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EASTER ISLAND
May 2006
What a shock it
was to be out of the wilderness and on a busy free way to
Santiago. The air pollution was even more of a shock; to mind,
and body. There is no campsite in the Chilean capital. After
considerable perseverance, Jan managed to obtain permission for us
to park Dipli overnight on a hilltop-park overlooking the city.
Through ordering
“boerewors” (South African sausage), we met a lady from Zimbabwe.
Through her we met other Southern Africans during a brunch at the
SA Embassy and at a newly opened South African Restaurant. The
“sausage lady” offered us parking at a house they were renovating.
The luxurious “campsite” with three bath rooms, patio, pool and
tennis court was the ideal place to wait 8 days for our plane to
Easter Island. (Flying a week later saved us 60% on the fare!)
Easter Island
This “Island of
statues” is 3700km or 5 hours from mainland Chile by plane. It is
the world’s most remote community, with the nearest neighbours
(tiny Pitcairn Island of “Mutiny on the Bounty” fame) 2000km away.
The island was formed when molten lava of 3 volcanoes coalesced.
The scenery is of black volcanic rock trimmed with a fringe of
white foam from pounding waves. The interior has green grassy
hills and wild guava shrubs with lots of roaming horses.
Soon after our
arrival we saw our first row of imposing stone statues. They were
silhouetted against the golden sun, setting over the ocean
It is believed
that the Polynesian people from the Marquesas had the courage to
sail into the unknown in tiny boats to eventually reach Easter
Island in 300 AD. Thor Heyerdahl’s theory, where he tried to
prove, with the Kontiki raft, that the Rapa Nui people came from
mainland South America, is no longer accepted.
It was fun to
travel in a rented Suzuki to all the archaeological sights on the
island of 117 square km. Originally the complexes of large basalt
figures (“moai”) had been placed on platforms (“ahu”) facing and
“protecting” a village. Some were still attached to the quarry
from whence they were carved by means of stone tools. Some massive
statues were unfinished and stood buried to the shoulder with
their huge faces gazing to the horizon. Some figures had a red
scoria rock topknot (like a head dress) on the body of brownish
“tuff” rock.
It is intriguing
to speculate about how the heavy loads were lowered from the
quarry, then moved kilometres away and erected on stone platforms.
We stayed in a
cottage with a sea view and in the evenings walked to the main
town of Hanga Roa for a meal of delicious fresh fish accompanied
by Chilean wine. The colourful song and dance culture with dancers
adorned with flowers and feathers, has been preserved. There seem
to be elements of Hawaiian hula and Maori haka in the
performances.
Our last day was
at the dramatically situated ceremonial village of the birdman
cult. It is perched on the rocks high above the sea next to a big
crater lake. We had seen most of the sights except the second
small white sandy beach. Maybe we should have had more than the 4
nights and 5 days…
After we had
returned to smoggy Santiago airport, where Dipli had stood for the
5 days, he took us west to look at the popular sea side resort of
Vina del Mar. The high rises and the white beaches reminded
us of Durban. However, swimming is not recommended; because of
strong rip currents and freezing cold water.
We crossed over
the high Andes to get to Mendoza, Argentina. Snow delayed us and
about 200 trucks (a 4km long queue). It had been cleared when we
reached the tunnel through the crest at 3185m. We remembered how
we had driven the switch-backs in our Citroen 2CV, 35 years
earlier. When we reached the border control, we had no fresh food.
We had even shared, early that morning, our last milk with a
meowing hungry kitten under our truck. Then the officials did not
even look at the vehicle!
Mendoza, Argentina
In Mendoza a
local Land Rover Defender owner invited us to his home and later
took Jan to have a spring blade made (to replace the one used near
Tierra del Fuego).
We have not found
self service Laundromats so far, in South America. When we find a
laundry, there usually is no parking or they are closed for a
4-hour “siesta”. When we collected our clean clothes from a
“lavenderia” in Mendoza, every item was so creased and crumpled
up. All we could do was to go for that rumpled look. (Jan and
Rumpelstiltskin!)
“El Futbol.”
The “Maradona fervour” is still there! We were staying next to the
football stadium. The Saturday night spectators lined up three
hours before the match - chanting and singing to drum beats. They
were waving banners and had their children dressed up in the
colours of the local team. Replicas of Maradona’s no 10 jersey was
for sale. More than 1000 police were present. 35 000 people were
frisked upon entering. When the Mendoza team won they partied and
partied until way into the freezing cold night. (But we aint seen
nothin’ yet because the World Cup in Germany had not yet started)
From Mendoza we are heading to
northern Argentina – and then towards Paraguay and Brazil.
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