenever the guys were on stage and I think it would have been hard to stop them had they decided to make a run for it and storm the stage. Funny but I was kind of hoping they would do it. Had my camera ready just in case.

More baby oil pics ? --> Kari Kari Dance Show

Day 4:Renting Bikes

Yellow Guavas - red flesh and juicy

On day 4 we decided to rent a couple of bikes. Easter Island is only 163km² and to get across it through the centre is about 18km. That day we bike all the way to the other side of the island where the beautiful beach is. The first 12km are all going up and we climb slowly. Along the way we stop regularly for water or picture breaks. There are so many wild horses on the island, it is beautiful. Also the guavas invite me to stop every now and then. They are yellow, big, plump and sweet. They are everywhere … I’ve never seen so many at once.

Taking it easy

When we’ve reached the top, it’s a 15 minutes downhill ride to the beach. We find ourselves a spot in the shade and relax for a bit. We go into the water several times and eat our picnic in between two dips. Roxana really likes it because it’s warm, sunny and there is the sea. There are Moais and coconut trees set against the different tones of blue of the lagoon and sky. It looks unreal.

We bike back the exact same route and suffer the first 6km up to the highest point, after which it’s a long easy ride down. We stop to take (prohibited) pictures in front of a discrete, almost concealed NASA facility. After WWII the Americans kept a keen interest in Chile’s Easter Island due to its strategic position in the Pacific. It could be used as an advanced warning post.

That's the NASA facility

Then in the 1960’s they helped build a top quality runway in place of the landing. It was built so that it could be used as an emergency landing runway for the NASA’s Space Shuttle (at the time still on the drawing boards) in case they had no other choice. I’m guessing it might also be used for emergency landings for USAF AWACS or large refuelling crafts flying over the vast spans of the Pacific Ocean during the Cold War.

Anyway when we got back to the village we went straight to our favourite ice-cream place to have our daily dose of a two scoops treat. These scoops were enormous and the flavours kept changing every day due to the fact they were so popular. That day we got Swiss Chocolate and Strawberry chip. Gorgeous!

We mustered the courage to climb back on our bikes (we had done 40km already) to go admire the sunset from atop a small cliff nearby. With the moais in the foreground and the sun setting into the Pacific Ocean in the background it must be quite a sight. We’ve seen some pictures posted on other blogs and we want to get our own.

It’s 8.15pm when get there and sure enough there are a few other tourists waiting. By 8.35pm the sun has turned orange and doubled in size and now along with the amassing crowd of tourists there are a dozen locals too. Some people have brought a bottle of wine, others are simply sitting on the grass waiting for this daily miracle to happen. 

And we’re not disappointed. The sky turns orange, more or less in the direction of Australia, and the rest of it remains pale blue. We are all snapping away. Then the clouds opposite the setting sun turn pink and then down right reddish purple. Amazing.

Day 5. Tour of the South of the Island

All alone ...

When we wake up that day, renting the bikes for two days in a row seems like a baaaad idea. We’re aching and the thought of sitting on this hard saddle through the rocky dirt roads is not appealing. We nevertheless leave our hostel after the fantastic breakfast and take the southern coastal road.

Beautiful scenery

The weather is gorgeous and we have a great time biking halfway around the island. We see the beautiful Pacific Ocean crashing against the cliffs of Easter Island. Some cliffs reach heights of 300 meters and are impressive. After about 3 hours we reach the same beach we’ve visited the two previous days. When we get there I snap a few shots of the turquoise lagoon through the coconut trees. There isn’t anyone yet on the beach and I can see what some allied soldiers described as paradise when, after hellish battles, they were stationed on the Pacific Islands during WWII.

We spend a few hours here and eventually the beach fills up. It’s Saturday so there are plenty of locals too. They come in great numbers with foldable chairs and table, picnics and industrial quantities of drinks. Some light BBQs and grill away! This is so much like Mauritius.

By the time we get home we’ve biked a healthy 52km and I’ve got a second layer of tan which usually only happens to me when I’m skiing. You can actually see the lighter patches around my eyes due to the sunglasses. Of course we get our daily ice cream and get ready for Saturday night on the island.

Group Kari Kari

That evening we had planned to go to the first edition of the Rapa Nui (that’s the original native name of the island) Music Festival. We have a quick dinner at home in the company of the Swiss couple counting amongst the guests and leave for the party. We had arranged to meet the very nice Danish family (also guests here) at the festival. Uffe and Pernille are out already and Uffe’s daughter Jennifer, instead of coming with us (too old), will be picked up by a cousin of our host to hit the clubs.

 

From L to R : Taru, Fox, Roxana, Pernille, Uffe

All the main local bands are performing tonight and we get again plenty of the local rhythm. I love it. I notice quite a few dancers from the dance show we went to on Thursday. They performed tonight as well and look to be in the mood for some more partying. And then we meet Fox, another diving instructor at Henri’s dive centre. He’s from Toronto, Canada and after travelling the world for two years, decided to stay here. That was 4 years ago. I can’t blame him, I’ve had a feeling of homecoming since I set foot on this tarmac, and this type of place can really entrance someone. So many souls looking for a new place they can call home end up in places like this.

