Showing posts with label Easter Island. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Easter Island. Show all posts

Friday, December 7, 2012

Run Free

There is something about a horse that I absolutely love.  They are large animals and can be intimidating, but I find them to be some of the most gentle creatures on earth.  

This is a photo of Easter Island.  Usually, when people show photos of the island they show the pristine blue water or the awe inspiring maoi status.  And if anyone has looked through this blog, I'd be guilty as well.  But the land is also so inspiring.  There are few trees on the island due to over-cultivation in the past.  But the grasses, the wildflowers cover the land beautifully.

Which makes for a good environment for the wild horses.  Yes, there are wild horses roaming all over the 63 square mile island.  Which explains the rock walls and turnstiles to protect the more significant sites on the island.  (Although, horses can jump and I did see them entrapped inside of the very area the walls were built to protect.)


One night I was walking home from a late night dinner.  The town on this island is small and there are few lights on the streets.  Footsteps could be heard, but the darkness prevented seeing the maker of the noise.  Suddenly I was surrounded by 5 - 10 wild horses as they overtook my pace and wandered down toward the beachfront.

That's when it was confirmed that I was someplace unique.  I can honestly say I had never previously been surrounded by wild horses in the middle of the busiest street in town.

Monday, March 26, 2012

Walking Among Giants

Recently I celebrated a big birthday. To celebrate I wanted to do something grand. I hadn't been to South America yet, and I started looking at options. I didn't want to be on a 15 day tour, where I was with the same people every day and a schedule planned months in advance. Instead I found an awesome travel group who allowed me to pick and choose a number of options (and fill the rest of my time with my own adventures).

I knew Chile was my destination but was hesitant about adding on a trip to Easter Island (or Rapa Nui) onto this trip. It was expensive, and took two days of travel to get there and back. But wow! Was it worth it! This is a photo of one of the resurrected sites on the island. Thanks to Japan for donating the money and a crane to assist in the effort.

What I love about this picture is the view of the people wandering just to the right of the status. I think this photo gives an idea of the scale of these moai. The history of the island is amazing. While sometimes you look back at a trip and think it was special, I knew this one was magical from the very start.