We slept really well and woke to no electricity once again. Apparently, the island is run by a generating station that was built in 1965 – so occasionally fails. We washed by flashlight with cold water and since there was no drying my hair I didn’t bother to wash it. A baseball cap was in order for the day and off we went. We have more amenities when we are camping.
The people at the hotel were very accommodating and tried to make the best of a difficult situation. Hot coffee was not an option but the chef was working on heating water on the gas stove and getting some instant coffee to the patrons.
It just made for another adventure on our trip to the most remote inhabited island in the world!!!
Our guide Matua picked us up at 9:30 am. He was definitely one of our most colorful and exuberant tour guides. He was born and raised on Easter Island and was a native Rapa Nui.
Our first stop was at the archaeological center of Ahu Akahanga.
Ahu Akahanga
“This is a large area where there are structures of great importance and different characteristics. Stresses the Akahanga Ahu, a ceremonial center consists of several ahu.
Easter Island has more than 600 statues in human form, the moai. Although it may seem otherwise, these moai are not scattered around the island on a whim. Most of them are grouped in an organized manner, thus constituting a kind of shrine. And almost all are aligned and oriented back to the sea, facing the center of the island.
Ahu Akahanga settlements is one of the most numerous moai. It is an expanse of about 18 meters long in which there are a dozen statues with sizes ranging from 5 to 7 meters, although some have been unable to maintain balance throughout the centuries and are lying the edge of the sea. The area is decorated with red rocks, giving shelter to the statues. A little further away from the others, along the coast, is a solitary figure, the smallest of all, with only two feet high.
In addition to the statues in Ahu Akahanga are vestiges of ancient civilization, such as caves or primitive buildings.
Ahu Akahanga is popularly known as “Platform of the King”. According to one popular legend, in this exact point in the southeast coast of the island are the remains of Hotu Matua, the first king of the Rapanui, who came to govern the island by the fourth century AD. Apparently, the place chosen by Hotu Matua for his final rest is not accidental, since by its situation, Ahu Akahanga the deceased monarch allowed to continue spreading their good vibes equally to both sides of the island, to favor crops alike of the inhabitants of each side.”
“In 1960, an earthquake in Chile triggered a tidal wave, which hit the coast of Easter Island at Tongariki. The tidal wave sent the 15 Tongariki moai—some of which weigh 30 tons—several hundred feet inland. The ahu, the largest on Easter Island, was effectively destroyed. It wasn't until 1992 that the site was restored, under the direction of Chilean archaeologist, Claudio Cristino. The task took five years.”
When we arrived at Ahu Tongariki in the National Park we were all awe stricken. Here we were actually viewing these amazing carvings in person.
COOL SITE:
http://www.eisp.org/
After spending time in total amazement we moved on to our next stop.
A row of top knots.
Our guide was very animated and kept us laughing all the time. He was very knowledgeable and demanded our full attention. Our next stop was the Rano Raraku volcano. Easter island is made up of volcanic rock and has several active volcanoes.
“Rano Raraku is a volcanic crater formed of consolidated volcanic ash, or tuff, and located on the lower slopes of Terevaka in the Rapa Nui National Park on Easter Island. It was a quarry for about 500 years until the early eighteenth century, and supplied the stone from which about 95% of the island's known monolithic sculptures (moai) were carved. Rano Raraku is a visual record of moai design vocabulary and technological innovation, where 397 moai remain. Rano Raraku is in the World Heritage Site of Rapa Nui National Park and gives its name to one of the seven sections of the park.”
Once again we were awe-stuck at the enormity of what we were seeing. There were tops of moais everywhere and to think they were all carved out of the mountainside.
In the picture below you can see the largest unfinished Moai (69 feet tall).You can see how large it is by looking at the size of the people passing by it. Totally amazing. Great picture Kelly!!!
Again, these were carved out of the mountainside. Then moved to their burial platforms!!!!!!!!
Al though this appears to be a very beautiful and serene place it is actually the cauldron of a volcano. The area was spectacular as has everything been.
Matua made an additional stop to show us an unusual rock formation with multiple holes.
It gets very interesting- watch closely!
We stopped for a boxed lunch of chicken and rice. It was quite good and filled our need for food at that time.
Beautiful Ocean Views at Every Turn
Energy Grids, Vortexes, Geometric Points on Easter Island
The magnetic rock attracts people worldwide who are searching for spiritual healing and enlightenment. They camp out by it, under the full moon, and receive magnetic vibrations just by holding their hands above the rock.
j
A little snack shack on the beach comes with its own chickens.
The tour was amazing ad we returned to our hotel around 5:30 pm. We opted to sign up for dinner at the hotel. There was a basic price for dinner – $50.00 per person but since there didn’t seem to be any other options we were in.
The electricity was back on so a hot shower was welcomed. After our showers we met for dinner. The dinner was definitely gourmet – a great surprise.
Our friend followed us back to our hut and kept us company once again. We really missed our little girl Jewel so it was nice to have a dog around.
RON NOTE:
This Dog reminded me so much of Moses Jewels friend from our walks at the Flea Market. He even maid the same clicking noise with his mouth!
No comments:
Post a Comment