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Chile is truly a remarkable country and worthy of visiting. The diversity and difference between what I saw and experienced in Patagonia compared to Easter Island was simply astounding. They are certainly two different worlds, existing in one country. It is not a trip that would appeal to everyone. Patagonia is for those who love the beauty of mountains, glaciers and open vistas. It reminded me of Alaska, the home of rugged individuals who thrive on the outdoors.

Easter Island, on the other hand, is for those who yearn to learn more about ancient civilizations. I was simply amazed how different it was from mainland Chile, both in environment and “way of life”. The people living here thrive on a simple life style. Are they happier than mainlanders?  Who knows.

Would I go back to either place?  Easter Island was a one time visit. I experienced it. I learned more about its history, its people and culture. There is no need to go back. For sun and mild tropical weather Hawaii is much closer!  If I were a younger man I would certainly consider a trip back to Patagonia, but visiting it from Argentina to gain a different perspective. However, given my stage in life it is not on my immediate “to do” last as there are other places in the world that still need exploring….

Travel Quote of the day:    “We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment”. Hilaire Belloc

I discovered a good sleep aid last night. That combination of a Manhattan and chicken soup really worked great. By the time I went to bed after midnight I slept like a baby until awakened by my alarm at 8:30AM.

We were not able to secure late checkout from the hotel and I had planned to join the  group who was going to the Concha y Toro winery at 10:30 so I needed to pack and checkout prior to that. Eight of the ten people went, led by Wladimir and our local tour guide , Maria, who had led us on our walking tour of Santaigo last week.

Concha y Toro is the oldest winery in Chile, established in 1883. It is located about one hour from Santiago. We had reservations for a tour leaving at 11:50 and we were there about ten minutes earlier so there was no waiting around. Vantage seems to do a good job of scheduling and meeting time deadlines. It was a small group with an additional 6 people from Canada and a young couple from England who are on a three-month backpacking tour of South America. There was three tastings spaced out as we walked through the gardens and small vineyard where all the different grape varieties were grown for people to see. We were  given an engraved wine glass and handy carrying box as part of the tour.

Only the Cabernet Sauvignon grape is grown in quantity here; their other grapes are grown in other parts of the country. It is close to picking time so we were able to sample some of the different grape varietals hanging on the vines.

Concha y Toro is the largest Chilean winery and supposedly the second largest in the world. One of the original varietals brought over from France in the 19th century happened to be the Carmenere grape, saving the varietal when the Phylloxera aphid almost destroyed the industry during the same timeframe.

After the wine tour Wladimir suggested we go to have lunch and some ice cream before going back to the hotel. We readily agreed. He chose a lovely wine bar/bistro (Bocanariz Vino Bar) in an area popular with the locals and it turned out to be a really unique place. First, they offer hundreds of different wines and about 20 different tasting pairings based on some unique feature, like small vintners, classics, or regional wines. The food offerings were also unique, with each menu section offering several different dishes, based on a trait like spicy, herbaceous, citrus or sweet and sour. I chose a spicy entrée of octopus, but it was really mild. Plating of all of the dishes was a work of art.

Surprisingly I had not seen many ice cream shops anywhere in Chile but Wladimir took us to a local one where he bought us each a dish to finish off our meal. He suggested we take the local subway back to the hotel and because he was with us to show us how to do it, we readily agreed. It was fairly modern and cheap to ride. Wladimir did say that it was chaotic during rush hour and expects them soon to have “pushers” like in Japan to cram more people into each car during rush hour. It was not yet rush hour so our trip was pleasant and uncrowded.

We had an hour to relax at the hotel and retrieve our luggage before it was time to head to the airport at 6 PM for our evening departures. We had been told that you needed at least 3-4 hours lead time because of the large number of people who would be at the airport. I bade everyone goodby as we entered the airport as I needed to find the business class check in; everyone else was flying economy.  LATAM In Santiago has a totally separate check in area for business class. When I asked the information person at the check in area, I did not get an answer I fully understood. Luckily Wladimir was still there and he showed me where to go. You actually had to go up one level where you would go after checking luggage. Once there I found a separate check-in desk with virtually no one there (compared to the massive lines at the regular check in area). They even had a special area to clear immigration and security. I was able to complete the whole  process in less than 10 minutes and was shown to their fairly massive nearby VIP lounge where I spent the better part of three hours snacking, snoozing and getting generally caught up. 

We boarded for our 10:50 PM departure for the 8.5 hour overnight flight to Miami; we left on time. There were a lot of families on board who I assumed were headed for Florida (Disneyworld?) as it is summer break in Chile. I did pass on dinner, put on an eyeshade and proceeded to try to get a decent night’s sleep. For the most part it worked; I felt like I got 4-5 hours of fairly decent rest before being awakened for breakfast. 

 

February 8, 2019: Miami to Seattle.

