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Peru, Bolivia & Easter Island
  • Kadi Kaljuste
  • Brad Ciccarelli
  • Kadi Kaljuste
  • Brad Ciccarelli

Peru, Bolivia & Easter Island

A 30-day adventure by Kadi & Brad Read more
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  • Peru, Bolivia & Easter Island
    Tumbled moai
    A calderaCliff from which competitors had to jump and the islet to which they swamThese low buildings were dormitories for the competitors as they awaited the start of competitionThese rocks served as the trophy where winners were recordedThere are etchings on the rock about the winnersA platform for moaiThe fifth moai is broken and damaged22The eyes were only added at the time of reaching the platformAnother quarry where the rocks were sourcedThe last moai to have been reerected in 20202

    More moai and The Birdman

    February 23, 2025 in Chile ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    We had a tour in the morning and another tour in the afternoon. The morning tour was all about the bird man competitions.

    When the clans here were facing deforestation as well as a lack of food, they began losing confidence in the protection they were receiving from the moai they’d erected. They conferred and decided they needed to find an alternate method of organizing themselves. They decided upon an annual competition to determine who would be the governor of the island. This became known as the Birdman competition and involved climbing down a cliff, swimming to an islet, finding a tern egg and returning it unbroken to the top of the cliff. You can read more about it here:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tangata_manu

    We visited the site where these competitions were held. It was a head shaker to see the cliff as well as the islet and appreciate what a feat this was. We learned that many died in the effort. (These competitions came to an end in the mid 1800s when Catholic missionaries arrived on the island.)

    In the afternoon, we visited more moai sites. We saw the last moai to have been reerected. That was in 2020. Since then, the Rapa Nui government has decided to preserve and not restore. They’ll allow the fallen and tumbled moai to lie where they are.

    We’ve now completed our formal tours and have a day at leisure tomorrow to relax and explore on our own.    Read more

  • Peru, Bolivia & Easter Island
    Walking to the main drag
    2The hibiscus are huge and everywhereTiny pineapplesPotatoes: 2,000 pesos a kilo is about $3 CanadianSanta Cruz ChurchIt's common to see people riding horses through townCat napFishing boatsSea turtles are easily spottedA moai on the waterfrontAnother more erodedMango sours. Cheers!

    Rapa Nui/Easter Island at leisure

    February 24, 2025 in Chile ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    It was our final day in Rapa Nui/Easter Island and we had no formal plans. It was lovely to have a relaxing day: a leisurely breakfast followed by strolling around town. We had time to watch the sea turtles and have an oceanfront lunch.

    We decided to have dinner at our hotel and were lucky enough to have a new friend, Rex, from California, join us for dinner as well. It was a delightful evening.

    Tomorrow, we fly back to the mainland.    Read more

  • Peru, Bolivia & Easter Island
    2Final breakfast in Rapa Nui
    There was even a moai at the airportArriving at the hotel in a blackoutChecking in to flashlightThe hotel staircase is spectacular11ExteriorThe ocean is on the right

    Back to the mainland

    February 25, 2025 in Chile ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    Yesterday was a travel day. We took the five-hour flight back to Santiago and had a driver take us to our hotel in Valparaiso, about a hour and a bit from the airport. We’ve been to Valparaiso before, but it was in 2020 when there had been civil unrest so we thought we’d like to revisit.

    When we landed, we learned that a major blackout had left a swath of Chile in the dark. Sure enough, our hotel neighbourhood was pitch black and we checked in to flashlight! No sooner were we done when the lights came on and all was good. The hotel we’re staying at is a restored mansion of only 23 guestrooms sitting on one of Valparaiso’s many hills. Dreamy.

    Today, we’ll have a tour of the city as well as a trip to wine country.    Read more

  • Peru, Bolivia & Easter Island
    Pablo Neruda's home is now a museum
    Neruda statueValparaiso skylineVintage Coke signageColourfulFunicularFunicular rideEntering Matetic wineryOur tasting guide2Perfect setting, perfect weatherCheers!

    Valparaiso and wine country

    February 26, 2025 in Chile ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    We had scheduled an all day tour today to explore Valparaiso in the morning and then head to wine country in the afternoon. Our driver, Mario, and guide, Marcello, took us around the winding streets of Valparaiso which zigzag up and down the hillside. The population of the city is about 400,000 with another 600,000 in neighbouring communities. The city’s historic area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

    One of Chile’s famous citizens was poet Pablo Neruda, who won the 1971 Nobel prize in literature. We visited his home, La Sebastiana, which is a museum. Neruda was a collector/eccentric who had a whimsical approach to design and decor. Unfortunately, no photos were allowed in the museum.

    Valparaiso is colourful in more ways than one. Much like the Jellybean Row of St. John’s, Newfoundland, the houses in Valparaiso are colourfully painted. In addition, graffiti and murals are most everywhere. It’s magical to walk around and see a different piece of art around every corner. (I’ll be posting a separate footprint featuring photos of the murals.)

    After our exploration, we took an hour’s drive into the countryside and went to a lovely family-run vineyard called Matetic. We had a marvellous tasting and headed back to the city. Dinner was at a restaurant a couple of blocks from our hotel with an oceanfront view.    Read more

  • Peru, Bolivia & Easter Island

    Murals of Valparaiso

    February 26, 2025 in Chile ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    In our travels, we’ve never quite come across a city so rich in public art as Valparaiso. There are murals and graffiti EVERYWHERE. I could explore the winding streets for hours. Here’s a gallery of a sampling of what we saw.Read more

  • Peru, Bolivia & Easter Island
    Can't get enough of the murals
    Valparaiso is so hilly there are stairs everywhereDownhillSome buildings need restorationMore stairsCity squarePolice on the right at the railingsHappened upon the Hells Angels headquartersThe van fit the sceneStairs againArtist at work1BuskersAnd anotherWhimsical

    Valparaiso at leisure

    February 27, 2025 in Chile ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Today’s the final day of our South American adventure. 😢

    We had a day at leisure in Valparaiso, allowing us to explore the city on our own. We ambled through the historic area and worked our way downhill to the city square. We took the funicular back up, had lunch at a hillside café and then meandered through the streets some more.

    For dinner we had a reservation at a restaurant for 7 pm. We followed the Google map directions and got to the restaurant about five minutes early. It appeared they were having a staff meeting even though we had a reservation for 7 pm. At 7:15 they led us to a table and we took a look at the menu and after receiving a glass of wine and ordering our appetizer realized we weren’t at the restaurant at which we had a reservation! It was hilarious. Regardless, the food was great and we had a lovely evening.

    Tomorrow, we head to the airport and I fly via São Paulo back to Toronto. Brad flies to Osorno, Chile, where he joins a group for a motorcycle ride south through Patagonia to Ushuaia, Argentina and Punta Arenas, Chile. He will return home on March 19.

    It’s been an unforgettable adventure and among our favourite trips ever.    Read more

  • Trip end
    March 1, 2025
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