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  • Charlesi Main-BChilean Fjords & Rapa Nui
    Day 25

    Hanga Roa Hospital II

    April 3 in Chile ⋅ 🌬 23 °C

    We arrived just in time, 08:02hrs, and met up with the Anaesthetist and the options were explained, then the Orthopaedic Consultant arrived and explained the haematoma was actually underneath the tendon and nerves and to release the pressure we were looking at Carpel Tunnel, so the agenda changed a little and the procedure is now going to be undertaken GA.

    Once we chatted about it all was well, Lainey knows I’ve had both my wrists done and had no problems at all so she has signed everything, a little apprehensively as she doesn’t like GA or needles, and she’s now in theatre, went in about 08:55hrs, and they expect to be finished in a couple of hours! Happily the hospital coffee is quite palatable!!

    All is good, the operation went very well and surgeon was pleased with outcome. Went to see Lainey and, a little tearful, but good, some slight sensation and still painful but the swelling has gone so that’s excellent.

    I’m now back at the hotel looking to see if we can get earlier flight back to the UK, as I think this will be too much to carry on the remainder of the holiday…we’ll at least see if it’s possible anyway!

    I returned to collect Lainey from the hospital at 14:30hrs, so a quiet evening I think, then a final checkup, which will probably be tomorrow afternoon as, having spoken to Sharon our Travel Agent, we fly out to Santiago on Friday morning    Read more

  • Charlesi Main-BChilean Fjords & Rapa Nui
    Day 24

    Rano Raraku Trail

    April 2 in Chile ⋅ 🌬 24 °C

    Each Moai, which means Statue, takes approximately one year to complete and transport, the Moai that have fallen while being transported are abandoned and, apart from the impossibility of raising them, they are said to no longer hold the ‘soul’ and the process is repeated. What I understood, from being here, is the Moai still standing are waiting to be transported and that’s why they face the sea. It is quite sad seeing the fallen Moai…

    The largest Moai is located here in Rano Raraku Quarry, called El Gigante it is 21.60 metres high and estimated to weigh 170 metric tons

    The ‘Three Moai’ are still in the rock face and show clearly how they are hewn from the rock face, I have only shown the one Moai, for clarity, but it is reminiscent of the Egyptians carving the Obelisk except carving in from the side rather than the top    Read more

  • Charlesi Main-BChilean Fjords & Rapa Nui
    Day 24

    Tahai Ceremonial Complex

    April 2 in Chile ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    First thing this morning we returned to Hang Rio Hospital, at 10:00hrs, for Lainey to have her wrist checked, once there they take her for an Ultrasound which appears to confirm, my first thoughts anyway, that the heamatoma should be drawn off to reduce the pressure on the nerves affecting the thumb and two adjoining fingers which is causing the numbness and pain This means a small operation under LA which is to be carried out tomorrow morning, we are to be at the Clinic for 08:00hrs, hopefully and depending on how Lainey is feeling we may yet visit the remaining areas tomorrow

    From the hospital we went onto the Tahai Ceremonial Complex, Tahai is a site with several Abu’s and Moai close to Hanga Roa, which was restored in 1974 and comprises three principal Ahu, Ko Te Riki (with restored eyes), Tahai and Val Ure. One of the few places on Rapa Nui where the sun sets behind the statues (Moai

    From here we called into visit the reproduced village, Hana Te E Vai Hu, here you can walk up to and really get a feel for the way these were built. The chicken houses were really intriguing as indeed where the ‘greenhouses’ where they raise the seedling before planting out    Read more

  • Charlesi Main-BChilean Fjords & Rapa Nui
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    2
    Day 23

    Hanga Roa Hospital I

    April 1 in Chile ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Hanga Roa Hospital, visited after Lainey slipped at Vina Pu, due to the pathway having plastic webbing (Gravel Grid) which was incredibly slippy!

    Unwilling to cut short the day Lainey insisted we carry on after her fall at Orono but it soon became clear, during our visit to Vina Pu, due to the amount of swelling, that we needed to get this checked so…here we are at Rapa Nui A&E, Hanga Roa Hospital. They staff were really good and discovered a double fracture…the wrist was plastered up and we returned to Altiplanico just over 4 hours later with an appointment to go back to see the Orthopaedic Consultant tomorrow morning at 10:00hrs

    …followed by George and a BEER! He does look like ‘The Doctor’ on Star Trek Voyager doesn’t he?    Read more

  • Charlesi Main-BChilean Fjords & Rapa Nui
    Day 23

    Vina Pu

    April 1 in Chile ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    From Orono we visit a place called Vina Pu this is a Moai mount, unrestored, that appears to suggest a Peruvian influence in its structure. These walls are incredibly typical of this influence and it is unimaginable how they could achieve such close fitting precision joints at that time

    The Moai were mounted on these platforms but those that were have long since been torn down and destroyed

    The primary religion in Rapa Nui today is Catholic introduced in 1863 and locally pronounced Cat’holic, somehow sounds appropriate

    It should be noted that from here we can just see the Quarry which is some 18 miles away, picture 5

    We cut this visit short because I checked with Lainey, how she was and about her wrist, and could see it was becoming quite swollen and Lainey agreed that it was also becoming painful so I told Teata we should go to the A&E to have this checked out…    Read more

  • Charlesi Main-BChilean Fjords & Rapa Nui
    Day 23

    Orono National Park

    April 1 in Chile ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    We met our guide today his name is Teatahalo Tuki, called Teata and pronounced ‘Tee-at-a’. Seems a nice enough guy, apparently independent and good English which is a Godsend!

