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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
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Apr 06, 2015 04:00 PM To the crater of Orongo
I am still on the Easter Island. Not far from Hanga Roa there is another crater - Rano Kao and on the slopes - remains of the early village of Rapa Nui people. It is not too steep but long hike to the top by paved road. But the view from the crater ridge to the blue ocean is fantastic.
After a traditional walk to the village I took a path going around the crater (very tiny path) to the other end. It is worth! The views from the opposite side of the crater are even nicer! few people took this path, I was hiking alone...
Back in the Hanga Roa I get to the public library. Why? The wi-fi internet in my guesthouse is broken since 2 days. And if you will bring your passport to the library they will give you 45 minutes of the free connection on their computer. It is laundry time - it is very hot here during the day and I must be cleaned before tomorrows departure to the mainland.
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Apr 05, 2015 04:00 PM The Nat Park is open, and it is FREE!
They do not celebrate Easter Monday on Easter Island... The protesters opened National Park, but they still have a control on it - on each entrance there is their check point and they register foreigners. But the entrance is free! For me it is good news, because the ticket to the park cost hefty 60 USD - a huge amount in the backpackers budget.
The French fellows from my guesthouse gave me the lift to the Anakena Beach on the other end of the island. It is like 18 kms. This is beautiful place - the only on the island where you can see palm forest and white sand. According to the legend Hotu Matua - the first tribal chief on Rapa Nui landed here with his people.
From Anakena I took a long walk back visiting the second beach -Ovahe, and then famous Ahu with 15 moai statues - Tongariki. From this place it is only 2 kms by gravel road to the Rano Raraku crater where they had a quarry to cut-of moais with primitive tools. This time I got also into the crater where finished and unfinished statues impressed me. The view from the rim of the crater was also great... What a day!
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Apr 04, 2015 04:00 PM Happy Easter from Easter Island!
Years ago I had opportunity to celebrate Christmas with a people of Christmas Island (Kiribati). Today we celebrate Easter on Easter Island... It is lovely day. Happy Easter to all of you! I am goingto the church to see the ceremonies. later... Resurection mass was great ukulele, guitar and drum music and lovely singing in the local polynesian dialect. Padre Bernardo in his white plume and necklace made of feathers was of course the main star :) After the mass he was greeting everybody at the church door and this was nice opportunity to say thank you for such a nice celebration and to have a picture with him.
In the middle of Easter Sunday on the outskirts of Hanga Roa they organized traditional feast serving to all people curanto - traditional meal prepared in polynesian umu ground oven. The live music was playing when they distributed hot meat, sweet potatoes, bananas, cake, watermelon. All village came to stay in the line and to get this simple, traditional meal (after blessing by Padre, of course) This was great time and opportunity to see the crowd of local people in one place and to get interesting pictures. I got so much food that I brought some home. Great day!
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Apr 03, 2015 04:00 PM First I am going to bomba
No, it is nothing connected with terrorism. Bomba is a filing station - the only one on the Easter Island. It is funny, but this is the only place except the bank where you can change the money is the bank is crowded or closed like today. They are giving thr same rate like a bank -616 pesos per dollar. From bomba I went for shopping to buy some food: the bar 250g of butter costs here 1800 pesos, can of sardines - 1200 pesos, kilo of tomatoes - 1500, postcard - 300 - just to give you samples. Then laundry - it is still hot here and you are sweaty all day...
We had a nice sunset at Ahu Tahai - many tourists are coming there at this time of the day to enjoy the view.
In the late evening I attended the procession of the lights - the full moon was shining where people with a candels were going the main street of Hanga Roa from the old cemetary up to the church, singing and enjoying the atmosphere. Father Bernardo in the white plume (related to the folklore of the island) impressed me very much. We get ito the dark church to pray. It is Easter Saturday, my painted eggs (Polish tradition comes to Rapa Nui) are ready :)
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Apr 02, 2015 04:00 PM Good Friday on Easter Island
Most of the population of Rapa Nui are catholics and cebrate Good Friday before Easter Sunday. It commemorates Jesus Christ's Passion, crucifixion and death. I woke up before sunrise today (due to the strange time zone sunrise here is after 8 am). With other people we were marching to the bottom of Cerro de Las Tres Cruces - high, grassy mountain overlooking Hanga Roa.
When Father Bernardo - the only priest on the island arrived, all started to walk up singing and making stopovers for pray. It was not like in the Philippines, where tourist go to see Holywood-like production. Normal people of different age, normal feelings, nothing like a show...
On the slopes of the mountain there is no maintained path so it was not easy to climb the final, steep part. We got some rain in the meantime...
Around 11am the pilgrims reached the top of the mountain with three white crosses. Everybody was happy, smiling and enchanted by the panorama. After ceremonies I introduced myself to Father Bernardo. -Do you know that in 2016 I am going with a group of youth from Easter Island to your country? From Rapa Nui to Cracow! Welcome to Poland, dear Rapanuanos!
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Apr 01, 2015 04:00 PM Not a good time to visit Easter Island!
