Easter Island-Santiago Day 5
Easter Island-Santiago
Day 5 –Tuesday, November 27, 2007 – Easter Island Half Day Tour of Orongo, Ana Kai Tangata, Ahu Vinapu & Volcano
The skies were a little cloudy when we woke up at 7:30. We had a great breakfast and lively conversation with Ed and Andy & Jack and then met the rest of the group in the lobby at 9:30 to begin our day.
It was another beautiful day in Paradise! The temperature was 69 degrees and the humidity was 74%. Chico and Patricia arrived to take us on another adventure around the island this morning. Each day Chico greets all of the ladies in the group with a beautiful tropical flower to wear in our hair!
Our first stop of the morning was at Ana Kai Tangata, a cave formed originally by a huge lava tube. Here we saw pictographs in the cave where the native young men would prepare for the Bird Man Ceremony.
Patricia explained the yearly competition where the strongest young men and best swimmers of the village would dive off of the cliffs, then swim to the small island off of the coast and then climb to the top of the cliff.
Here they would capture the first eggs of the nesting Manutara or Sooty Tern. The first man to swim back with the whole unbroken egg would be the champion Bird Man and earn leadership for his tribe or clan for the following year. This would guarantee prosperity and fertility for the coming year!
We climbed a bit further along the coast to another huge lava tube that extends far into the side of the island. The views of the waves crashing on the rocks were breath-taking! I climbed way out on the edge of the cliff, making everyone very nervous, but I got some phenomenal shots of the surf!
We stopped at a high overlook of the runway and the airport. The runway extends almost the width of the whole island. It was expanded to its 3.5 kilometer ( 2.18 Miles) length by NASA so it could be a possible alternative landing site for the space shuttle in case of an emergency.
Our next climb took us to the top of the rim of Rano Kau Volcano, where we had a panoramic view of almost the whole island. The center of the crater is a microclimate protected by the steep sides of the caldera. There is also a large fresh water lake covered with totora (a reed common to Lake Titicaca in Peru). The Rapa Nui people grow citrus fruits and other tropical plants here.
From there, we continued onto the Cultural Centre of Orongo Village, situated at the top of the crater at over 300 meters above sea level and where year after year the Bird Man or Tangata Manu ceremony took place. We saw more than 100 petroglyphs which represent the Make-Make God and the Manutara seabird among others.
Although the last actual Bird Man Ceremony took place in 1867, the Kevin Kostner film, Rapa Nui, was filmed here. Patricia told us it was a very realistic recreation of the traditions and true to the Bird Man Ceremonies of the past.
Just as we were leaving Orongo and the National Park, we could see the rain coming in from the southwest over the ocean. In only a few minutes we were in a downpour! We continued back to town and made a brief stop at the mini mart and were able to see the island’s one and only gas station.
While we were in town we stopped at the post office to buy stamps and to mail our post cards. Back at the hotel, we had the afternoon free.
We chose to share a salad and sandwich at the hotel and then while Gennie worked on her classes, I made the trek back to town to stock up on our Feisel Group Happy Hour this afternoon.
The group gathered at 4:00 on Vern and Paula’s back porch. We again brought snacks to share and we all helped Gennie add more additions to her cork collection! Chico joined us for our happy hour and told us more about life and traditions on Rapa Nui.
At 8 PM we went to the hotel dining room and shared a salad, soup, and their great French fries. Several of our group went to a folklore show at the Kari Kari.
Accommodation: Hanga Roa Hotel - - - Meals: B
Comments
You have made it to yet another place on my list... Your photos and prose are as beautiful as ever! Are their "great French fries" special in some way, or was it just the familiarity-in-a-foreign-land factor?
Post a Comment!Amazing photos, Viv! I love the blue blue of the waters. Have more fun!
Pounding Surf
Lava Tube
Rano Kau Crater
Bird Man Islands
Port and Main Street
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