I had taken a risk about booking a separate flight from Miami to Seattle, choosing to take some United flights back through Houston that left Miami at 8:50 AM. My flight from Santiago was due in around 5:30 AM. I would have to clear US customs/immigration, collect my luggage, go to the United terminal and recheck luggage, as United and LATAM are not partners. Given that I had global entry I thought I had enough time to accomplish that; the only hiccup could be if the LATAM flight was somehow delayed. As it turned out I had plenty of time. There were no lines at immigration; I could have used the old regular method of entry without any delay. I was surprised at a new twist that I experienced at the global entry kiosk. Normally you insert your passport, scan your fingerprints, fill out the customs form electronically, take your picture and receive a printed slip to give to the agent. When I started the process it immediately took my picture and printed out the form. The other steps were bypassed. Another business traveler said he heard they are simply using facial recognition to speed up the process. Well, it sure was fast. 

I collected my luggage and the United terminal was next door so it all went well and I had more than enough time to catch my flight to Houston. As a historical note I am flying back to a projected snow storm in Seattle (off all things), but it looks like I will beat it as the brunt of the storm is to occur later tonight. I had to dig out some of the heavier clothing I wore in Patagonia as I catch a ferry back to Miller Bay.

It was snowing when I landed in Seattle and the city was in the process of “shutting” down, but I was able to share a cab to downtown where I managed to catch the 3:50 PM ferry to Bainbridge with 5 minutes to spare. Because we did not know the condition of the roads on our side of the bay, Yvonne suggested I take the local bus home as it can drop me virtually at our driveway. I had never done that before but it really worked well. Yvonne met me at the top of our steep drive with her car so I did not have to lug my suitcase down it and I was soon home to a warm home where I could watch the snow fall… and fall… and fall for the next two days!

I was home safe and sound from another adventure and another “country” to add to my places visited list- Rapa Nui. Yes, I know Rapa Nui is really part of Chile but most travel lists consider it to be a separate country/ territory that can be counted.  I choose to do so!

 

 

 

A leisurely morning as I was on the second flight to Santaigo which was leaving at 2:30 PM. Because of “Rapa Nui” time and the slowness of LATAM personel it was recommended that we leave for the airport (10 minutes away) by 11:30. After breakfast I simply sat in the lobby to read the news of the day and continue working on this blog. 

The scene at the hotel lobby was truly international. I heard some Italian, some German, the obvious many Spanish-speaking people, and the arrival of a tour group from France. Although we had not seen many Asians while we were here Nico said his next tour group will be 50 Chinese who obviously will bring their own translator.

At 11:30 we made the quick trip to the airport. Nico surprised me by not changing his mind about wanting to send flowers to the girl in Texas, giving me US dollars and her address. I promised to not let him down and send him an e-mail with the details when I get home. 

Yesterday I had asked Nico if he wanted my pair of old Rockport walking shoes that I had planned to leave behind. He wears a larger size but said he had “cousins” who would be more than good to receive them. I delivered them to him this morning and he seemed happy to receive them.

As we departed at the airport Nico and our driver, Jose, gave each of us a small necklace with a small moai pendant. I was touched at their thoughtfulness. Tips to the local guides and drivers are paid by Vantage so there was no need to add extra, but I was grateful for their gesture and handled them some extra money to buy a few “cervezas”. They were wonderful local hosts and we enjoyed our time with them immensely.

Although we had been warned about the likely airport jam, check-in began about 45 minutes after we arrived and because of our early arrival we were first in line and things went smoothly.  There was another 20 minute or so wait until immigration opened. Again we were first in line so the processing went quickly. Once past security we found that the airport had ample outdoor seating at the gate so it was a fairly pleasant wait for our flight, which departed on time, again with a pretty full plane.

The negative to the 2:30 PM departure is that we do not arrive in Santiago until 9:30PM. Luckily because of the two hours the hotel bar and ordered  time zone change it will only be 7:30 body time. I did not think I would bother having dinner since we had a decent lunch on the plane but thought a before sleep drink might be in order so I went to the hotel bar and ordered one of their pretty good Manhattans. While waiting for its delivery I scanned the bar food menu and decided a bowl of chicken soup might be good for my cold, so I ordered It. It did hit the spot.

Reflection on Rapa Nui:  As you probably had noticed there are very few trees on the island. Supposedly eons ago it was tree covered but the inhabitants gradually cut them down to clear the land and to use for various other reasons, and did not replant. Some say this eventual deforestation and loss of resources led to tribal warfare and even cannibalism for a time.

Rapa Nui is certainly a throwback to olden times, yet most people are happy with it as it is. The question is will tourism help or hinder the population- time will tell.

9:30 AM start-a civilized time. Regarding breakfast I forgot to mention there was also some decent scrambled eggs available every day. Coffee is fresh brewed and they always offered two different fresh juices; today there was a strawberry juice which was quite tasty.

Our first stop was at the local tourist center where we were able to have our passports  stamped with Rapa Nui stamps-for no charge!  Note: They are missing an opportunity  for funds as many European communities now charge to get a stamp!

