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.
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).
We had our first Moai sighting while at lunch. See below.
After lunch it was off to see some real Moai. More about that tomorrow.
Hasta luego
Robert Reiss Travel Blog and Other Ramblings 