Easter Island

Arriving on Easter Island was so surreal! Like can't actually believe I made it here 😱. In a way, it was like being back in Brazil as it's so tropical here! Finally I might get my tan back.

Amazing as it is, as Easter Island is really expensive I've opted for camping and I really like where I'm staying! (Bar the typical Chilean style of customer service - slow verging on non-existent). The campsite backs onto a beach and so every night you can cook dinner and watch the sunset with one of the fisherman playing the ukulele in the background. I love my tent, I've been sleeping so well here - so much better than in hostels - and so I was sad to leave my happy place :(

On my first full day on Easter Island I walked to Orongo Village where there is an extinct volcano. On the way, I stopped at Ana Kai Tagata, a cave by the sea where you can see drawings on the cave walls from the Rapa Nui ancient civilisation. I also got a misleadingly named 'hop-on hop-off' bus around the island, but it only drives you round and you see the maoi statues from the bus - you can't get off!

On my second day I hired a bike and cycled to some of the closer moai statues, Ahu a Kivi and Ahu Huri a Urenga. On the plus side I've been really active since being here and my non-existent cycling skills seemed to have improved since Bariloche as now at least I don't have to stop and walk up every hill. Just the odd one now.

If I didn't think I'd already done enough hiking on this trip to last me a lifetime, I also climbed up to Mauna Tere Vaka which is the islands tallest point (507m). Although it was a long walk, there was a really nice viewpoint at the top. It makes you appreciate how small/ remote the island is as you cannot see anything but sea.

On the last day, and in my opinion the best day, I took a guided tour of the island to see all of the main sites (and get a lot closer to them than I was on the bus). It was good to get some the history of the place because you don't get any of that otherwise. Although it's all pretty amazing, the highlights for me were Rano Raraku, the quarry where the Rapa Nui tribe used to carve the moai statues. This was such an amazing place, as there are nearly 400 moai statues here and some were left unfinished and still half-carved into the rocks. After this, we went to Ahu Tongariki which is the most famous of the sites because there are 13 statues there all lined up (this also makes a pretty good picture). Last but not least, a little bit of beach time at Anakena beach which has white sands and turquoise waters. Being here really reminds you that you are on a Polynesian island.

I also met this Austrian guy at my campsite who I hung out with. One evening we were walking along the beach when we came across an expensive-looking hotel and outside there were lots of signs and it looked like a there had been a protest. We got talking to a woman who told us that the land the hotel was built on originally belonged to one of the indigenous families who live on the island. The Chilean Government had asked one of the family members to sign a document but she couldn't read or write, so unknowingly signed the land titles away. This had resulted in a huge legal battle and at one point the army had to be called in because the family would not leave the land and so they cut off the water/ food/ electricity supplies to try and make them leave. We met the family and they invited us to eat their fish with them caught straight from the sea. I'm including this because although I am a tourist and tourism can be such a wonderful thing for the economy, it's also important that we realise how tourism can negatively affect local communities and do our part to be responsible and minimise the harm.

Leaving was pretty sad as the place is so special, but I'm happy I choose to come here and experience such a beautiful and historic place. It's also made me really want to explore more of Polynesia (hehe). But now back to South America and onto the next leg of my journey. Back to Argentina (this country keeps pulling me back!) for wine and cheese.Read more