After sailing non-stop for a week since we left Punta Arenas, we arrived in Easter Island on our 6th day at sea.
It is 4,000km away from its mainland Chile and 2,000km from its closest neighbor Pitcairn Island.
It was given the name Easter Island because Dutch found the island on Easter Sunday, 1722.
There are more than 3,000 people who call this remote place a home.
Many of them are involved in military or government service work.
Three volcanic islands formed into one and shaped into triangle.
This island is famous for Moai statues.
There are as many as 600 resurrected statues scattered around the island.
They come in various heights, yet in similar shape.
Some are as heavy as 82 tons.
It is still unknown how they carved such a big volcanic rock and transported to coast to stand upright without modern equipment.
It is a tender port.
It was supposed to be at the town Hanga Roa but the ship anchored on this beautiful beach instead. The captain made an early announcement that the swell was too big and risky at Hanga Roa.
A platform of 7 Moais on the beach with few lie down.
Village in the National Park of Rapa Nui with few platforms of Moais, also the only Moai with eyes on is found here.
A local performer with traditional body painting made my photo complete!
Rano Raraku the Quarry where most of Moais are carved from.
Ahu Tongariki, about a mile away from Rano Raraku where a platform of 15 Moais lined up.
Spectacular!
Back to the beach after 4 hours of great Moai tour.
Long queue for the tender boat to replace the damaged bridge boat.
Due to big swell of the shore, it is extremely difficult to operate tender boats.
Instead of standing and waiting under the strong sun in long queue, Greg and I decided to visit a bar on the beach.
We had a local beer and empanadas.
Very nice!
Cook beer, thick tropical palm trees around the beach.
It is my kind of paradise!
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