We have a great time and Fox stays with us all night and gives some inside information on this and that band, their former names, when they split and why and when they got together again. Plus he gives a few juicy gossips on who did what/who (I’m biting my lip here not to say more). On an island of only 5000 inhabitants news travel fast.

Having a feel for the local rhythm

Anyway we nip down to the supermarket (which closes at midnight) and get some more beers. Henri's son and daughter from the dive centre are singing last. When they come upstage they start jamming away in Spanish, Rapa Nui (the native language is also called like this) and French. Luti, the son sings some rap of his own. When the concert is over at around 1a.m. we think about making our way back home. But Fox is determined not to let this happen. He drags us into a local bar where a live band is playing local music. Everyone is either sipping a drink or dancing. I glace at a table in the middle and 8 tourists are sitting there. Other than that I think everyone else here is local. I try some sega steps and it somehow blends in. Some of the locals look at me, amused but the bar owner who’s making sure everyone’s having a good time gives me two thumbs up …so I continue for a little while.

Roxana enjoying receiving specialist advice on her dance technique

There is a Sunday mass at 9a.m. and we genuinely thought about attending part of it just because it is in Rapa Nui but obviously we have now a daunting choice to make: go home now to attend mass in the morning or stay out. After about 3 milliseconds of mind bending, we decide to stay out! We dance with some locals and learn a few steps from them. We say bye to Fox, go home and have a shower to get rid of the cigarette smell. Bars on the island have yet to become non-smoking.

Day 6: Walk to Lava Tubes

We wake up on Sunday morning around 9.30a.m. as planned. We quickly get dressed and go leave the bikes at the rental place. From there we walk to the Tattoo place as Roxana is considering getting one. It’s closed. We’ll come back tomorrow. Then we go back home for a welcomed breakfast before heading out on a walk.

We decided to take it easy that day and only go to caves, lava tubes to be specific, about 5km away. It takes us a little over an hour to walk there. The lava tubes start about 40 meters from the cliff edge and run underground till they open up into two wide gashes on the face of the cliff about 60 meters above the crashing waves. It’s beautiful and scary at the same time. After this little visit we walk back home and get ready for dinner.

Beautiful setting for a restaurant

Having already checked that the restaurant Miro was open we head back there. This is the second time we're taking Joana's advice on restaurants. We will not be disappointed. It's a nice wooden house across the beautiful cemetery overlooking the bay and the sunset. I order a Risotto Fruta Del Mar and Roxana a Ceviche with catch of the day only after having made certain that there are no onions in it. And guess what the catch of the day is … yes tuna! Bless this island.

Miam miam!

My Risotto, although prepared with normal rice is exquisite. There are scallops, shrimps, chunks of tuna and a strong flavoured soft cheese. Roxana’s tuna ceviche is a treat too. There is some coriander and mint, coconut milk, coarse salt and just the right amount of freshly pressed lemon juice. Again the house red and white wines are perfect to accompany the dishes.

It suddenly strikes us that we are leaving the Easter Island the next day. We have a small lump in our throat. We could easily stay here a week or two longer. And even if most of the visits have been done we could just take surf lessons, do some more diving, lie at the beach and enjoy some more of the local cuisine. We hold this thought for a few minutes, ask for the bill and leave.

Day 7 : Tattoo and go!

That morning we still had many things to do. We woke up in a hurry as I had to go to the dive centre. I  told Fox I would bring him the pictures and videos of the music festival in exchange for some Rapa Nui music. I catch them before their first dive and manage to bid everyone farewell: Henri, Cata, Fox and Luti.

Then I run back home as we need to have breakfast, print out our boarding passes (we checked-in online) and Roxana still wants to go have a look in the tattoo place. I still have to pay Joana for our stay and pack my bags. All of this has to be done before 12-noon. The plane leaves at 2pm.

We arrive at the Tattoo place and there are two girls ahead of us but fortunately they are both here only to get a tattoo finished so it gives Roxana the half hour she needed to skim through the hundreds of designs possible. She’s now positive that she wants a small tattoo on her right ankle and has opted for the drawing. We are invited into the small room where the tattoo guy makes his art. It’s all perfectly sanitised and professional. He cleans the couch on which Roxana has to lie, prepares all the equipment and opens the packet with a fresh needle in front of us.

After we’ve asked a few questions and made sure it’s fine to go trekking in Patagonia straight away he takes a pen and starts drawing on Roxana’s ankle. Then he starts tattooing. The whole thing takes less than 10 minutes and Roxana seems happy it did not drag along. He instructs us on how to take care of it in the next week (no direct sunlight, cream applied daily, washing instructions and the likes).

We get back home, finish packing and say our final goodbyes to Maria the housekeeper who's been a darling to us during our stay. It’s time for Joana to drive us to the airport. It’s only 3 minutes in the van to get there. We are on time to watch the incoming Jumbo jet land. 

Anyway we check our bags in and leave Easter Island with heavy hearts but with the promise of new adventures in Patagonia.

More pictures on Easter Island