Star gazing was fun last night. We got to see Orion up close and a great view of Jupiter and 4 of its moons. We also saw something else but please don’t ask me for details but the two staff members who led the activity were going crazy when they got it in view. To me it looked like someone had just dropped a salt shaker and the top of the shaker came off spilling granules over a beautiful black tablecloth. Sorry, astronomy is not my thing and that is as specific as I can get. I will leave this area to my friends Samir and Ralph.
Today we had a long trip home. First, we left Atacama for Santiago arriving on time at about 4:00 pm. We then walked a significant distance to check in for our next flight only to find out that American only has evening flights out of Santiago today so they don’t have any staff until 6:00 pm. I managed to use the self-check-in machine to get our boarding passes but we still needed to wait to check our luggage. We finally got everything set. We are taking this flight on miles and luckily it gave us access to the lounge for the duration of the wait for our flight (8 hours total but just 5 since we made it to the lounge).
To sum up this trip I have to say I am a bit disappointed. I really loved Rapa Nui and am so glad we went there. Atacama was a bit of a disappointment most likely because so many people had told me such glowing things about the place it was bound to fall short. Being at altitude was also difficult for this old body. The hotel is at 8,000 feet and the locations of the various activities ranged from 11,000 to 14,000 feet. That part was not fun. Of course my biggest disappointment was not taking the trip in December 2020 to see the eclipse.
As usual, I will leave you with some interesting photos taken during the trip. They are only meant to amuse or at least be of some interest. Enjoy.
When traveling I always like to seek out local cuisine and hangouts. Dinner Menu: Before you freak out these prices are in Chilean pesos the conversion was 879 to 1 USD the last time I looked but it varies dramatically on a daily basis. In Rapa Nui they had lots of these signs saying that jumping is not allowed. Just kidding, these mean do not enter. My best guess is “No popcorn allowed”.Glossary of terms at the Hanga Roa information Center in Rapa Nui. Notice the 4th from the bottom. What does that have to do with ancient ruins?Apparently throwing paper AT toilets is a pastime that is very much discouraged by the government. I love this translation regarding shrimp.This was a film offered on our flight from Rapa Nui to Santiago. Do you think they are followers of my blog and read of my battle with the hormigas?I am sure you are all aware of Juan Valdez and his advertisements for Colombian coffee. It looks to me as if Juan might have had some issues with the Colombian cartel because he is currently operating a coffee shop at the Santiago airport.
Apparently they charge $50 USD for a 2 hour stay in the airport lounge. I guess some people try to get their money’s worth by drinking. See below.
No drinking alcohol from 3:00 AM to 10:00 AM. That has to be someone with a drinking problem or VERY scared of flying. I don’t go to McDonalds, but do they have this in LA? Order on a machine outside the restaurant (did I really call McDonalds a restaurant?). Tell them want you want, if you want to eat in or take out, pay at the machine, then go inside and collect your food. (Did I just refer to McDonalds as food?).
And finally, check out this video from the Santiago, Chile airport baggage claim area. I start by showing you the baggage carousels and then pan around to the other side where you can see planes at the gate. A very interesting setup.
I hope you enjoyed our vacation. Nothing planned for the near future but when we are on our way, we will invite you to join us.
It is our getaway day from Rapa Nui and this morning I got a real naturalist experience that would make Charles Darwin or Thor Heyerdahl very proud. I awoke early as usual and felt an itchy bump on my hand. Hmmm, “Mosquito bite?” I wondered. I didn’t recall any malaria warnings for this trip but it did set my mind in motion. I recalled that Patrice had noted some ants near the window (far from my side of the bed) when we arrived. She told the hotel staff who dutifully came and applied a “natural” remedy. Sorry if this offends anyone but other than bringing in a cat to deal with a rat problem I want to deal with pests by bringing in cancer-causing, teratogenic chemicals to, as my favorite comedian George Carlin would put it, “Wax the M-F’ers”. If you don’t know the routine to which I refer please watch and listen to his hilarious discussion about germs. Here’s the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X29lF43mUlo
Those of you who know me well can easily imagine my active mind started to roll into action. Ants plus an itchy bump led me to the only possible conclusion which was that my body was being overrun by Chilean red ants with a predilection for elderly American males invading their turf. Patrice was still sound asleep and I didn’t want to alarm her or even disturb her in the slightest so I marched on by myself. My mind would not stop. I started to itch in a variety of places. I then positioned my phone to take a selfie to see if I could identify any unwanted visitors on my body, my pillow, or the bed. I couldn’t see the picture immediately because the flash from my phone camera rendered me blind for a minute or two. When I was finally able to see I examined all areas on the picture without identifying any alien creatures.
No signs of any ants. Did I miss them?
I then decided to read my book with the hope that I could distract myself, but no such luck. I suppose I can be partially forgiven for obsessing over this issue when my reading was interrupted by an ant walking across my screen. I dealt with that critter and then turned on my light to search for more but without any success. I didn’t see any evidence of a foreign invasion. At this point, I had two questions 1.) What was going on with my body? and 2.) How could Patrice sleep through all this?
I tried to return to my book but it was a futile attempt even though I only saw the one ant on my phone I was convinced my entire body was being taken over by these unpleasant visitors. Unable to sleep I had to take another look. Much to my chagrin, my worst fear was confirmed. There were ants in my bed. See this picture of a few casualties of my war with nature.
