Day of Moai

We started the day at a park where houses and other structures that the early Rapa Nui probably used had been reconstructed. 

 

We learned that chickens were very important in that culture and chickens were given for a dowry

When had a quick but heavy downpour while there and we all scurried back to the tour bus.

 

 

 

 

 

Easter Island, or Rapa Nui, is famous for nesarly 1,00 giant stone monoliths known as moai. They believe thye were carved by the Rapa Nui people between appoximately 1250 and 1500 AD. These statues, often weighing several tons and featuring oversized heads, represent deified ancestors. They were mostly carved from volcanic tuff in the Rano Raraku quarry and transported to coastal platforms called ahu to honor deceased chieftains. There are several theories of how the statues were moved from the quarry to the many locations on the island. I'll just post a few of the pictures I took. 

Some were lying flat and others were just pieces. 

The most famous Moai are located at Tonjariki. We could see them from a distance. There of 15 of them and they are most impressive. The Japanese, US, Chilean and Rapa Nui are worked together to restore them.

Seeing them up close is quite impressive.

 

This is Simon our local Rapa Nui guide.
 

 

 

 

 

 

After going to these sites we went to one near a beach and then went swimming. 

We are staying at a boutique hotel named Hare Nua. When we returned from a full day of exploring I took a dip in the small pool at our hotel. 

Rapa Nui, (Easter Island)

Today we flew from Santiago to Easter Island. The flight was totally full and was a wide body plane with a 3-3-3 configuration. We had extended leg room seats which was an unexpected treat. They even served a hot meal. Rapa Nui is a remote Chilean territory and is one of the most isolated inhabited locations on Earth The entire island is a UNESCO World Heritage site, This is the picture of the screen of our flight path. 

The native language is Rapa Nui and Iorana is like saying Aloha in Hawaii. The picture is the sign with this greeting when we arrived at the airport.
 

 

We were also greeted with leis made from leaves and island music.

 

We did see some of the carvings late evening before having dinner.

 

Today was not my best travel day. I was in a crappy mood when we arrived at our hotel. For the first three weeks there were 22 in our group. We had an outstanding tour leader - organized, great communication, cheerful. We are now a group of 9. They are all wonderful people but we have a new guide. Her style is much different and I haven't adjusted very well. Plus we are back to hot and humid which is not my best travel weather. The island only has 8000 permanent residents. We have a local tour guide who is Rapa Nui and he is excellent. He said last year there were 100, 050 tourists who visited the island. Tourism is almost the only industry on the island. 

Wine tour and seeing more of Santiago

This morning we toured the Cousino Macul winery. I thought of all the wineries in the Yamhill County and wondered why visiting a winery in Chile was different. The winery in Chile was over 100 years old. The old oak barrels that were used until 40 years ago are still in the winery. The owner of this winery was Isidora Goyenechea Gallo (1836-1897) who was a Chilean industrialist. She inherited her business from her late spouse Luis Cousiño (1835-1873). She owned and managed the coal mines in Lota and Coronel, the silver mines of Chañarcillo, the vineyard Viña Cousiño Macul and had her own trade fleet, and was at the time regarded as one of the richest people in the world. Our tour guide said she used much of her money to provide schools for the children of miners. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was a beautiful day in Santiago. When we returned to our hotel the rest the day was free time. Jo Ellen and I walked to a wonderful gelato shop and indulged. It was just as good as the gelato I enjoyed in Italy. 

The angle of my camera makes it look like I ate a super giant serving. I can assure you that it was in a normal sized cup with a regular sized cone on top. This is the street where the gelato store is located - so many modern buildings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This evening we walked to the Cenco Costanera Mall where I got my haircut.  It is 5 levels and has shops and more shops. My goal was to purchase a new sun hat because the strap on the one in the picture broke and even the slightest wind blows it off. This is sad because this is the hat it wore in 2013 when I walked across England.  I purchased a new hat so when I'm on Easter Island I will have protection from the sun. The mall rivals the size of the KLCC and The Pavilion malls in Kuala Lumpur. We ate a light dinner in the food court. 

