Day 59: 28/8/12
The rooster was raring to go again this morning! It didn't seem as early though. I was very excited at breakfast this morning as they had porridge! I haven't seen that since I left either and I usually have it most mornings.
So today's day trip was most of the same people as yesterday. Most don't speak English but they are nice all the same.
First we went to Vinapu. There are two ahus there. The bigger and more powerful the families the more ahus hey had. At one stage there were 20,000 people living on the island so every inch of it was lived in an there are archaeological remains everywhere. (one of the reasons the ear started was due to starvation as the island couldn't support 20,000 people.)
One of the ahus here has one of the best quality of stone work of any ahu on the island and is similar to that of the Incas. People felt that south Americans must have come to the island because of this and other things like sweet potatoes and reeds that grow both here and in south America. However there is a lot similar to Polynesia aswell. The language of rapa Nui is very similar to that of tahiti. If they were having a conversation they would understand 90% of each others language. So now it is believed that the settlers came from Polynesia and if there was contact with south America that it was the rapa Nui people that went to them and not the other way around. The Rapa Nui people were supposed to be the best sailors in the world, following clouds, birds, etc.
On the other ahu you could see one moai made in red stone- the type used for the hat. A few moai were made like this but then they realised the other volcanic rock was better. The red moai there was actually one of four moai representing women. It was found in front of the ahu but was probably on it. You can see the shape of breasts and a space between her hands with a petroglyph representing women's fertility. They dont know for sure why women were represented- probably important women or maybe something religious.
The sun was shining today do the views of the blue sky with sea all around was lovely!!
Next stop was Orongo. Here there was a volcano crater with a cliff near it dropping 300m to the sea and out in front 3 little islands. There were little round houses made of rocks- 55 of them all attached to each other. There was grass growing on top of them and they reminded me of dun aengus! A lot of the scenery looks quite Irish.
When they started the war in 1600 that was the end of the moai construction. They killed the royalty first so then there was a lot of confusion about how they would pick a king. So they came up with a new plan- the birdman competition which started in 1664. For this each family picked one man to represent them. He and some helpers and trainers, about 4 people in total made their way to Orongo in June. Each family had their own house there. They were tiny with little doors you crawled into and were really just for sleeping. For the next few months they trained for the competition. To win they had to scale down the cliff using ropes and then swim out to the furthest little island using a flat board made of reeds. On the island they had to get the eggs of a particular bird and carry it back to the top of the cliff without breaking it. They wore a special type of hat to carry it on their heads. To train for this they ran up and down the cliff and up and down the volcano crater. The bird was a migratory bird so when it returned in September the competition began. Whichever family won, the chief of That family began the king for the year. During the year there were priests who maintained and lived in the competitors village. While they men were in training they went round to the villages and picked a virgin maiden from each family. They locked these maidens in a cave for a few months to whiten their skin. The whiter they were the purer they were supposed to be (I must be a saint!!!). Then the winner of the competition got to pick one of these maidens to marry and there was a big wedding ceremony. If this couple had a boy, he was trained for the competition from a very young age. It wasn't clear if they were monogamous or not. They think that people could enter the competition repeatedly so if there was a really good lad he could have a wife every year!! Does anyone else think this competition sounds exactly like he hunger games idea?!?!? The competition continued until 1864 when the Catholic missionaries came and put a stop to it!
At the top of the crater there was a house that the judges stayed in. There were lots of rocks around this. When someone won they carved a petroglyph of a bird man on the rocks. There were lots of petroglyphs that you could see clearly.
When the English arrived at one stage they found a moai in one of the houses there covered in petroglyphs. It was supposed to represent the transition between moai culture and bird man culture. Of course they took the moai with them and now it's in some museum in England.
There are three volcanoes on the island which make the triangle shape of the island. One erupted 3million years ago, one 200,000 and the one wit the Birman houses 2.5 million years ago. Inside there was a lake made from rain water. Locals used to come to the volcanoes for water and carry little pumpkin sized containers of water back to the village a few times a day. The planted some food there- sweet potatoes, avocado trees, etc so they would have something to eat while there.
All around this volcano and the competitors village there were beautiful views of the sea. It's really blue today and you could see for miles around- just sea, nothing else!!
We were dropped of in town for lunch. I wandered around for a while and bought some nice jewellery made with seahells. The guide recommended a place near the pier and it was gorgeous- looking out at the waves crashing against the rocks. For some reason there were people attempting to surf in it! I think they need their heads checked!! I thought Ushuaia was the nicest place Id been but I think Easter island has surpassed it. Not only are the views breathtaking, it has so much history and culture aswell. I would like to be here longer, even though it's a small island and I've probably seen the most of it! Mam you would love looking out at the sea- you can see it all the time! Dad you would love the sea aswell but also the statues as they are massive. I can imagine you stepping out the place (carry the two!) to measure the distances they brought them!! A major feat of engineering and design! Shell you would love the locals!! I think we should win the lotto and come on a family holiday here!! Get working on it!
