RAPA NUi 2019

Hello everyone,
finally I have the opportunity to report in detail again. Saying goodbye to the circus family was difficult for me, even though we will see each other again. So many lovely people who have given me the opportunity to be a part of their lives for a while. I spent two weeks with them and experienced their everyday life while living in a caravan.

Now I have been on Easter Island for almost a week, a place I have always wanted to visit, a dream come true.

When I arrived here, I was immediately picked up by a local on his motorbike and taken across the island to my campsite on the other side of the island.

When I met him, we made a quick stop to buy some drinks.

People had gathered on the street. He told me that the latest event of the previous night had caused excitement among the residents. There had been a murder, a Rapa Nui, a local, had been killed. The people had gathered to protest against the people who come here, buy properties, and occupy places that take away jobs and land from the locals.

Understandable! !

What an arrival, a little bit like in a crime novel, where there is nothing else around.

We left after a cigarette length and I immediately got a free ride, which showed me the vastness and beauty of Rapa Nui.

The campsite in Anakena, just 5 minutes away from the most beautiful beach here, is simple but well-equipped. Lots of greenery, solar-powered with a rustic fireplace, but unfortunately without a cooling facility.

The only shopping option is in Hangaroa, 18 km away.

There is a bus that goes there every hour, but it costs 7000 Chilean pesos, which is expensive. The cheaper option is hitchhiking.

Once, a Spanish woman gave me a ride. She fell in love with the island and rented a car. You always meet people who give you a ride.

As soon as I arrived and set up my tent, I went down to the beach, which is truly paradise. The water ranges from deep blue to light and transparent turquoise. The beach is made of sparkling white sand.

The water itself is not as cold as the coast of Chile below the north. Truly amazing.

In the early morning, I have the beach all to myself. Amazing! The moais above the beach stand tall like protectors of Anakena.

Unfortunately, I have since changed locations because it has been difficult to find food and drinks in this heat.

I am now at a campsite in town, I even have a small room and reception for my cellphone, which wasn't available up there.

Here, there is a kitchen for cooking, a refrigerator, and laundry facilities.

I have already explored the island with a Frenchman I met here. We rented a motorcycle for 2 days and went to different attractions, including the spectacular sunrise at the 15 moais, a place specifically chosen for that.

The moais are all impressive, in terms of their size and appearance. There is only one that faces the sea, it is said that he is looking out for the place from where the Rapa Nui people came, somewhere from the Polynesian region. All the others look towards the interior of the island, at what their people are doing here and to protect them.

Two days ago, the Tapati Festival started here, a competitive festival based on the ancient traditions of the Rapa Nui people, whose language is also named that, and at the end, an island queen and an island king are crowned.

Lorana

Jessi