Santiago - Easter Island

11 March, we flew from Calama, Chile to Santiago, to overnight before catching the  morning LAN Chile flight to Easter Island. The flight down took us over the western slopes of the Andes, and lots of mining country, with open-pit and hillside mines. Chile is the world's largest copper producer, and most will remember the August, 2010 drama of the rescue of 33 miners trapped underground in a mine in the Atacama desert. The mountains are very pretty, with lots of colour in shades of red, purple, yellow, green, grey and black according to the mineral constitution. Most of what we overflew was well above tree line, so the colour was all rock.

Mountains north of Santiago, Chile

Arrival in Santiago was uneventful, but we did have an issue to deal with. Our air conditioning had failed leaving Iquique a few days earlier. We met another owner of the same type of aircraft who lives in Santiago, and as it happened he and a partner had a maintenance computer, which is required for some types of repair. In our case, we figured the problem was stuck Vapour Cycle System doors, which open to provide ventilation to the condensor when the AC is operating. The repair would require unsticking the electro-mechanical actuators, and re-calibrating the door positions. After discharging passengers and baggage to the neaby airport hotel, The tour Guy and I did a short low-altitude flight across the city to the little airport where the computer owner parked. With the help of him and his crew, we were indeed able to perform the necessary magic to make it all work, and get out the airport before it closed for darkness. Thanks, guys! Another demonstration of the supportive aviation community.

Supper and sleep at the airport hotel, then in the a.m. walk across the street to catch the Easter Island flight, which we had been told was delayed :45 to 10:45.  Accordingly we dallied an extra half hour before heading for check-in. to be told the flight was closed. Apparenty you must check in by the time required by the scheduled departure, not the delayed one. After some pleading and explanation we were allowed to proceed, and all went well other than some seat-assignment glitches. The flight is about 4 1/2 hours into the South Pacific, and Easter Island (so named by the Dutch captain who "discovered" it on Easter Sunday, 1722) . is about as far as one can get from a mainland continent. Our accomodation is another Explora resort, the Explora Rapa Nui.

Arrived at the airport at Hanga Roa, the major settlement  on the island of Rapa Nui, and were met and hung with leis by the staff from the lodge, then transported to our home for the next few days. The lodge has a central wing with dining, bar, and lounge areas, and two wings with accomodations. Philosophy is similar to Atacama, but the place is much smaller, with room for perhaps 60 or so. We felt like the only guests during our stay.

We did our first tour shortly after arrival, with a hike to the "cliffs and caves". This was our introduction to the cultural history and geography of the island, with our guide, Gina. Fist stop was a restored Moai (the famous stone statues), with seven of the megaliths standing on a platform.

The seven Moai at Ahu Akivi, Easter Island

The original settlers are thought to have arrived on Rapa Nui sometime between 700 and 1300 AD, from other Polynesian islands. The Moia are thought to be representations of revered ancestors, erected overlooking the habitations of the living to provide protection and guidance. Originally they were fitted with eyes of white coral with obsidian pupils, but most of these were removed and the statues toppled during civil wars between the 16th and 19th centuries. The population of the island is thought to have numbered as high as 17,000 or more at one time, but overpopulation and probable environmental change, including erosion caused by deforestation, made the population unsustainable, and civil strife ensued. The megalithic ancestor worship culture changed to a more spirit based (MakeMake) cult in the 16th. century. The new order included the "Birdman" cult, whereby the leader or spiritual conduit was chosen through a vigorous competition carried out among representatives of the contenders. They had to cliff dive, swim, carry an egg... Our visit and learning time was short, and unfortunately much of the oral history was lost by depradations in the 1860's, including slave raids, smallpox, tuberculosis, etc. when the population of less than 5,000 at the time was reduced to only 111.

 Our walk continued along the cliffsides, where we saw remnants of the old population, including foundations for houses, greenhouses (no glass, rather just protection from wind and salt spray), chicken houses (chickens were the primary meat source, and the stone houses were completely closed structures, with only one small hole for the chickens to enter for sleeping at night. No weasels or other predators), lava tube caves, with openings to the seaside cliffs, and lots of horses and cattle. The human population currently numbers about 5,000, and were were told that the equines number about 6,000. Most carry brands, few or none are gelded (lots of foals), and they largely wander free, grazing on grasses between the basalt boulders, and occasionally falling to poisonous lupins or collisions on the roads. (The corpses, of which we saw several, are dealt with by park rangers, who ignite a tire on the remains to burn it. The island has no predators or scavengers other than the introduced rats and subsequently introduced rat-eating hawks.)

A couple of the free-range horses. None are fat.