The next stop was at the local Father Sebastián Englert Anthropological Museum in town. Given the size of the town/island I certainly did not expect much of a museum. I was pleasantly surprised. It was excellent with well laid out descriptions of the history of the island and its people, with both Spanish and English everywhere. A great amount of history and artifacts came from the collection of a revered German Catholic priest who came to Rapa Nui in 1935. Father Englert lived here, studying the life and language of Rapa Nui and published several books, until he died in 1969. It was such a good museum that several of us bought the museum booklet describing the exhibits. We commented to Wladimir that it would have been great to visit this first before exploring the island so we would have a better understanding of what we were about to see. He agreed but said we had to do it this way because we arrived on Sunday and the museum is closed then.

Leaving the museum we drove to the nearby site called “Ahu Akivi” , an important sacred, archeological site for several reasons. It is the only site not located on the shoreline; it is 1.4 miles inland. There are seven identical moai and they all face the sea, another unique characteristic, as normally they faced inland. One of the theories is that they were to represent the original seven explorers who came here, and they are facing the direction from where they came.Thirdly, it is a celestial observatory, in that the moai directly face the sunset during the spring equinox.

We then drove to the nearby quarry, called  Puna Pau, which provided the red stone used to make the “pukao”, the red colored topknots seen on some of the moai. The pukao was not really a hat; they were meant to be representative of the long hair worn as a bun by important men in the early Rapa Nui society. This is the only location on the island with this type of stone. Only about 100 topknot still exist on the island. About 20 pukao remain on this site, never delivered to their final location. The ones that were delivered had to travel up to 12 km to the other end of the island to be joined to their moai. They weighed up to 12 tons each, but because they are cylinders, scientist feel they were simply rolled there, but no one is sure. The views of the surrounding valley, Hanga Roa, and the ocean were great. The quarry is at the end of the road. if you wanted to explore the northern portion of the island you had to walk or ride a horse. We did neither.

Working our way back to Hanga Roa we made a quick stop at a single moai at Ahu Huri, one of the first restorations overseen by Dr. William Mulloy, an American, in 1972. He has been praised for his work because he worked closely with the inhabitants of the island to make sure that the restoration was done correctly. This site is inland but was important as an astrological site, having a sundial as part of the site. The moai is also unique in that it has two sets of hands as part of the carving. No one knows why.

Our last stop was at the Catholic Church in Hanga Roa, that dates back to 1945. It is simple in design and what caught my eye was a wooden sculpture that was obviously not you would expect in a Catholic Church. Nico said is a representation of a combination of ancient pagan religion and Catholicism-a winged bird with Angel wings. The other surprise in the church was they had not yet removed their manger scene or decorated Christmas tree.  Island time in action?

Those who wanted to stay in town were given the opportunity and the rest of us returned to the hotel about 1:30 for lunch and relaxation before our planned evening event to have a picnic on the water during sunset.

We left the hotel at 8:15PM and drove to the edge of town to a location called “Tahai” where there once was another ceremonial site. There are two ahu there with several moai, including the only one that has the eyes (made of white coral and obsidian). The grassy slope was a favorite spot for sunset worshipers and tonight was no exception. There were dozens of both locals and tourists with their cameras to capture the moment. Wladimir had arranged a picnic for us which included tuna empanadas ( the local favorite), cheeses, lunch meats, crackers, chips, watermelon and that tiny sweet pineapple. For beverages we had wine, beer, soda and juices- way more than any of us could consume. The sunset, around 9:15, was a good one and we took way too many pictures of the moai and the sunset. We traded toasts with our local guides about them, Rapa Nui and our travel group. It was a great ending to our visit to Rapa Nui.

The people of Rapa Nui live a truly unique life, one based on the past. Nico, our local 27-year-old guide, lives alone in the country. He is a true free spirit. He owns beautiful acreage in the country, given to him by his grandmother. He is building his own home by hand. He has 22 horses, many chickens and a couple of pigs. He has no running water, limited electricity from a generator, no indoor plumbing, no way to heat water except by fire. He must come to town to get internet connection. He does not have a credit card. He must act as his own vet for his animals. He rides his horses, paddles in the ocean each morning, surfs when the sea calls him and in his spare time acts as a local guide for people like us, telling us the history of the land and the people as told to him by his ancestors. And he is happy as he can be!

A funny aside about Nico. Apparently he met a girl from Texas recently and asked if we thought someone like that would be willing to live the life style of the Rapa Nui. We advised him that the chances were slim to none that an American would give up her life style to join him here. He would be better off finding a local girl(to whom he is probably related to) or one from one of the other Micronesian islands.

Our visit to Rapa Nui is over; we return to Santiago tomorrow morning.

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We left at 9AM to continue our tour of the various archeological sites along the east side of Rapa Nui. We were told it was likely to be hot with a good chance of rain so come prepared for all options.

