Easter Island
From Imakoopedia
Easter Island (Spanish: Isla de Pascua, Polynesian: Rapa Nui), called the "belly button of the world," is one of the most isolated islands on Earth. Officially part of Chile, it lies deep in the Pacific Ocean.
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Understand
Ever since Thor Heyerdahl and a small party of adventurers sailed their raft from South America to the island, a controversy has raged over the origin of the islanders. Today DNA testing has proved conclusively that the Polynesians arrived from the west rather than the east, and that the people of Easter Island are descendants of intrepid voyagers who set out from Taiwan thousands of years ago.
As a territory of Chile, the main language spoken on Easter Island is the Chilean variant of Spanish. Although it has a lot of vocabulary in common with Castillian or Mexican dialects, some subtleties will no doubt be lost. As this is a popular tourist destination, it is also possible to find a number of people who speak English, or French.
Get In
Due to its extreme geographic isolation, many people assume that travel to Easter Island is limited to extremely intrepid travelers. In fact, tourism is the main industry of this Chilean territory. For the most part, visitors use Easter Island as a stop between Tahiti, and Santiago in Chile. Lan Chile, the Chilean national airline, has regular flights along this route.
Get Around
Easter Island is extremely small, so it is possible to get around fairly easily. There are a couple of rental cars available from a single rental agency in Hanga Roa, as well as a few dirtbikes. With a car, it's possible to see most of the sites on the island in a few hours. For more rugged visitors, horses can also be rented.
Stay
Most of the accommodation on Easter Island are in the form of "guest houses". Representatives of the guest houses will generally come to the airport to greet travellers who may wish to stay with them. Rates are usually quite reasonable. The proprietors of these guest houses will be happy to help you find places to eat, drink, hire cabs, and generally get around.
See
The biggest tourist attractions on Easter Island are, of course, the Moai. There are a number of restored sites that can be visited for free, mostly along the coastline of the island. Also interesting is the quarry at Rano Raraku which provided the stones for the great figures, where a visitor can see various stages of the carving, as well as scattered partially-finished figures.
Also worth a stop is the Rano Kau. This is a Chilean National Park site, so you will have to pay an entry fee to really look around. Even without entering the park, there is a great view of most of the island from this vantage point.
Easter Island also features a single white sand beach, Anakena, on the north side of the island. With a bit of north swell, this is an excellent shorebreak bodysurfing location. Even the 1" waves barrel. It's also possible to surf in the harbor at Hanga Roa.
Shop
Most, if not all of the commerce on this island occurs in the port town of Hanga Roa. There are a number of small shops geared toward tourists, as well as an open market. The official currency is the Chilean Peso. Don't expect to find a bank machine. It pays to have some cash while staying here.
Drink
Pisco, a hard alcohol made from fermented grapes, is the unofficial drink of the island. Try a pisco sour. Drinking pisco straight is possible, but not advisable.
Eat
There are a few restaurants that cater to tourists. A few can be found close to the dock in Hanga Roa, with a few others scattered in the surrounding areas. Menus tend to be limited, as most of the food on the island needs to be imported. There are also a few "supermarkets" where visitors can pick up snacks, limited sundries, booze, etc.
Getting Out
If you are departing for a foreign country from the airport, there will be a small exit fee, which must be paid in cash.
External links
- Turismo Rapa Nui (http://www.turismo.rapanui.cl/ingles/turisma_rapanui.htm)
- Map of Easter Island (http://www.mapsouthpacific.com/easter_island/index.html)
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