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.
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.
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.
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.
Hasta luego
Robert Reiss Travel Blog and Other Ramblings 