Our first stop was at Vaihu, a reconstructed village of one of the Rapanui clans. It was a wise decision as we could then envision what we later saw in unrestored areas. When we arrived at Vaihu we could hear chickens but could not see any chickens. Nico, our local tour guide, led us to a stone structure that he said was a replica of the type of chicken houses used in ancient times by his ancestors. He proceeded to take out a stone in the wall and suddenly a dozen of chickens emerged, eager to start their day wandering around, eating and laying eggs. The chickens always return to the stone chicken house in the evening and the local guard replaces the stone doorway to protect them from predators. They only sleep there; they lay all their eggs outside and Nico told us that when he was a kid it was a game to try to find their stash of eggs. Chickens were and still are a mainstay in the diets of the Rapa Nui people. In ancient times they also ate rats!

The site also had rebuilt homes, made of strong local grasses, that were used by the humans living in the clan. The home was shaped like an upside down boat and had a nice stone patio outside it.  Again the structure was only used for sleeping; cooking was always carried on outside in fire pits made with 5 or 7 stones; a superstition about the number of stones prevailed. There were even carved stones that could hold water for the chickens, accumulated from the local rains.

It was getting hot and at this point there was no breeze. We were concerned that it was going to be a brutal day for being outside and hiking in the sun.

Ten minutes down the road was the next site we visited, Akahanga. What was unique about Akahanga was that it also was a village of a clan once but it had not been restored so all we saw were the remnants of chicken houses, patios for homes and a few fire pits. 

We still had not seen the sites that have made Rapa Nui famous- moai standing on a pedestal called an “ahu”. Our next stop at a site called Tongariki changed that, as here is the location of 15 restored moai on an ahu that was over 200 meters long. In 1960 a huge tsunami wave scattered the ahu and the moai. In 1993 the Japanese funded the restoration of this area and local inhabitants oversaw the restoration of the moai. The Japanese even donated a big crane to assist moving the moai back in their rightful spot.

Scientists have cataloged 887 moai so far on Rapa Nui, of which 288 were moved to and erected on an ahu, 397 remained at the stone quarry in varying degrees of completion and 92 enroute to an ahu, but abandoned before reaching their final destination.

 

Leaving there we went the nearby quarry Rano Raraku, where the moais began their lives at the hand of skilled stone carvers. The archeologists have counted 397   “ undelivered” stone statues in various states of construction still here at the quarry site. Why they were not finished and delivered to the ahu is not known. We followed a trail along the slopes of the quarry viewing the various statues and taking a lot of pictures of this eerie site. The front (face and body) of the moai is carved in a prone position first, then the back is carved enough to free the statue from the base rock. It was then slide down the quarry slope, into a hole to make it upright where the back can be properly finished. It would then be transported to its final resting places where the eyes would be added to give it life. 

There are at least 27 theories of how the moai were transported to their final resting spot, involving a variety of techniques in both standing and reclining positions. We will never know. 

A hot lunch was served nearby in a covered palapa and included chicken, rice, salad and a jello cup with canned fruit in it for dessert( a real childhood memory for most of us). Our companions were flocks of chickens and cats looking for a handout.

Te Pito Kura was our next stop after lunch. There was only one moai (named Paro) at this site but it important as it was the biggest moai ever successfully delivered and erected. It was 10 meters high and weighed 80 tons. It was toppled sometime after 1838 and still remains lying on the ground. The other important feature at the site is a round rock that has magnetic properties. No other rock on Rapa Nui exhibits magnetic properties and it is speculated that it was brought here by the first visitors to the island.

It was late afternoon by now and deemed “beach” time at the nearby white sand beach called Anakena. Anakena is important as it is felt that this is where the founding Rapa Nui king, Hotu Matu’a, first landed. It was a lovely site with several moai and two ahu, a grassy area with palm trees and some restaurants and concession stands. I walked the beach, tested the water temperature( not as warm as I expected it to be), and took more pictures. Unfortunately shortly after we arrived it began to rain fairly heavily and we hurried back to our bus to return to the hotel.

Although rain has been predicted for the day we only encountered it late in the day and we had excellent viewing at the archeological sites during the day. Also because of the cloud cover most of the day we were not exhausted from the tropical sun while we walked the areas. By the way, foreign visitors must pay $80 for admission to the archeological site on the island; Chilean citizens pay only $20.

Everyone (10 of us) agreed they would like to eat in town for a change of pace and stay to see part of the special “Tapati” spring festival that is underway here in Rapa Nui. Our “adventure” began with a decision to take the local free bus to town. It supposedly ran every 20 minutes and we could catch it right outside the hotel, so we stood by the roadside and waited and waited. Cars and trucks passed, bicycles passed, motor scooters passed, cabs passed but no bus. Finally after waiting 35 minutes we went back to the hotel lobby and asked for three cabs to take us to the heart of town which was about 2 miles away. By 8PM we walked into a waterfront restaurant that had been recommended to us to find there was no way we could get a table. We wandered down to another nearby bar/ restaurant that had  lovely outdoor balcony. Yes, they could serve us but we had to break up into two tables. No problem. We were given menus and sat…and sat..and sat. The hostess/waitress who seated us was nowhere to be found, the bartender simply stood behind the nearby bar. We were thirsty and hungry. There was a younger couple next to us who were from Switzerland. We got to taking to them and were told they had ordered dinner over 30 minutes ago and have seen nothing. They probably were waiting longer than that as the bottle of wine they were drinking was almost empty. Looking around we saw a couple of other tables with people but NO food! We were warned about “island time” but this was ridiculous, so much so the Wladimir got up and went down the street to another restaurant to see if they could accommodate us. They could and so we got up and left. The bartender  either said or did anything and we still did not see any other staff. It was really weird! Well, the final spot was right on the water, the breeze was blowing nicely and we did get to eat even though it did take almost and hour from the time we sat down to when the food was delivered. Note to those headed to Rapa Nui: do not expect fast service in restaurants; they live on island time here.