    Manutara the annual visit of these birds to Moto Nui in September marked the beginning of the Birdman Ritual. The men from each tribe were to scramble down a hillock which led to a steep precipice climb down and then swim the mile to Moto Nui, then scale the cliffs and collect the Manutara egg. Holding this in a special pouch held on their forehead they climbed back down the cliff swam back to Rapa Nui to climb back up the sheer rock face to ‘the village’, which is the point the Birdman Ritual commences and finishes. The first one back, with an unbroken egg, earned their Clan Chief the right to rule Rapa Nui for one year. All clans were expected to pay homepage and abide by the ruling of the Tangata-Manu (winning Clan Chief)

    Once the Tangata-Manu was determined, he lived in isolation for the period attended only by the Ivi Matuia. There were several ‘Tapu’, or prohibitions, surrounding him:

    * Nobody could approach or look at him
    * Only the Ivi Matua could provide him with food or bathe him
    * He couldn’t wash himself, or cut his hair and nails

    The Birdman is a ‘ceremonial’ village, of 53 houses, was only occupied during the competition, each tribe had their own ‘house’ in which the Clan representatives resided during the Birdman Ritual, they were uninhabited for the remainder of the year

    On our way round Lainey slipped on the pathway, which was plastic filled with rubble, commonly called a Gravel Grid, and was clearly a bit shocked but felt ok to continue after a brief pause…    Read more

  • Charlesi Main-BChilean Fjords & Rapa Nui
    21
    Day 22–27

    Mataveri International Airport

    March 31 in Chile ⋅ 🌬 25 °C

    Otherwise known as Rapa Nui Airport, or Easter Island Airport or even Isla de Pascua Airport this is the most remote airfield in the world. Upon being met you are given a most beautiful necklace of typical flowers to welcome you to Rapa Nui.

    Met promptly at the airport and adorned with our necklace of flowers, we were taken to our hotel, Altiplanico, room is quite basic, there’s no fridge or air conditioning, we have an open air shower and a floor level bed, which will be fun during the night journeys! It’s very like the place we stayed in St Vincent’s really so no great surprises

    After settling in we went for a swim and just relax after our early start and journey. We came back to our ‘hut’ about 2 hours later for a snooze, when we woke we realised that we only just avoided sunburn, we’re both very red and aware so on goes the Aloe Vera and loads of water

    When we went for dinner George, barman and waiter etc, told us it’s important to put on sun cream day and night and even when raining

    Funny thing that somewhere you always find someone with their Willy hanging out!    Read more

  • Charlesi Main-BChilean Fjords & Rapa Nui
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    Day 22

    Flying over South Pacific Ocean

    March 31, South Pacific Ocean ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    We’re now 1 hour, eta 12:39hrs, to Rapa Nui flying at 38,001 ft with a ground speed of 517mph.

    Sitting back enjoying a drink and a film, I’m watching the disappearance of the ARA San Juan ‘The Submarine that Disappeared’ and Laineys got Priscilla, apparently not as good as Elvis, the film that is!Read more

  • Charlesi Main-BChilean Fjords & Rapa Nui
    Day 22

    Santiago Domestic Aeropuerto

    March 31 in Chile ⋅ 🌙 15 °C

    Well we made it this far thanks to our fabulous taxi driver, it’s unfortunate we didn’t have him drive us on our arrival he was full of great information and the places to visit in Santiago

    Our flight is at 09:25hrs so a cool relaxing beer while we wait sadly LATAM Airlines don’t have a Business Lounge so we have to slum it!

    It’s 08:25hrs and just boarding our Boeing B787-9…next stop Rapa Nui!    Read more

  • Charlesi Main-BChilean Fjords & Rapa Nui
    1
    Day 21

    Laineys’ Escapades

    March 30 in Chile ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    I should just say the temperatures indicated, on FindPenguins, are actually lower than the temperatures we are actually experiencing!

    Today, being our last in Santiago, needed some preparation what with Visas for Rapa Nui, Boarding Cards and packing so Lainey sailed very bravely off back to Santa Lucia Hill and the National Museum of Fine Arts whilst I got on with the housekeeping, someone has to!

    Lovely morning but very hot walking around. The view from the top of St Lucia Hill was worth the climb. The Fine Art Museum was an absolutely beautiful building but the art inside was rubbish. I went back to the Cathedral to try to find the museum of religious antiquities but think it must have closed down. I then returned to the hotel to take Charles for a drink who’d done a fabulous job with the paperwork. We had a drink in a street cafe, Red Bar, then a little siesta.

    Fair to say the graffiti here is sometimes great but all too often spoilt by ‘nobodies’ who simply want to deface, there is quite a bit of an anti-authoritarian attitude but that’s about par for the course, especially somewhere with such a volitile history

    We have a 05:45hrs transfer to Santiago Airport so an early night is an idea, we are however heading back to the Red Bar for dinner, high on our list is a traditional Chilean dish, ‘Chicken & Chips’, which, I am told, they do rather well here but actually we had the Pork Ribs and the best chips ever!    Read more

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