National Geographic Radio, Hear the inside story about Rapa Nui – Easter Island

My interview with Boyd Matson, National Geographic Radio, XM Radio, NPR will be aired the first two weekends in February, depending upon your location.  The Easter Island Program will also be streamed on the National Geographic Website:

and by Feb. 20th, the program will be available on itunes.

The question I’m asked the most is:

Where is Easter Island

In the middle of nowhere, no really, it’s roughly equal distance from Tahiti and Peru and Chile, at 29′ South latitude. That means 2,400 miles from land, in the southern and eastern most area of what’s considered Polynesia.

It’s a long way!

How do you get there?

My trip took 12 hours; an hour to Los Angeles, then 8 hours from LAX to Lima, Peru on LAN.

American, Alaska, Qantas, JAL, Cathy Pacific, British Airways and LAN are all part of the OneWorld Alliance, so pool your miles and upgrade to Business for a lie-down bed and great meals and wine.

Then I had a good night’s sleep in lovely hotel, Libertador (a well known, upscale brand in Peru), and then a full day tour of Lima.

What to do during a lay-over in Lima?

Again, friends asked me if Lima is safe for tourists. That depends upon where you go and how savvy you are. I recommend you hire a guide for the day.  Mountain Lodges of Peru has day guides, and Roberto, our charming, well-educated guide  was excellent.  He showed us all the highlights — Plaza San Martin, San Isidro, Miraflores, Museo Larco — and he saved us time, and ensured our safety. (By the way, Mountain Lodges of Peru’s website is awesome. You’ll want to spend more time in Peru after perusing the site).

 

Thanks to LAN Airlines for sponsoring my visit.

 

 

Questions about Easter Island – Why and How?

Mysteries and only a few answers

Despite it’s isolation in the middle of the South Pacific (roughly equal distance from Tahiti and South America), Easter Island is at the center of a lot of questions.

WHERE DID THE HEADS COME FROM?           HOW WERE THEY TRANSPORTED?

The giant heads were carved our of a dead volcano, which contains over 400 Moai, one reclining statue  is over 60′ long. They were transported down the mountain to the seaside using logs. There are more than 900 heads dotting the islands.

HOW LONG DID IT TAKE TO CARVE THEM?

It is estimated it would have taken six workers 12-15 months to carve and another 90 days to lower the statue down the mountains and transport it to an alter along the coast. It is widely agreed that the statues were mainly built from 1,000 – 1600 AD.

WHAT IS THEIR PURPOSE?

Gina, our 27-year-old guide from Explora, (the a sustainable, luxury lodge),  of Rapa Nuian descent, told us that the statues represent the clan chiefs. After they were carved and erected, they became repositories of supernatural powers. They commemorate the ancestors. Most of them are placed with their backs to the sea, they are the protectors of the people.

WHERE DID THE FIRST PEOPLE COME FROM?

Modern archeologists believe the first islanders traveled from Polynesia, so they weren’t from South America as Thor Heyerdal suggested.

COLLAPSE

Production had stopped by the time Christian missionaries arrived in the 1860’s and the society had collapsed. They had chopped down all the trees to transport the statues; there was no wood to build canoes to fish with. Tribal war broke out; people toppled the clan statues, smashed their eyes, and with dwindling resourced, turned to cannibalism. Read Jarrad Diamond’s book to learn more.

WHAT ELSE IS THERE TO DO ON THE ISLAND?

In addition to exploring the archeological sites, you can bike ride, snorkel, scuba dive, take a surf lesson, fish or relax in your hotel socializing with visitors from around-the-world at the bar, sipping Pisco Sours, a strong cocktail made with Pisco (Peruvian brandy), lemon, cane sugar and egg whites. If you scuba dive you’ll be amazed at the visibility — among the best in the world because the island is isolated from the three major currents in the Pacific. My favorite places to eat were at the Explora Hotel, Au bout du monde, and La Kaleta.

DON’T MISS THE LOCAL DANCERS

My favorite evening out was to see sunset from the Bout de Monde (End of the World in French), and enjoy a fabulous dance troupe, Matato’a (the watchful eye of the warrior), the  famous musical and dance group from Rapa Nui (Easter Island).The dazzling, physically gorgeous dancers sway and shake in routines similar to Tahitian dancing and to Maori war dances.

I saw the sunset, bu

Sunset in Rapa Nui, Easter Island, Chile Watching for the Green Flash

t unfortunately I didn’t see the “Green Flash” on the horizon the second after sunset. Have you seen it?

Night Life at Easter Island – Dance ’til you drop

Recently I went to Easter Island, the most remote and least visited World Heritage Site, home of the giant stone heads and dazzlingly attractive men and curvaceous women. To read more and see the video of the mostly nude men dancing an elegant South Seas swaying and a sexually charged version of the Maori war dance. This is the Matato’a Dance Group and they’ve performed worldwide.

Energy grids, vortex, geometric points on Easter Island

The magnetic rock attracts people worldwide who are searching for spiritual healing and enlightenment. They camp out by it, under the full moon, and receive magnetic vibrations just by holding their hands above the rock.

Why are ancient Megaliths like the moai (stone heads) placed at specific equidistant points?

Why are Positive Energy Vortexes, such as in Easter Island situated where they are?

More questions than answers.

Best Ceviche in the Pacific at 27′ South Latitude

Fresh ceviche is part of the Rapa Nuian diet

Eat, drink and dance on Easter Island

Click here to share in my culinary adventures in Easter Island!

