Yesterday afternoon we had our first opportunity to see the Moai statues and we were not disappointed. It is estimated that these enormous statues were constructed from 1400 (we have read and heard this date to be as early as 1000 and as late as 1400 AD) to 1600 AD. They first became a major tourist attraction due to the work of the American anthropologist, William Molloy. Previously these gigantic art masterpieces had been knocked over and were horizontal. Thanks to the efforts of Molloy (and lots of machinery and strong backs) these goliaths were uprighted beginning in about 1960 and soon after a tourist attraction was born. The first commercial flight to the island occurred in 1967
Today we were given the opportunity to see the Moai accented by the sunrise providing what we were told would be a majestic experience. One of us took advantage of this opportunity (me) and the other (Patrice) chose to sleep. Patrice definitely made the better decision. It was quite cold this morning and very cloudy. Although what I saw was very lovely all I kept thinking was how nice it would be to be in a cozy warm bed.
After the morning excursion, I returned to the hotel to join Patrice for breakfast and a brief rest. Then it was back on the road to seek out some more sights worth viewing.
This afternoon we had a great time going to the quarry where apparently all the Moai were carved. There are close to 900 of these incredible statues on the island and about 400 of them are at this one location. Here are some pictures of my favorites
Tomorrow is our last morning on the island. We head back to the mainland in the afternoon and then the next day we will fly to the Atacama desert.
Hasta luego.
Robert Reiss Travel Blog and Other Ramblings 
The moai are really incredible!
On Sat, Dec 10, 2022 at 5:56 PM Robert Reiss Travel Blog and Other
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Doesn’t sound like the recent fires had an adverse effect. Was this me mentioned?
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No evidence of any fires seen. No one mentioned the fires. Our questions resulted in answers that were totally unintelligible (not a language issue)
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Hi, Robert and Patrice What an amazing journey! I of course read about the statues, the 17K fine to touch one, that all the statues were lying down when scientists came upon them (were they ever standing?) and the deforestation eco debacle.
Thank you both for sharing this experience withus, I’m glad you woke up and had a shot of seeing the morning light on the moai
Love,
Samir
On Sat, Dec 10, 2022 at 5:56 PM Robert Reiss Travel Blog and Other
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Thank you so much for your comment.
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Amazing photos! I’m sure all your readers (myself included) are happy you chose to get up early to see the sunrise. The clouds look nice too.
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Amazing pictures of the Moai statues. So glad you volunteered to get up early to take those sunrise pictures. The only thing that would have been better than your pictures would have been if I had been there myself.
Did more research on the Moai to supplement what you wrote and found it all so fascinating. Thank you!
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We are very happy to travel for your enjoyment.
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Amazing!! Not too many photos.
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Very informative, but one spelling note. I know you were liking the white marks but you spelled it lichen. Glad you are having fun!
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The sunrise photos are amazing! Who needs sleep on a journey like this? The Moai statues are incredible! I find your blogs so informative with a touch of humor of course. Thank you always for sharing! Until tomorrow…..
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