(you can tell I have lots of time on my hands at lunch today!!)
After lunch, we were picked up again.
We went first to Puna pau. This was the top knot quarry. The top knot was the red stone on the top of the moai. There are Other quarries too with other types of stone. In this quarry they get the Rock out first and then carve it, unlike the other quarry for the moai. Noone knows whether the top-knots were Rolled up to the top of the moai on rocks or lifted up with the moai when it was put upright. It was to represent their hair. Most people it seems wire their hair up on top of their head. The chieftains died their hair red, hence he red rock! They had Red, black, yellow and white dyes.
From here you could see the village of Hanga Roa and the airport. Apparently the Runway is the longest in chile and the longest in polynesia- 4.5km long going fron one side of the island to the other. NASA extended it in the 60s for space shuttle incase they needed to land one in the middle of nowhere! They Only use it for tests. Concorde have landed here though.
Chile is 3700km away. Tahiti over 4000 Most things are imported. Fruit, veg etc are brought by plane, building materials, cars by boat. There is a petrol station here but the petrol is brought by boat. Electricity is powered by diesel. They have Internet for 10 years. On the island Only rapa Nui people can own land. It's a way to protect the island.

Next stop was Ahu Akivi. It was Restored by American archaeologist William Molloy. Orongo was too. . Seven moai were restored- some heads were put back on with concrete. These moai unlike the others are Looking towards sea- also there were no skulls found here and no top knots (one of the early ones). The first king came from hivi. He was called something like matahuata?? He had to leave hivi. Rapa Nui people believe it was because there were too many Earthquakes. Others from polynesia believe he and his wife were exile. Someone had a dream about this place and the king sent sailors to find it. They did of course an when he told the king they moved there. The Statues represent those sailors who found the island and they are looking home. They are not graves. The ahu are Aligned with solstices and constellations. This ahu is in libe with the sunset in summer time.
Then we stopped at one of the 2000 Caves. Because they used it for hidint they grew trees at the entrance. As a representation there are trees at this cave- banana and avocado. Apparently there are 4 types of banana tree and 7 types of avocado tree on the island. I didn't know there were types of bananas apart from ripe and unripe!! There's also a big long thing that grows down under the bananas which is the flower of the plant.
The cave is either 300m or 3000m long- cant remember which. It must be 300, otherwise it cross most of the island. We could walk in a bit of the way and it was cool. It was really wide and had lots of stones in it- perfect for hiding! On thr roof of the cave you could see the outline of a palm tree which shows tha there were palm trees on the island when the last volcana erupted.
In the distanve you could see a cross on the hill. When the Catholics arrived they put crosses all over the island. I one place there's three crosses- it looks like Calvary. At festivals they have processions and things here.
In history lots of Europeans came to the island- Dutch Spanish French English. A French guy bought it at one stage, confined the people to Hanga Roa and rented the rest of the island to Scottish sheep farmers- hence the stone walls!!!
Later people came during the Slave trade and took people, mostly yo work in whaling- American German Russian Spanish. At one point a Spanish Perivian expedition took 2000 people to work in some islands. When the catholic mission arrived a few years later they asked Peru for the people back. Only 15 had survived so they returned to the island but brought with them Diseases, which killed a lot of people on thr islanf. When the French came in the late 1800s they said the plsce was like a cemetery, bones everywhere. In 1877 there were only 111 people on the island (from 20,000). Now 9,000 inhabitants with about 4,000 rapa Nui people.
Chile have governed since the 1880's but rapa nui were only recognises as citizens in the 1960's. A Small group want independence, but most want autonomy as they don't pay taxes and would not be able to keep roads, hospitals, etc. Not that the roads are good- we were bouncing around on dirt tracks all day!!
I was let off in town again then and I wandered round a few souvenir shops and then came back to the hotel via the coast road. The sun was low in the sky shining over the ocean (have I made ye jealous yet??!).
Then I got ready for the show, after chasing another cockroach type thing around the bathroom for five minutes!
I had dinner in the hotel. They don't have a menu or anything, you just eat what you are given. I got a salad first which was fine. Then he arrived out with a fish, no head but full body with scales and tail and all. I must have been looking at it funny cos he turned around and said 'it's fish!' to which I burst out laughing as it was blatantly obvious that it was a fish! It was served with lovely creamy mash. They aren't big into vegetables around here!! Got papaya mousse for dessert, which is a lot nicer than actual papaya!
Then I went to the show. It was called Kari Kari. It was really really good. It was like a cross between the lion king music and the haka! Lots of tattos, grass skirts and wiggling hips (men too) and roaring!! It's all kind of fierce dancing but highly entertaining! They brought up some people from the audience which was hilarious! The problem was it was over in an hour! I would have easily watched another hour of it!
Have to go to bed now as I am being collected at 5:15. Why I booked an early flight is beyond me!!