Woke to the sound of Pacific breakers only having switched the aircon off about 4 am. Too efficient. Outside my room, dawn was breaking. (It breaks quite late, about 8.30, so I didn't even have to get up early)
Cool or what?
Hanga Roa
Spent the morning in the town, Hanga Roa, and saw my first statue on the prom. First of many pics. Counting an average of four statues to the group I must have pics of around 2000 of them. So if you get me mad, you will have to sit through them all!
As for history, Easter Island has a fascinating one, too long to put in a blog but the web has loads of stuff if you are interested. So I will just give you tasters.
Easter Island is called Rapa Nui by the locals. A statue is called a moai. A platform for statues is an Ahu. Just so you know what the hell I am taking about. The town is Hanga Roa.
Hanga Roa is a strange place, very spread out but really laid back.
I loved it, poking about in the shops and stuff.
Had a rush of blood and nearly bought a four foot replica moai. I thought it was hollow and or plastic til I tried to pick it up! Solid stone. That would have really kippered the hand luggage allowance. Altho the rule seems to be if three of you can carry it, it is OK as hand baggage.
Road regulations in Hanga Roa are fairly flexible.
Drivers doors appear to be optional
Just don't ask me how this one is legal
Parking is either parallel with or at
right angles to the kerb.
Or both at once.
Or you can always go by horse.
There are apparently more horses than people on Rapa Nui. I kept forgetting to ask 'Why?'
They don't eat them and this is the only rider I saw.
If anybody knows, let me know.
Ahu Akivi
After lunch, taken outside in the shade to the sound of Pacific breakers, my first trip. First stop was Ahu Akivi, the ahu with seven moai looking out to sea. A bit inland so no sound of Pacific breakers.You've all seen it I am sure.
BUT.
All the moai on the island,except Ahu Akivi, look inland to protect and intimidate the population.
They are part of the tribal chiefs system to keep the hoi polloi in order. So the kings can keep all the fish.
These seven represent the seven wise men who were sent by the King of Hiva, to the west, where the Rapa Nui believe they come from.
They were sent to check out Rapa Nui to see if it was OK for immigrants.
They sent back word it was fine so they are shown looking out to sea to look out for the 2000 immigrants from Hiva who were coming in two huge canoes.
King of Hiva I and II presumably.
(I only write this stuff, I don't make it up. Well, not much of it anyway)
Caves
Also visited a cave which didn't photograph well at all.
Each family had their own secret cave where they buried their valuables (like fish hooks) and to which they retired in time of inter tribal punch ups, inter clan punch ups and raids by slavers from Peru.
Hence the slavers only got half the population which was good.
Unfortunately they got the people in charge of reading and writing so, as they never came back, no one now knows what the the Rapa Nui script means.
It has 120 characters which seem to be used in combination to produce 12,000 of, what may be, words.
The script is quite attractive though. The local traders carve the script onto tablets of wood which are then burnished. I suppose that if enough carvers carve enough scripts, sooner or later some are going to make sense. Although no one will know.
Still it is comforting to know that the tablet I bought just might contain Hamlets 'Yorick' speech or, better still,'Mourinho is a pillock'
Dinner and bed to the sound of the Pacific breakers. (last time, honest)
Are you looking forward to Day Two?
I am and I've been there already.
BJ
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