A this point it was clear I was not going back to sleep but my question was, should I wake Patrice? I decided against that but I had to shower to clear my body of any other undesirables. If that would wake her up I could only hope an apology would suffice. Before taking the shower I took one more look for any survivors of my counter-assault. I didn’t see any. Was it possible there were only about ten? Could this just have been a squad sent out on a reconnaissance mission in search of food with the remainder of the regimen remaining at their base camp near the window? I took a quick run to the bathroom to consider my options then returned to the bed for one more look. Sure enough, I found two more enemy troops. I disposed of them and headed for the shower. Sleep was not in my immediate future.
After showering I stayed out of the bed and got dressed. I read my book until Patrice woke up and then I appraised her of the situation. We packed and went to breakfast. I stopped off at the front desk to tell them of the problem. Just in case my Spanish wasn’t adequate I brought along evidence.
I am sure you can figure it out but HORMIGAS = ANTS.
After breakfast we brought all our gear to the van and were escorted on a tour of Rano Kau which is a very impressive volcanic crater on the southwest side of the isle. We then toured the visitor center and took a short walk around the area learning more about the history of the island.
Rano Kau Volcanic Crater. The picture doesn’t do it justice. It is a spectacular sight.Patrice at the edge of Rano Kau with the “ant killer”.
After Rano Kau it was time to head for the airport. Patrice and I requested a stop at a local market prior to heading to the airport. The guides were not crazy about the idea but they finally agreed. We are always interested in getting some local flavor and if possible interact with the residents rather than just experiencing the tourist attractions when we are on vacation. This was a short stop and very much worth our time (I can’t speak for the guides). After that it was on to the airport which as it turns out was literally walking distance from the market. This is a small place.
From Rapa Nui we flew back to Santiago where we checked into the Holiday Inn at the airport. We will fly out tomorrow morning to Atacama desert. It is late here and we will be going to bed soon. Thank you so much for all the great comments the past few days. I will try to reply to them tomorrow if possible.
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
Our first look at the Moai statues of Rapa Nui on yesterday’s afternoon excursion.
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.
One of the giant statues highlighted by our guide’s spotlight.Silhouette view. I think if it hadn’t been so cloudy this truly would have been spectacular. Isn’t this a great shot with the moon in the background?Do I look like I thought a 6:00 am departure was a good idea?
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.
Who looks like they got more sleep. Be kind!
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
The white patches are Lichen. This is a combination of algae and fungi that eats away at the sculptures and risks turning the statues into rectanular blocks (in 100 years). Getting tired of looking at Moai. Last one, I promise.Was Patrice trying to tell me something with a smile while sitting next to this sign?
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.
Patrice and I had a nice dinner last night at “Bocanariz”, a good but not great restaurant close to the hotel. Our server didn’t speak a word of English until it came time to bring us the check when he announced “The tip is not included”. After dinner we wandered the streets and found a variety of shops, restaurants, and street vendors. The most interesting sight was a group of young street dancers (more appropriately called gymnasts) who were showing off their talents in the middle of the street. You would think once they saw cars they would vacate but that wasn’t the case. Watch this video.
Street performers stop traffic Santiago, Chile.
Today we left the hotel at 6:00 AM to catch our flight to Easter Island, also know as Isla Pascua (in Spanish), and Rapa Nui (in Rapa Nui). From Santiago the flight is 5 hours and 20 minutes. That’s why most travelers (including Chileans) have not visited this tiny UNESCO World Heritage Site (designated as such on March 22, 1996). It is also why, when I suggested it to Patrice she said “You want to go where?” Wait until she sees the Moai sculptures. She will change her tune (I hope).
On the plane to Rapa Nui I watched a movie and read part of my book. Then I had a conversation with my new BFF, Charly. See below.
Charly (aka Carlos) is a school teacher who lives on Rapa Nui. For some reason he wound up seated between Patrice and me. So he had the worst of both worlds. He had to endure Patrice climbing over him to get to the bathroom (although I have to admit I like those adventures when I am seated next to her) and on his other side he had me bending his ear.
Charly explained the route the plane needed to take in order to land on the island. I immediately asked the flight attendant if it was too late to return to the mainland. The landing was indeed an adventure. I witnessed the entire event out the window. It looked much scarier than it felt. I saw that tiny island that we needed to approach at a steep angle and I was not happy. In retrospect if Charly hadn’t mentioned anything I probably would have been playing backgammon on my phone and not noticed a thing. Oops did I say playing backgammon? I meant I would have been too busy reading medical journals to notice the landing.
Shortly before landing we were told that Patrice and I were randomly selected to be tested for covid. We will get the results in 24 hours, so if we test positive we might not be able to return to the USA for a while.
While on the island we are staying at the Explora Hotel-Rapa Nui. After a brief tour of the layout of the hotel we had lunch and it was amazing. I had the catch of the day which was fantastic. For dessert I had crepes that were beyond words (so look at the picture). I won’t bore you with Patrice’s meal because it wasn’t as memorable (and because I forgot to take pictures).
A local fish called Toremo. As you can tell I was too hungry to wait to take a picture.Crepes Suzette. Let me just say my mouth is watering from just looking at the picture.
We had our first Moai sighting while at lunch. See below.
Butter shaped to resemble a Moai sculpture.
After lunch it was off to see some real Moai. More about that tomorrow.
Robert Reiss Travel Blog and Other Ramblings 