We did wander over to the evening show which was featuring drumming groups that night. The entertainment does not begin until 10PM and goes to 1-2 AM each night for two weeks. Needless to say we did not stay long as we had another day of touring in front of us. We waited for cabs which in this town can be any type of vehicle. A four door pickup truck stopped and told us we could all (10) hop in, which we assumed meant some would be sitting in the pickup bed. We politely passed and waited for two more cabs. Cabs are cheap, $4.50 for up to 4 people.

Thus ended our full day tour of Rapa Nui. There will be more to see tomorrow.

 

Ten of the original group are headed to Easter Island (or Rapa Nui as the residents prefer) as part of the trip extension offered by Vantage. For some unknown reason they booked 4 of our group on a different flight than the other 6- craziness, but Wladimir was unable to change it. It made for some logistics problems but he made the best of it and arranged for the earlier group to have a local person along to make sure that they ended up on the right flight. That group had to leave the hotel at 3AM. Luckily I was on the later flight so we did not leave until 6:30AM for our scheduled 9:35 AM flight. Wladimir was with our group so we could relax as he worried the details of getting us at the right place at the right time. There was more standing in line to check baggage but it was not nearly as bad as it was in Punta Arenas.

I was surprised to find we were on a new 787 airplane for the 5 hour flight to Rapa Nui. The plane was almost full and I imagine the earlier flight was also full. As some Chileans try to move to Rapa Nui permanently (and they are not wanted, even though the island is controlled by Chile) we had to fill out special forms showing we were only visiting and not trying to move there.

As we exited the plane we knew we were in a tropical environment. It was fairly hot because of the intense sun; there was a pleasant breeze and modest humidity. It felt like Hawaii. We were met at the airport by our local guide, Nico, who gave each of us a lei of local flowers. Nico, we learned is a true native and descendant of the original Rapa Nui people who first came here millennia ago.

Jacob Roggeveen, a Dutch explorer, discovered Easter Island, landing there on April 5, 1722, which happened to be Easter Sunday, thus the name. The next encounter with the rest of the world was in 1770 when the Spanish briefly landed and claimed the land. However they never followed up on it and it was not until Captain James Cook visited the island in 1774 that foreign intervention and influence began to affect the island and its inhabitants. In the 1860s Peru took many of the natives to Peru to work ( as slaves) in their fields. During this period disease and the Peruvian enslavement of  the people decimated the population. By 1877 a census showed only 110 Rapa Nui people remained from a population of 12,000 at its peak. A census taken in 1882 showed there were 155 Rapanui with 68 men, 43 women, 17 boys and 27 girls under the age of 15. In 1863 the island was renamed Rapa Nui (which the locals prefer) although the rest of the world still commonly refers to it as Easter Island. In 1888 Chile claimed the land, signed a treaty with the locals, and has retained control since. The treaty bears similarity with the treaties signed by the US with the Indians- an issue of what the treaty wording really means. As a result there are some bad feelings toward Chile.

The statues we are so familiar with are called “moai”. It is felt these were statues created in memory of deceased chieftains/important persons and were placed overseeing the villages and their descendants as a protector and reminder. It is estimated that they were carved in the period from 1000-1600AD. Initially early explorers reported that the moai were standing on platforms (called ahu) but over time were toppled, likely because of wars between the various clans. Scientists are still trying to understand the history behind these unique structures. Restoration of the 40 some statues standing on platforms once again began in the 1950s. 

Hanga Roa is the main town on the island and 95% of the island’s population live there. Today the population of the island is around 10,000 of which there are about 4000 of true Rapa Nui people (the rest came from the mainland at one time or another). During the peak summer season the population grows to about 20,000 because of visitors like us. Hanga Roa is the only location with electricity, powered by a diesel generator set given to the island by the US in the 1950-1960s when the US maintained a spy station during the Cold War and later built a very large (10,000 ft plus) runway for possible space shuttle recoveries. It was never used for that purpose but allows the large aircraft who now bring tourists to the island. The US also left the people the power generation station, a love for Kentucky whiskey and country music! We heard it playing wherever we went.

