Easter on Easter Island

What can we say about this mysterious island? Well first of all; we only started to look for accommodation a week before getting there and it has been a little bit complicated to find a decent but affordable place. Everything is very expensive. We finally exchanged some emails with Marcello, famous on the internet for being an excellent host, and he managed to find us a room in one of his bungalows. According to his emails the price of the room was supposed to include Polynesian breakfast, transfers from and to the airport, typical gifts and traditional welcome and farewell as well as a tour of the town.  So we ended up wearing a flower necklace as soon as we got of the plane!

No comment!!

For the rest, the programme has not always been respected ! We assume that Marcello didn’t really appreciate the fact that we decided to visit the island by our own means rather than giving him a little fortune so that he would drive us everywhere in his van. Anyway… he hasn’t been very friendly to us during our stay except the day we ended up in his restaurant to eat and attend a typical dance show. Once again as soon as he got our money checkout his smile was gone! He didn’t even said bye the day we left. Yes I am moaning (remember I’m French!) but considering the amount of money we left Marcello with, he could have made some effort!

If we forget about Marcello and his changeable mood, our stay in Easter Island has been amazing. It’s only 23km long but the things you can see there are absolutely incredible: between its volcanoes, its caves, its Moaïs, its petroglyphs, its nice beach, the time flies by! Another thing that distinguishes Easter Island: hundreds of horses everywhere... you sometimes need to give them the right of wayl We were almost knocked down by some of them galloping madly in the centre of the town because they were chased by several crazy dogs who had decided to go for a fun run! What a show!

We mainly visited Rapa Nui (name given to the island by its inhabitants) by bike and by car. We experienced almost every kind of weather you can get there. The weather can change in a few minutes and we got completely soaked more than once. Despite the strong and constant winds, the sun can hit badly as well! It’s not rare to meet reddish tourists every now and again…

Nothing that we will write would describe perfectly this so mysterious island! So I’ll quote a travel guide for once as it sums up its atmosphere pretty well : 'Do not think of Easter island as a paradise island (there aren’t that many coconuts trees and beaches), but rather think of it as a place able to move you at anytime. There are a few places in the world where you can feel in such a small area the strength and the richness of a great civilisation and its fight to.' 

We took about a thousand pictures in five days… that is to say!!! We hope to find some good ones that do justice to this unique island!