Tomorrow morning we fly to Easter Island. The flight is 5 hours and 15 minutes. Our tour guide told us that we should not count on Internet access there so don't expect any postings until Friday or later. 

Highlights in Santiago

The morning started with a talk by a man who had a travel agency in Santiago. He told some of his life story of living in Chile during the years before Pinochet was dictator, during those years of the dictatorship and some of what life has been like  when democratic elections happened and when democracy was restored in Chile. 

Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte (1915 – 2006) was a Chilean military officer, politician and dictator. From 1973 to 1981, he was the leader of the military junta, which in 1974 declared him President of Chile. His time in office remains the longest of any Chilean ruler. After his rise to power, Pinochet persecuted leftists, socialists, and political critics, resulting in the executions of least 3,095.people, the internment of as many as 80,000 people, and the torture of tens of thousands. 

This is the presidential palace but the president does not live there. It is used for official events. There are statues of former presidents in the plaza in front of the the palace but none of Pinochet. This picture below is the statue of Salvador Allende who died when the palace was bombed by the military when Pinochet became dictator.

Cerro San Cristobal Santiago is the largest park in Santiago. It has several attractions in its 1784 acres. There were many concession stands. We took a cable car to the top and a funicular down.

 

This statue of the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception looms over the park.

The views of the city and the Andes were not clear due to smog. We learned that electric cars made in China are becoming a car of choice in Santiago so the pollution can be reduced. Today Cerro El Plomo, the highest mountain visible from Santiago with a summit elevation of 5,425 meters ( 17, 7945 feet) above sea level was barely visible because of the smog.

We walked through the central square of what is called Old Santiago. The main cathedral was there but is not as grand as others I have seen. It was interesting that there is a very modern building right next to much older buildings. Our guide explained that earthquakes are the reason for that. Santiago is on a major fault line and tremors are rather common. 

We walked through the financial district. The street there is Nueva York (New York). Notice the address on this building is Nueva York 53. The building below is the Chilean stock exchange and the last picture is of the Supreme Court. 

My impressions of Santiago are very positive. It seems like a vibrant city. It is easy to get around and many buildings are quite modern. Maybe Doug and Tracy can someday get a job at the international school in Santiago. It is only one flight to the US.

Leaving the Fjords of Chile and Now in Santiago

Our last night on the ship ended with beautiful weather. Sunset was after 9:30. The farewell dinner for our cruise was very elegant with too much food. The center piece for the buffet table was two large chunks of ice. There were many dishes with fish including octopus. 

The cake was aa even better than it looks!This morning before we left the ship Jo Ellen and I enjoyed the views form the top deck.  

 

We had a stop tn the small town of Puerto Natales and then to the airport. I peeked into the Catholic Church that was on the main square of the town.

 

We flew over the Andes to get to Santiago. It was a 3 hour flight and then a drive into the city center to get settled into our hotel. We had Italian for dinner at a restaurant next door to our hotel. I was determined to get my hair cut so I located a shop in a nearby shopping mall. Ir was a drop in shop and I was pleased that I could remember enough Spanish to tell the stylist what I wanted. Since we are at this same hotel for 3 nights it was a good time to do my laundry in the the sink and it will have enough time to get dry. 

Parque Nacional Kawesqar

This morning was our last of excursions off the ship. We docked close to another national park and glacier. We woke up to rain but some rainbows were in sight. It was a short hike to the glacier. 

The hike was through some nice vegetation. There were wild fuchsias, interesting lichen and mud on the trail. 

The ship company had a raised, portable walkway for us to use. The national park gave permission for the walkway to be placed so tourists could hike closer to the glacier. Every time I took an excursion off the ship it was a clothing production. We never knew of there would be rain, wind and cold. I wore leggings under my rain pants, a long-sleeved thermal top, my long-sleeved swim sun top, a polar fleece jacket, a rain jacket and then a balaclava, fleece hat and the hood of my rain coat to keep warm. I looked and felt like a stuffed mannequin. I was never cold but I did get too warm at times. The last item was the required life vest.