The rest of the island is mostly “off the grid”, relying on generators or solar energy for short-term electricity needs. Water comes from rainwater and outhouses are used.  There are no year round streams on the island. The volcanic soil is too porous. It is a throw-back to older, simpler times for the people who live here and they seem to prefer that!  Locals are fighting a desire by some to create a port so cruise ships can visit. Supplies are delivered twice a week by ship or by airplane. When locals go to the mainland they return with packages of many things because prices are high here on the island. The airline allows residents to bring more luggage at no additional cost.

We were delivered to our hotel for the next three nights with the warning that it may not be up to the standards we expect. As it turned out it was not as bad as portrayed. There was hot water for extended periods morning and night. There was an air conditioner that worked and a TV that did not work-only two very  “snowy” channels. The room was immaculate and the bed was comfortable so I had no complaints. It was like a 2 star motel in the US. The setting of the hotel was superb- on the water overlooking the coast. It even had a decent swimming pool.

At 3PM we were taken on a tour of two important sites on the island: Vinapu and Orongo. The ceremonial center of Vinapu includes one of the larger ahu (the platform that held the moai) on Rapa Nui. The ahu exhibits extraordinary stone masonry consisting of large, carefully fitted slabs of basalt. What is unique is that the precision of the blocks making up the ahu resemble greatly those made by the Incas in Peru. Some people feel they came to Rapa Nui at one time and were responsible for building this ahu. The other important artifact here is a moai that resembles the female form, and is only one of two ever found on the island.

From here we went to the nearby complex called Orongo, the remains of a stone village and ceremonial area on the sides of the volcano, Rano Kau (300 meters high with a crater diameter of 1.6 km and a fresh water lagoon 11 meters Medellin), and the site of a famous competition between clans called the “Birdman competition” which was held from the 18th to the mid-19th centuries. Chiefs of the various clans would appoint a “hopu” which would compete on his behalf. They would race down the steep cliff side of Rano Kau, swim to an offshore island and hopefully collect the first eggs of the season of the sooty tern which inhabited the island and return it unbroken  to the mainland.  Needless to say it was a brutal competition and many men died during it.

The finder of the first egg would swim back to present the egg to his sponsor, who then became sacred in the eyes of the people and became “king” for the year, ruling over the other clans during that year. Interestingly he had to shave his head, eyebrows and eyelashes, and go into seclusion for a year. During that time he could not trim his nails,  it his hair, bath himself or cook. Others took care of his needs.  He basically simply slept and ate. We were told that there was also a “virgin” in isolation at the same time,  but I cannot find any reference to that anywhere!  Maybe this competition was the precursor to the modern-day Ironman competition. Once the missionaries arrived in the mid 1800s they convinced the Rapanui to stop the competition.

There are a series of rock huts in Orongo which the contestants occupied as they prepared for the competition. There are also many petroglyphs in the area.

We were back at the hotel for dinner which was served outdoors on the patio as we watched the sunset.

Tomorrow we go on an all day tour of more sites on the island.

Santiago is the largest city in Chile with over 7 million people. 42 % of the country’s population live and work here. Maria, our city tour guide, picked us up at 9:30 and we spent the next three hours exploring the heart of the city,  beginning with the major city square where the most important buildings are. 

Santiago was founded in 1541 by Spanish conqueror Pedro de Valdivia. In the Spanish style the main square is surrounded by the cathedral and the major government office buildings.

Nearby was an excellent cultural museum where we toured the section called “Chile before Chile”. I was fascinated to see that Chileans mummified their dead thousands of years before the Egyptians. There were marvelous displays of pre-Colombian pottery, jewelry and even clothing. It is extremely well done, and English descriptions were at each exhibit.

Also close by is the rebuilt presidential palace that had been destroyed in the 1970s when democratically elected socialist Salvador Allende was ousted by US backed General Augusto Pinochet in a military coup on ironically, September 11, 1973.  That resulted in a 17 year military dictatorship led by Pinochet.  Today Chile is democratic once again and is one of the more stable economies in South America.

It was 1:30PM by the time we finished and some people chose to wander through the Bellavista area and ride the cable car and/or the funicular to the top of the nearby mountain to get a view of the city. Five of us chose to ride back to the hotel and adjourn for a beer and pizza at a local restaurant where some people ate last night. They were right; it was excellent. I later showered and grabbed a one hour nap as I was coughing and had a runny nose. 

Our farewell dinner was held at the hotel. It was a bit of a disappointment-chicken at a hotel. I will comment on it when we do the survey of the trip. Others agree it would have been much nicer to go to a local restaurant. About half the group are headed home tomorrow evening while the rest of us head to Easter Island on the post-trip extension.

We are leaving Patagonia and flying back to Santiago this morning. Basically it is a travel day. Unfortunately the airline broke up our group and booked us on two separate flights. Five of us are leaving on the earlier flight, the rest on one that leaves three hours later. As a result the hotel must shuttle us separately to the airport which is three hours away in Punta Arenas.  I am in the earlier group so we had to leave at 6:30 AM. The good news is Wladimir is also with us so if there are any glitches he will be here to deal with them. Although we have to get up very early we do arrive in Santiago at 5:30 PM, a decent hour. As the flight to Santiago is over three hours I can catch up on amy missed sleep on the plane.

