Or how I survived a Tsunami on Rapa Nui 😉
Ottawa 🛬 Toronto 🛬 Bogota 🛬 Santiago 🛬 Rapa Nui 🗿🛬 Fiji
First half of my vacation was down to Santiago then on to Easter Island. Santiago is nice, it was cloudy and foggy so the view of the Andes & Mordor wasn’t the best. Went to Parque Metropolitano de Santiago did the sights. Rode the train, the cable car, saw the Santuario Cerro San Cristóbal. Walked around the neighborhood at the base.
Full Chile photo gallery here
Now for Rapa Nui / Easter Island / Isla de Pascua!
So first thing, I’ve seen lots of people ask how long should you stay. I did five days, I should have done two weeks. The island is amazing. Not only are the Moai and the national park amazing, but there are also beautiful beaches. You can go Scuba Diving, snorkeling, paddle boarding, kayaking or watch sunsets & sunrises. The restaurants range from great to amazing. My new favorite restaurants in the world are Kai Oporto Restaurant Peruano & Mamma Nui.
The main reason everyone goes to Rapa Nui is to see the Moai heads. There are many sites that are not restored and still have knocked down and broken Moai. The quarry has the most Moai with almost 400 in various states from still being cut out to fallen over and broken during “the walk”.
When you get to a place like Ahu Tongariki, it is mind blowing. The restored 15 heads, the size of them, the history, makes the 12,000+km journey totally worth it.
At one site in the park, Ahu Vinapu, the platform has stonework that is just like the stone work of Saqsaywaman in Cusco Peru. It’s hard not to make the connection that someone from Rapa Nui went to Peru, or someone from Peru visited Rapa Nui. It seems totally plausible the technique was shared or witnessed.
Full Rapa Nui Gallery here
Some things to know before you go, not a big deal, just be prepared.
– You can’t get on the island without a return ticket & proof of accommodation.
– You need to buy a very cheap park pass good for 10 days
– You can only visit the park with a guide or in a group.
Tsunami day! On Tuesday night I was in a restaurant with a couple of fellow travelers, when one read the news and warning of the Tsunami hitting the island. I balked thinking we were way to far from the source to be worried. Then early morning the warning alerts came in. I got up, went to the hotel lobby but no one was around, the other guests were just ignoring the alerts – so I went back to bed.
Later that morning the hotel manager came by & told us the town was shut down, all trips were canceled and roads were closed. Yassar a fellow traveler in the hotel & I decide to see what we could see…
We walked down the road & were greeted with blocked off roads & then the Chilean Police. We turned around & then found one of the side roads that go down to the waterfront was now unguarded … We went down and spent a while at Ahu Tahai. Looking in at the town we could see the entire waterfront was evacuated & there was no one around, or so we thought.
A couple girls form our hotel had joined us so we decided to walk into town. The waterfront was evacuated & we thought we were alone until we were greeted by the Marine Police at Caleta Hanga Roa. We got a little scolding but were allowed to stay on the corner & watch the surge. I and a few other locals watched a few surges hit & recorded videos.
With half the town shut down I walked up to the tattoo parlor & got some new ink.
Then just because it’s cool. I walked up to the worlds most remote brewery Mahina. I met Brewmaster Axo, got a tour, tried some beers talked about the island and had a great time.
The town has many stone carvings tucked into all kinds of places. Some are historic pieces and some are new and recreations.
At Ahu Tahai in Hanga Roa sunset watching is the thing to do. It’s a site in the town so easily walkable and you don’t need a guide or park pass.
The next guided trip was to the Volcano at Rano Kau. This is where Tangata manu (bird man) competition was held. This a long extinct volcano where the Rapa Nui would swim out to an island to get an egg, if the first to return with it, it hatch was named Tangata manu for the year. In the 60s a Canadian discovered a bacteria, only found in this volcano that turns out to have surprising Cancer treatment benefits called Rapamycin
And the animals on this island… they all roam free. Horses, Dogs, Cats & Chickens, its pretty amazing but you do have to watch where you step.
And lastly just some pictures from walking around Hanga Roa. What a great Island, town & people.
So the trip so far;
– Approximately 12,800 km traveled distance
– 5 Airports
– 2 hotels
– 1 new tattoo