Yesterday on my arrival it was raining a bit but today from the morning we have beautiful sun... At the breakfast time I got bad news: the protesters block the entrances to the National Park. What is going on? When I was on this island 18 years ago less then 2000 people was living here. Now - 6000! Since long time local people ask the authorities to introduce control of the immigration to the island from continental Chile. They say that the island is overpopulated. As a result they suffer water shortages in the summer, power cut-offs. Supply ship is bringing goods three times per month, but before its arrival often there are shortages in the shops - they say. And since years they want a special law to solve the problem. Government sleeps and locals, supported by two politicians decided to protest - the tourists have no access to the most interesting places on the island. I took a long walk to the tiny port and then - along the coast east - to meet again the moais - famous stone statues staying on ahus - stone platforms or altars. Those ones around are out of the national park. Ahu Tahai and two single statues nearby are most impressive on this side of the island.
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Mar 31, 2015 04:00 PM Easter Island - Isla de Pasqua - Rapa Nui
It was 6-hours flight over the Pacific Ocean and 5 hours time change. One-per-week flight from Tahiti to Easter Island is operated by LAN Chile by old 767. The flight was full and the onboard service was poor. Perhaps they need competitor? Before I landed (second time - after 18 years) we were cruising 20 minutes around the island - they say because the birds on the runway... OK - the immigration formalities are smart but they screen all your luggage looking for fresh food, meats etc. I was "clean". The lady from the booked guesthouse were waiti g for me outside just to say that her rooms are dump after the last rain so she is "selling" me to her friend - Mr Oscar. OK. The price was the same - 40 USD per room with bath and breakfast and wi-fi connection. My room ìs in the little private house with the garden. In the garden they have 3 avocado trees and I have allowance to pick as many avocados as I want. Cheap bakery is 300 m away and they sell breads by kilo, charging 2200 pesos per kilo. 1 USD is worth 620 pesos... Baker accepted 1 dollar banknote and I had enough to eat for my first dinner on Easter Island...
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Mar 30, 2015 04:00 PM Not the same Tahiti...
The best backpacker's option for staying in Papeete is "Fare Suisse" - clean pension convenientyly located in the narrow side street (Rue Venus) on tbe edge of the center. I paid 40 euro per bed in the 3-beds dormitory with shared bath. Great thing is that in this price is included the transfer to and from the pension.
My last day on Tahiti. But it is not the same Tahiti I saw 26 years ago during my first journey around the world. You will not see here "le trucks" - open air buses converted from the trucks, full of music... Erratic city buses are instead of them... Even banknotes are different - instead of colorful, pictured notes with vahines and polynesian warriors they use since October new money - single-color and not attractive.
What remained from the old days are ROULOTTEs /not a casino roulette :)/ Believe or not but every evening one square in the central Papeete - on the coast is converted into big eatery. I saw there yesterday at least 12 roulottes - mobile kitchens installed on the trucks. At dusk people are coming herte to eat, eat big portions of the food served on the big plates. Bon apetit!
And I must mention again that Tahiti is now much more expensive. -That's what you should pay for staying in the paradise! - said my host. OK, but remember that in my opinion the paradise is now not on Tahiti - to try it you have to go to the smaller, less visited islands.
I did it and tonight I am flying out of French Polynesia - satisfied and happy to see so many remote places in the South Pacific. This was another big adventure..
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Mar 29, 2015 04:00 PM Tahiti Iti
Tahiti Island has a shape of the digit "8". One ring is twice bigger then the other and it is Tahiti Nui (Big Tahiti) - well known and developed - at least on the edges. The smaller ring is called Tahiti Iti -Little Tahiti. Few travellers know this part - it is wild and do not have ring road. Iti and Nui connects in the settlement called Taravao. My new lovely friends: Francoise and Alberto took me today by car to Tahiti Iti. There are two dead end roads. First we took the southern one going as far as Teahupoo. This part of Iti offers great surfing opportunities. But I am not a surfer so I enjoyed the landscape - deep valley ends here and local people enjoy baths in the fresh water river. Little iron bridge allows to cross the river but on the other side is path coastal only. Then we drove back to Taravao and took northern road to Tautira. This settlement locatet on little peninsula had great black-sand beach with the view of the high, green mountains. I did not expect such a beauty...
My friends took me then by narrow and bumpy road up to the Iti plateau where from another Belvedere (view point) you can enjoy the panorama of both coasts of Tahiti Nui. It is better to be here in the morning, otherwise you have the sun against you... Long, lovely day - it is good to have friends - thanks a lot Francoise and Alberto!
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Mar 28, 2015 08:00 PM Rats in the paradise :)
You are coming back to your room after the long excursion. You open the door and... you see on the floor the rat. Dead rat.... Well - our Motu Iti pension has very nice location on the coast but you have to be prepared for everything... Since the ring road goes just 10 m in the backit is better to bring earplugs with you for better sleep. I was swimming from the little jetty they have. It is hard to estimate how deep are the corals and... I hurt my leg. Nothing serious, but it is better to take double care.
At least I have interesting companions in the guesthouse: Caroline from Nederlends came to Polynesia on the sailing boat. She waxs so kind to make me a haircut. For the first time in her life - she said. And I must say that the result is very promising :) Magali from France wants to spend here 2 months, like me, she also travels on the RTW ticket and she smiles so nice... We drove again around the Moorea island by car rented by Caroline. They left me at the ferry dock - in the evening I am going back to Papeete on Tahiti. Thank you, dear ladies!
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