It is 46 degrees this morning with no rain at the hotel; however within 30 minutes of leaving we started getting some rain showers and, of course, there is that wind, although it was minimal this morning (so far). Thus is the weather cycle and the way of life in Patagonia. I think it would be tough to live here.

Unless you are into extended trekking, kayaking, fishing or horseback riding, three days seemed adequate to see the major sights in the Patagonia region. Two of our three days of sightseeing had great weather conditions so I feel lucky. It would have been a big disappointment had it rained the entire time we were here. 

I was impressed with the way the hotel handled our days of touring the area and I assume other hotels in the area do likewise. The day excursions were well planned and executed. I talked to a couple from Canada who were there on their own; excursions and activities were available for them as well. There is a team of local guides readily  available to show people the area. They know their stuff.

It was a three-hour drive back to the Punta Arenas airport, but it went smoothly. However, once we got to the airport the laid back attitude of South America kicked in. The check-in line at the airport was very long and there were only two people working the check-in process. It seemed quite chaotic and I was glad we had a local to sort out the reasons for the delay and find out which line we had to be in. It seemed to take forever (actually over 1 hour) to check our bags and get boarding passes. Even Wladimir was shocked at the lackluster attitude of LATAM. Luckily we had ample time and we made our flight which was on time.

Wladimir changed seats with me so I could have a window seat on the mountain side of the plane as we headed north to Santiago. I was able to get a bunch of pictures of volcanoes (Chile has about 500 active volcanoes) that seem to line the Chilean coast, including an aerial view of the Grey Glacier we visited yesterday, which is immense when seen from the air.

Santiago was hot (90 degrees) but at least there was not much humidity. Wladimir, who lives there, said it has been hotter than normal all summer. Global warming? We are staying that the Intercontinental Hotel in the financial district, where there are plenty of restaurants and even a big shopping center nearby. I had managed to catch a cold while in Patagonia and was in no mood to wander off looking for dinner and I chose to simply have a drink and a bowl of soup in the hotel bar, followed by an early departure to bed.

Tomorrow the group has a walking tour of Santiago and our farewell dinner. The base trip ends tomorrow night.

Today we are going to explore the west side of the park,  basically the backside of the mountains we saw yesterday. We left at a leisurely 9AM again and it will take about 90 minutes to get there. 

Total different look to the landscape today. It is wetter on this side of the mountains so there are more trees, forests and vegetation. Archeologists have found evidence of indigenous people living in this area in ancient times.

There are five major glaciers in the park but many smaller ones. We pass many lakes as we proceed deeper into the park, some are quite large. Boating on the lakes is not common; kayaking is done in places as well as fishing. The trees are getting taller and the forests denser as we proceed deeper into the park. It is obvious this is a totally different climatic zone compared to yesterday. An aside: there are 17 different eco systems in the park.

10:30AM. Our first stop was Lake Toro, the largest lake in Chile, but only part of it is actually in the park. An aside:  The sun is out but there is a wind and the temperature was in the mid 40s so there is a definite chill in the air.  It is also spitting a bit of rain even though the sun is out. We are viewing the backside of those spectacular mountains we saw yesterday.

 Our next destination was Lake Grey where we embarked on a “trek” through the woods to the shore of Lake Grey to a viewpoint of the Grey glacier. We were warned about the winds that would likely buffet us as we walked. Walking sticks were available for our use. The strength of the wind once we were on the beach was rather astounding; our guide said it was likely around 60 km/hr (30 mph). We estimated the trek to be about 1.2 miles each way. The views of the surrounding mountains were awesome.

It was lunch time after our “strenuous” hike. As we were driving to a local campground on the shores of Lake Pehoe ( pey ho a ) the guides saw a rare, endangered South Andean deer grazing at the roadside. Supposedly this sighting was even rarer than yesterday’s sighting of the pumas, as it is estimated there are only 14 of the deer in the park. Our lead guide, Sebastian, is a genius!

The staff at the Remota hotel had arrived ahead and laid out a great buffet lunch with pisco sours( of course), multiple salads and grilled chicken, with brownies and chocolate chip cookies for dessert. Beer, wine and soft drinks were also there, as well as tablecloths on the picnic tables. In the background were those fabulous mountains. There was even some local entertainment as several ducks and birds paraded around us, probably looking for handouts. They were the hawk-like Cara Cara bird and a family of Upland geese. 

After a leisurely lunch we drove to see one more waterfall(Salto Grande) as we starting making our way back to the hotel. What made the 20 minute trek to the Salto Grande waterfall so unique was the fact that we had to battle gusting winds that were even greater than we experienced on the morning hike. Our guide, Juan Luis, even warned us that in the event we thought we would be bowled over we should immediately squat until the gust passed, and if conditions were too bad he would turn us around and return to our bus. It turns out that we did make it to the falls but I have never experienced winds of that velocity. I had to occasionally bend over, leaning into the wind to proceed. I now have a feeling of what news reporters experience when they cover a hurricane.

