22:30 - Today I left Easter Island. I was a bit sad to be going and wish it was closer so that I could rationally think of going back...but I am guessing its remotness is part of what makes it special. After breakfast I went off to the Correo (Post Office) to get my passport stamped with an Easter Island stamp :-). After which as I still had the scooter, I drove around town, went down to the two tiny harbours, stopped and took a couple of last minute pictures... Eventually I went back to Tea Nui (the girls running the little lodge gave us all a parting gift: a necklace made out of shells) as I was being dropped off at 10.30 at the airport so that I could check in my luggage. Funny thing about the island is that from the airport you can walk back to town :-)...it's about 400 metres!!! So after leaving the luggage I went back into town to look for last minute potential souvenirs, but I didn't really get inspired. My requirements are 'small and light' (my luggage cannot grow any bigger). Eventually though, I had to go back to the airport and bumped into a man that was staying at Tea Nui with his parents (Jamie) and his mum ended up inviting me to go to Grenada (they are originally from there but leave in Madrid). She left me her email so I could let her know when I was going :-). Jamie is the guy working in Santiago for Santander for the next 2/3 years. Anyways, eventually we took off and the chap picking me up to go the hotel was the same driver as about a month ago :-)...it was funny...he was chatty the first time round, and he was chattier this time, wondering how my trip was going (in spanish of course).
I was supposed to meet up with a school friend tomorrow but they've rearranged her hospital shifts (she's a doctor in a military hospital) and so I will now have the day to myself. Pity... I hadn't seen her in 25 years!!! We were both at the same school in the UK (she was the daughter of a chap working for the Chilean Consoulate in London).