This was by far the trip of the year and also my last one on this first year in Chile. Rapa Nui, the Easter Island, the navel of the world lies in the middle of the south pacific ocean, 3700 kms west from Chile and 4100 kms east from Tahiti and the French Polynesia, which makes it the most isolated populated place on Earth. It is a volcanic island, formed by the eruption of three volcanoes, with no more than 25 kms wide and 20 kms length and a subtropical climate. It is also one of the vertices that form the polynesian triangle (together with Hawai and Tahiti). Temperature is constant around the year, day or night, with occasional tropical rain and an humidity of almost 80%, making you sweat all day. The island itself is not an amazing natural beauty, not as stunning as the Atacama desert or the Patagonia glaciars, but there is a special aura all over the island, unveiling a very strong and mysterious culture. This is present in the symbolic moai, in the local native population of around 4000 people and in the Rapa Nui music and language. It is like entering another world.
Unlike other trips in Chile, this one was actually vacation and even some rest. I went for 8 days and I was not rushing to visit everything, be everywhere and do as much as possible. The island is small and all the archaeological sites can be seen in a couple of days, which helped to take it easy as well. There is only one town, Hanga Roa, with wooden houses with tropical gardens of banana and papaya trees and colourful flowers. The whole island is an open air national park, with the several moai scattered around. The most remarkable landmarks are Rano Raraku, the eerie moai quarry, where a lot of unfinished moai remain, popping out of the ground and the rocks; Anakena beach, a white sand beach with warm water and palm trees; Ahu Tongariki, where 15 restored moai stand facing the island, and the navel of the world, a magnetic stone said to have special powers. Either by car or bycicle, we did all this and more in two days, exploring different sceneries, like at sunrise and sunset, and feeling the atmosphere around us.
Populating the island are three main inhabitants: horses, all around running free, ants, a plague even at the beach, and of course the people. The island people have three different origins: the local indigineous descendant Rapa Nui, chileans from the continent and foreigners. Continental chileans came to the island mainly to find work, open restaurants and shops or driving taxis; the resident foreigners were once visitors that fell in love with the island or the natives, made family and stayed. However, the most interesting are definitely the local Rapa Nui. They have their own polynesian look, their own language, taught at local schools, and their very own and closed community. All of them are somehow relatives and protect each other as much as possible. They are not very fond of tourists, except of the money they bring, and they definitely hate the continental chileans, who they accuse of stealing their jobs and invadind the island. Everyone lives from tourism and governmental subsidies and the land belongs to the Rapa Nui people and passes on to the younger generations.
Even though these people are native, their culture starts to be invaded by globalization. I was told that not many years ago, the locals would dress as indigenous, barely naked and showing their bodies, but due to the tourist invasion and the suspicious looks, they started feeling uncomfortable and now almost everyone wears jeans and continental clothing. Younger people speak mostly chilean spanish among them, though inside the family they still speak the local dialect. You can also see the influence of television, with kids wearing t-shirts of famous cartoon heroes, and internet. However, there is a cultural pride among them and some small details that keep the island charm above all. Tattooing is a common practice among men and women of every age; women normally have long long hair decorated with a flower; you see no poverty at all, though people do have simple lives and kids still play freely outside, rolling in dust and messing around with the numerous stray dogs on the island. In general, you can see that civilization arrived and is taking over, but there is still a strong resistance to it that is part of this mystical aura of the island. It is hard to tell for how long will it last...
This was by far the trip of the year and also my last one on this first year in Chile. Rapa Nui, the Easter Island, the navel of the world lies in the middle of the south pacific ocean, 3700 kms west from Chile and 4100 kms east from Tahiti and the French Polynesia, which makes it the most isolated populated place on Earth. It is a volcanic island, formed by the eruption of three volcanoes, with no more than 25 kms wide and 20 kms length and a subtropical climate. It is also one of the vertices that form the polynesian triangle (together with Hawai and Tahiti). Temperature is constant around the year, day or night, with occasional tropical rain and an humidity of almost 80%, making you sweat all day. The island itself is not an amazing natural beauty, not as stunning as the Atacama desert or the Patagonia glaciars, but there is a special aura all over the island, unveiling a very strong and mysterious culture. This is present in the symbolic moai, in the local native population of around 4000 people and in the Rapa Nui music and language. It is like entering another world.
Unlike other trips in Chile, this one was actually vacation and even some rest. I went for 8 days and I was not rushing to visit everything, be everywhere and do as much as possible. The island is small and all the archaeological sites can be seen in a couple of days, which helped to take it easy as well. There is only one town, Hanga Roa, with wooden houses with tropical gardens of banana and papaya trees and colourful flowers. The whole island is an open air national park, with the several moai scattered around. The most remarkable landmarks are Rano Raraku, the eerie moai quarry, where a lot of unfinished moai remain, popping out of the ground and the rocks; Anakena beach, a white sand beach with warm water and palm trees; Ahu Tongariki, where 15 restored moai stand facing the island, and the navel of the world, a magnetic stone said to have special powers. Either by car or bycicle, we did all this and more in two days, exploring different sceneries, like at sunrise and sunset, and feeling the atmosphere around us.
Populating the island are three main inhabitants: horses, all around running free, ants, a plague even at the beach, and of course the people. The island people have three different origins: the local indigineous descendant Rapa Nui, chileans from the continent and foreigners. Continental chileans came to the island mainly to find work, open restaurants and shops or driving taxis; the resident foreigners were once visitors that fell in love with the island or the natives, made family and stayed. However, the most interesting are definitely the local Rapa Nui. They have their own polynesian look, their own language, taught at local schools, and their very own and closed community. All of them are somehow relatives and protect each other as much as possible. They are not very fond of tourists, except of the money they bring, and they definitely hate the continental chileans, who they accuse of stealing their jobs and invadind the island. Everyone lives from tourism and governmental subsidies and the land belongs to the Rapa Nui people and passes on to the younger generations.
Even though these people are native, their culture starts to be invaded by globalization. I was told that not many years ago, the locals would dress as indigenous, barely naked and showing their bodies, but due to the tourist invasion and the suspicious looks, they started feeling uncomfortable and now almost everyone wears jeans and continental clothing. Younger people speak mostly chilean spanish among them, though inside the family they still speak the local dialect. You can also see the influence of television, with kids wearing t-shirts of famous cartoon heroes, and internet. However, there is a cultural pride among them and some small details that keep the island charm above all. Tattooing is a common practice among men and women of every age; women normally have long long hair decorated with a flower; you see no poverty at all, though people do have simple lives and kids still play freely outside, rolling in dust and messing around with the numerous stray dogs on the island. In general, you can see that civilization arrived and is taking over, but there is still a strong resistance to it that is part of this mystical aura of the island. It is hard to tell for how long will it last...
5 comments:
LindoLindoLindo
Vou lá de certeza. Passo primeiro em tua casa, só para te dar um beijinho, claro.
Depois lá vou eu mingle with the natives: Vou abrir uma local shop, for local people. You have no business here
Olha que os Pascoenses são bons cavaleiros e têm a fama de subir as turistas ao cavalo, levá-las para o mato e fazê-las muito felizes!...
Promise?
As I returned from Vienna, a postcard was waiting for me. Thanks heaps my dear LL. We so should talk some random day soon. Puss & kram.
You know that those kind of things usually happen when you return from Vienna... It must be the city, I don't know... :p
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