Round the World

Greetings! We have completed the first leg of our trip to Easter Island. The indigenous people of the island refer to the island as Rapa Nui. It is also referred to as the "belly button of the earth." Easter Island is definitely one of the most remote (if not the most remote) locations. There are only 2 locations that fly to Easter Island -- Tahiti and Santiago (it's a stopover point between the two) -- and only one airline that flies there, LAN Chile. And, the airport only operates 5 days a week, with one arrival and one departure per day. Here's a picture we took as were landing (in the middle of the Pacific).

But, the island is best known for the moai statues. These moai were used to identify families and villages and were erected to honor their ancestors. We took tons of pictures, but here is one of us at Ahu Tongariki to give you perspective of their size.

There are approximately 800 moai on the island. Not all have been restored. Many are still even covered under ground. The moai ancestors face the village, protecting their people. Here is a picture of some of the partially covered moais at Rano Raraku, the quarry where all moais were carved.

We absolutely loved Easter Island! The island life grew on us fast. It was so peaceful, beautiful, and quiet... aside from the roosters crowing, dogs barking, and horses neighing! Truly, it was such a relaxing and phenomenal experience. We would definitely recommend it as a travel destination, but don't expect much from your room. It was quite a change from our Luxury Collection accomodations in Santiago.