Cliffside exit from a lava-tube cave

The walk continued to a park in Hanga Roa, and the traditional post-hike snack. In this case, fruit, juice, cheese, and champagne to enjoy while watching the sun set.

All hikes should end thusly

Goodnight, John-Boy

One could be excused for feeling that a day that started in a big-city airport hotel and ended on an Easter Island beech stretches the space-time continuum. We're coping as best we can.

Our next morning experience was a snorkelling trip from Hanga Roa. The wind was up and the water a bit rough, so we didn't venture too far up the coast or to the small islands nearby. The water is very clear, but very low in the plankton and other feed at the bottom end of the maring food chain, so there is not a great range of colourful fish as found in some subtropical waters. Very enjoyable nonetheless. We headed afterward back to the lodge, while our air guide stuck around for some surfing.

Our feerless leaders

The afternoon venture was a trip to the Ranu Raraku volcano quarry site, where most of the moai were carved (from volcanic tuff, using harder basalt tools). The options were to go by van, or bike, so... A couple more guides had the pleasure of our company. The lovely young lady that guided us out ceded the return trip to Gina, who was accompanying Brenda on the van/hiking access to the site. We all met up at the small crater lake, which is now used for a local triathlon event, involving constructing reed boats, paddling them across the lake, carrying them back around, then swimming across.

Over 900 moai were carved between approximately the 12th and 16th centuries. They were carved in place, leaving a "keel" along the back, which was then the last part excavated so as to remove the complete statue. Some partially carved statues are still in place, including one of about 19 metres in length. Many statues were left standing near the quarry  during the period of toppling, perhaps because they were not yet serving their protective function. There is some variation in style, according to period, but many are remarkably similar.

Moai on the hillside of Rana Raraku, watching over alien visitors

Local tradition has it that the statues walked to their platform sites. Alternatively they may have been dragged on wooden structures.

After the visit we proceeded back to the lodge, Andy in trail of a French Guy, and Brenda some distance behind in the van trailing our guide. We enjoyed a pre-supper suana in a thatched structure, with fire heated rocks, lined with eucalyptus leaves by the pool.

The Sauna

...and the pool

A pretty full day, and rounded out by a couple of Pisco Sours (another story), sleep followed.

Our excursion for the last full day on Easter Island was a van/hiking trip to various sites, with lunch on the beach with the other lodge guests. One of our group suggested biking vs. van, so the two of us set out at speed for the first stop, a park near the quarry with 15 moai facing .inland from the sea.

There is also a small cave in the park which is home to a local fellow. He wasn't home at the time, perhaps out fishing. The journey continued with visits to a number of sites with artifacts of village life, and we came across a horse round-up in progress at a small setllement with 3-4 dwellings and a little sheltered bay.

Not sure why the horses were being gathered. We walked by one of the two sandy beaches on the island, and over a ridge to the larger one nearby our lunch spot. It had a row of coconut palms planted by the Chilean navy during their time of administration on the island. Lovely beach, frequented mostly by tourists, and so not by the local folk. Lunch was various grilled meats and fish, fruit, plenty of beverages and all the accoutrements.

We had a short swim before lunch, and rather than going back to the lodge for an hour or so before the afternoon tour, we opted for more beach, swim and sunburn time in honour of the folks back home.

After our swim we headed for the Rano Kau volcano which overlooks the town of Hanga Roa. This is the site of a ceremonial village, Orongo, consisting of 52 stone houses, and a number of petroglyphs related to the Bird Man competition which continued until the sudden population decline in the mid 19th century.

A trip to the handicraft market ended our day, and our brief tour of this very interesting place. We depart the lodge early in the morning for the 8:00 a.m. flight back to Santiago.
 There is also a small cave in the park which is home to a local fellow. He wasn't home at the time, perhaps out fishing. The journey continued with visits to a number of sites with artifacts of village life, and we came across a horse round-up in progress at a small setllement with 3-4 dwellings and a little sheltered bay. Not sure why the horses were being gathered. We walked by one of the two sandy beaches on the island, and over a ridge to the larger one nearby our lunch spot. It had a row of coconut palms planted by the Chilean navy during their time of administration on the island. Lovely beach, frequented mostly by tourists, and so not by the local folk. Lunch was various grilled meats and fish, fruit, plenty of beverages and all the accoutrements. We had a short swim before lunch, and rather than going back to the lodge for an hour or so before the afternoon tour, we opted for more beach, swim and sunburn time in honour of the folks back home.
After our swim we headed for the Rano Kau volcano which overlooks the town of Hanga Roa. This is the site of a ceremonial village, Orongo, consisting of 52 stone houses, and a number of petroglyphs related to the Bird Man competition which continued until the sudden population decline in the mid 19th century.