Shorter flights from Peru to Easter Island

How remote is it? Close enough for a several day “add-on” to a trip to Peru

Easter Island, known as Rapa Nui (pronounced Rapa New-ee) is known as of the most remote inhabited island in the world, and a five-star world heritage site.

New direct LAN flights from Peru just made the trip easier and shorter. It’s only a 4 ½ hour flight from Lima. That’s shorter than the flights from the West Coast to Hawaii.

Yes, the flight from LAX to Lima is 8 hours, but if you’re in South America already, a three night side-trip is easier than ever.

The other gateway city is Santiago, Chile, but the new direct flights from Lima cut off several hours.

And if you fly in Business Class you’ll get a flat sleeper chair. Use your One World miles for an upgrade and enjoy the extensive wine list (for an airplane), rack of lamb or salmon.

Where in the world is Easter Island? A Speck in the Pacific Ocean

The coast of Chile and Peru is 2,400 miles and a 5-6 hour flight away and just about as far from Tahiti in the other direction. The nearest inhabited island is Pitcairn, 1,200 miles to the west.(of HMS Bounty and Mutiny fame).

Native Eastern Islanders or Rapa Nuians, called their home the Navel of the World. When you fly for 5-6 hours across the Pacific Ocean at 27′ South Latitude that’s how it feels.

Easter Island is one of the world’s most famous, yet least visited World Heritage Sites.

From Stone Age to Space Age – Easter Island

Until about 40 years ago once a year a Chilean warship visited Easter Island, bringing supplies. Very few tourists visited the island dotted with stone heads.

In 1967 the airport was finished and flights arrived from Tahiti and Santiago, Chile and tourism began.

In the 1970’s the Chilean government made changes: water supplies, electricity, a school and hospital.

Easter Island entered the Space Age in the late ’80’s when NASA extended the airport to accommodate an emergency landing for the US space shuttle.

Airport built by NASA,

etc

Chilling Out at a Chilean Spa

Even the best organized trips can become tiring if you don’t take a few days off so I’m chilling in a remote location hidden in the dripping rain forests on Puyuhaipi Sound. Five hours of cruising through the green labyrinth of the fjords led us to the area some call ¨South of Silence¨. Not exactly true. The rustling ferns and dripping rain, the croaking frogs and trickling water seeping from the steaming, thermal springs fills the jet black night.

At the Puyuhuapi Lodge and Spa there are three outdoor soaking pools, at different temperatures. I soaked and paddled under a waterfall in the fern and rock grotto.  Maybe after a glass of Pinot Noir I’ll return to the soaking pools and get up the courage to splash into the freezing sound.

There are also three tubs and an octagonal pool inside. Reputed to be one of the very best spas in the country. The lodge is a beautiful wood structure with shingle walls and roofs.

We hiked into the rain forest and saw a puma’s tracks, then heard a cat meow and the guide explained the wild, ring-tailed civet cat. White boots were given to us to navigate through the mud. After an hour of hiking the guide checked our boots for tiny leeches. I was the lucky recipient of a crafty little guy who had inched his way to my jeans. Now I know why you wear white boots in the Chilean rain forest.

Kayaked through the inlet and between islands. Water so clear you can see 6-feet down to the mussel and clamshells. An eagle buzzed overhead and we paddled by heron and cormorants.

Finished the afternoon with a massage and wine therapy: a soothing, anti-aging bath with a purée of grape seed mixed into the bubbling hot water to generate a new vitality and elasticity of the skin. It just made me want to find some cheese and drink the wine rather than bath in it.

Green, Clean & Glistening Santiago

I arrived safely after a 21-hour trip and stop in Lima, Peru.  Only 4 hours of sleep in the past 24. I am enjoying the people watching in the lobby of the ultra chic W Hotel in the downtown financial area of beautiful Santiago. It is the first W in South America. The hotel is on the 4th and 5th floors of an office building, filled with business men in blacks suits, white shirts and ties. Conservative dress but very good-looking. By the way the women are beautiful too.

Santiago is GREEN, CLEAN and GLISTENING with new, modern shiny skyscrapers. Very prosperous looking. Building everywhere and little tree-lined neighborhoods with pastel-colored homes and outdoor cafes and charming restaurants filled with antiques. Bella Vista is my favorite neighborhood, filled with students, yuppies, art galleries, tree-lined small streets, flamingo clubs, and unique street sculptures.

I am really amazed by the cleanliness and prosperity of the city and how modern many of the buildings are. They’ve had an economic boom for the past 20 years. USA used to be their largest trade partner and now it’s China. Everything WORKS from cell phones to internet cafes. About every 3 blocks there is another park, all well maintained and green and filled with lovers on the grass. The guide said to me “Ah Seniora, it is spring you know.” The city has 6 million inhabitants and is squeezed between the snow-covered Andes and the sea, with a river that flows right through the middle of town. A freeway was built for 3 miles under the river and town so you can easily get around. Very progressive. The largest, most fortified building I have seen is the American Embassy.

What a land of contrasts. The fish market had the largest king crabs I have ever seen and people were playing guitars and singing as others dinned at 4pm which is the end of lunchtime. I was told not to bother going out for dinner until at least 9pm.

You get glimpses of snow-capped mountains and even a huge glacier between the skyscrapers.

Gotta run. Thanks for your good wishes.

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