By now it was 4 PM and the bus got quiet as we worked our way back to the hotel. Our exploration of Torres del Paine is over. It was a magnificent experience as I have never seen what I saw here anywhere else in the world. On that first rainy day I was fearful the visit to this area would be a bust, as the weather forecast was not promising. The good news is that they are terrible at predicting the weather here and the great weather we had these last two days made my visit to Patagonia a memorable one.

“Some days are diamonds, some days are stone”…….or so said John Denver.  Today was definitely a diamond day; in fact it was even better than that, it was spectacular!

Also, before I begin, for the sake of transparency and honesty, we did not really go “trekking”. It was more like leisurely walks in the park, but down here people do go on extended “treks” in the area.

We left at a leisurely 9 AM, with sun and puffy clouds in the sky, headed for a full day excursion to the east side of Torres del Paine National Park. Surprisingly the park is not that large, only about 450,000 acres ( about 2/3 the size of Rhode Island) but it is blessed with some stunning mountain vistas.

Our itinerary for the day was to explore the eastern side of the park. It was about a 45 minute drive to the park. Initially the landscape was flat and featureless, then suddenly the snow-capped mountain range appeared, creating a marked contrast to the land around it. I was surprised to see that when we did a comfort stop at a small cafe in Cerro Castillo we were at the border with Argentina. Go left and you are in the park; go right and you are in Argentina. We went left!

We were in an area of valleys that had been carved by glaciers, then submerged by lakes before becoming the valleys we now see. Horizontal lines on the sides of the hills surrounding the valley showed the levels of the lakes over the millennia.

Entering the park we soon saw a guanaco, the local “cousin” of the llama. I thought we would stop for a photo but we did not as the guides told us we would see a lot of them and sure enough by the end of the day we were hardly interested in the small herds that often grazed along the road side. 

Although it is peak season we hardly saw any other vehicles or people as we traversed the park. Suddenly the bus stops because our eagle-eyed tour guide had spotted a puma moving on the ridge above us. It was an incredible sighting and rare as the animals tend to be nocturnal. We grabbed cameras and binoculars hoping to get THAT photo. This is when I wished I had brought along my big SLR rather than the pocket-size camera I usually carry on my trips. Luckily, several people did have those larger cameras including one of the guides and they got some incredible pictures of the big cat which will be shared with the rest of us. It was quite a start to our day.

Our first stop in the park was at a large lake where surprise #2 appeared in the form of several condors flying at a fairly low altitude above us- close enough to get a few decent pictures, even with my camera. Normally they are not that close to the ground and pictures are difficult to get. Condors do not particularly fly, they simply soar, relying on air current to keep them aloft. They are the 2nd largest soaring bird in the world(albatross is #1), having wing spans of around 10 feet. The wing feathers can be 18 inches long and act like flaps on an airplane to control their flight. Condors are not raptors, they are like vultures in that they only eat dead meat. They have to rely on the # 1 predator, the puma, to take down a guanaco. The condor will then feed on the carcass after the puma finishes feeding. Surprisingly condors are not an endangered species in Chile.

Leaving the lake and driving a bit farther we did finally stop where a herd of guanacos was grazing by the side of the road. They basically ignored us as we took dozens of pictures. We were told that the lone guanaco standing off by himself was acting as the sentinel for the group, watching for predators who might be stalking them. I assume they take turns at this responsibility. They can run fast but not as fast as a puma so you do not want to be the slowest guanaco in the herd!

Mid morning we stopped at a lake and were told we were going on a bit of a hike along its shore, followed by coffee, tea and a snack. Off we went on a walk that ended up being only a couple of blocks at the most, finishing at a picnic grove down the road where the snack awaited us after our long, strenuous hike!

The Paine river is the major river flowing through the park and the guides wanted to show us a fairly decent sized waterfall ( Cascades del Paine) on the river, so that was the next stop.

Because we are a long way away from our hotel the staff there sent a team along with us to prepare and serve us a lunch in the park. We stopped at what looked like a campground that had a shelter with tables and even a kitchen, where we were served a great multiple salad luncheon, starting first with a cheese/salami appetizer and the proverbial pisco sour.

After a leisurely lunch it was on to more scenic views along the road back out of the park. It was after this stop that Sebastián again had the coach stop as he sighted another puma(#2 for the day) sitting quietly on the top of the ridge above us. It is one thing to see a moving animal but to sight one that was sitting absolutely still 100 yards or more away is phenomenal. He stayed put so supposedly we will be getting some shared pictures from those with the big cameras. I did manage to get a few shots and have enclosed one here. By the way, pumas are more commonly called cougars or mountain lions in the US.

We were back at the hotel by about 6:30; it was a long day but everyone was excited about what we saw and experienced. It was indeed a diamond day, that more than made up for the bad weather day we had yesterday.

Tomorrow we continue our exploration of the park by going up the “west” side. New adventures are in store and we all went to bed hoping for another sunny day.