Posing with a rare white lion in Casela
It’s not every day you get to pet a lion. But that’s exactly what I did here on Mauritius today! The island is home to the Casela Nature & Leisure Park, one of only three places in the entire world where you can interact one on one with lions, tigers and cheetahs. The Park also offers hour-long walks with the animals which are extremely popular and were booked up completely today. I settled for the interactive experience and was not disappointed. It was just me, my guide, a photographer and more lions than I could comfortably keep track of, alone in the enclosure. Thrilling and yet somewhat terrifying at the same time. It was a once-in-a-lifetime animal experience that may have even surpassed my reigning favorite animal encounter - swimming with the jellyfish in Palau.
Posted 2 days, 10 hours ago at 12:16 pm. Add a comment
The "Azure Window" on the Maltese island of Gozo
It’s inevitable that in the course of my annual January round-the-world trips, I will sometimes be visiting a destination in its off-season. Over the years I’ve discovered it’s not always detrimental to my enjoyment of the country; in fact in many cases I prefer it to a high season visit. That may well have been the case with the island nation of Malta.
With over 7,000 years of history, the culturally-rich Maltese Islands are literally saturated with attractions and places of interest. Made up of three main islands – Malta, Gozo and Comino – the islands lay virtually in the center of the Mediterranean, about 60 miles south of Sicily and 140 miles north of Africa. Despite their close proximity to Sicily, Malta is no mere Italian outpost. In fact Northern African and Arabic influences are much more prominent than Italian. This is true in the architecture and in the local language which is Semitic in origin.
Each of the three islands have their own unique charm. Malta is by far the largest of the three and is home to the capital city of Valletta and the large majority of the population. Gozo is just a 30-minute ferry ride away and is home to numerous towns and villages boasting Renaissance cathedrals and Baroque architecture as well as the magnificent natural attraction, the “Azure Window.” Comino is the smallest of the islands and is largely uninhabited. However, in the summer months, visitors flock to the stunning blue lagoon on daily boat trips.
The beautiful view of St. Julians from my room
I landed in Valletta at 1:00pm Thursday afternoon after a 48-hour travel odyssey from Easter Island (involving 3 connections, 2 nights spent on a plane and 1 very productive layover at home in Atlanta). My first surprise on arrival in Malta was how inexpensive it was to get to my hotel. Despite the fact that my hotel was about 30 minutes from the airport, the ride only cost me 8 euro. Combine that with the fact that the sun was shining, it was probably 60 degrees and I was greeted at the hotel with an upgrade to a suite and I knew I was going to like it here.
My hotel of choice for Malta was the Le Meridien St. Julian’s, another fabulous Starwood property. The St. Julian neighborhood is considered the prime resort area on the island and most of Malta’s high-end resort hotels and casinos are located here. The area is dotted with shops, restaurants, bars and miles of oceanfront boardwalks.
As excited as I was to finally be in Malta, after a new record (for me) of 51 hours without sleep, I crashed pretty early the first night. Luckily, I knew I still had 5 more days to explore all of the Maltese Islands.
Day 2
After getting some sleep, I awoke the next morning ready to play tourist. For my first day, I wanted to start with a visit to the capital city of Valletta. My hotel advised me that I could take a taxi for about 8 euro or take the convenient bus located right outside the front door for just 2 euro. I looked at my map and after realizing Valletta was only about 5 miles away via scenic oceanfront, decided to make a day of it and just walk. While it was a bit chilly (low 60’s) the sun was out for most of the day and it was perfect weather for a long walk. I was able to walk the whole way along the sea and see every inch of the magnificent Grand Harbour that surrounds Valletta.
The fortified city of Valletta
After walking for about an hour and a half, I arrived at the fortified walls of Valletta. The city of Valletta is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the few surviving inhabited walled cities. Valletta’s narrow streets are adorned with beautiful Baroque buildings and churches. From the bastions of the city walls, the panoramic views over the harbour and across the island were amazing. After a stop for lunch at a café in Valletta, I decided to take a water taxi back across the harbor for a different view of the city before continuing my walk back to St. Julians. It was a perfect winter day in Malta.
Day 3
When I awoke Saturday morning, Day 3 in Malta was not looking so perfect outside my window. It was overcast and much cooler and the forecast wasn’t promising. Since I still had several more days on the island, I didn’t feel my usual need to rush out and see everything despite the weather conditions. Instead, I picked up the spa menu in my room and started planning my day. One of the wonderful things about the off-season is that you can decide on a whim that you want to spend the day at the spa and they can manage to work you in. (I got the impression that would have been impossible in the summer.) The winter prices were so good I decided to splurge for a package that included a massage, scrub, wrap, facial and manicure…all for the very reasonable price of 150 euro. It was a terrific way to spend a day and by the end of it I was relaxed to within an inch of consciousness.
Day 4
The weather wasn’t much better when I awoke on Day 4 but at this point it was time to get down to business. I really wanted to visit the neighboring island of Gozo and I only had two full days left to do it. So, weather be damned, I booked the ferry.
In Malta, one of the most popular ways to see the island are via the “hop-on, hop-off” open-top buses. Now, I’m not normally a fan of anything involving the word “bus” when I travel but I’d seen them all over the island and my concierge had recommended the company, so I decided to give it a shot. There were specific buses that worked Gozo and they ran regularly to all the various attractions on the island. The first thing I discovered when I boarded the bus was that there was no way to visit all the stops in one day. In order to catch the last ferry back to Malta that evening, I would need to pick and choose. So, for the first few stops, I remained on the bus. When we arrived at the Ggantija Temples, I decided to get off and check out the temple regarded as the oldest free-standing structure in the world and another UNESCO World Heritage Site (I’m a sucker for World Heritage Sites).
Ramla Bay, Gozo
The temple was interesting but it was very small so I had seen all there was to see in about 20 minutes. Unfortunately, the next bus wasn’t coming by for another 30 minutes after that. And that was when I remembered why I didn’t like bus tours. As I was standing at the bus stop contemplating my next move, I was approached by a very nice taxi driver who was in the process of giving an island tour to two girls from Italy. He was waiting for them while they visited the temple and was clearly looking to fill the one remaining seat in his taxi. He offered me the chance to join their tour for just 10 euro (which was about what I’d spent on the bus) and he would drop me back at the ferry when I was ready. Since they were going to hit all of the places I wanted to go and the girls were not opposed to me joining them, I decided to go for it. (Impatience often wins out over frugality with me.) After all, a basically private tour of the island for just 10 euro was too good to pass up.
And over the next few hours we visited everything I wanted to see on the island and even a few spots I didn’t realize I wanted to see. Our driver, Joe, was very nice and gave us a lot of information along the way…far more personal than a bus tour. We visited a local fishing village, the red-sand beach of Ramla Bay, the Ta’ Pino Sanctuary (which is believed to have miraculous healing powers) and the most famous attraction on Gozo, the natural rock formation known as the “Azure Window.” It was an excellent day despite the less than ideal weather conditions (in winter -you win some, you lose some).
Day 5
For my last day on the island, I decided to rent a car to get out of town and explore the countryside of the main island of Malta. Traffic on the island is pretty intense, lack of road signs makes navigation difficult and they drive on the left over here so it was a bit of a challenge…but I do love a challenge! Another benefit of the off-season, plenty of rental cars available on a whim.
My plan for the day was to visit the picturesque fishing village of Marsaxlokk (which I’d flown over on the flight in), the Mdina in the center of the island, the Blue Grotto on the southwest coast and – just for kicks – the Popeye Village where they filmed the 1980 musical starring Robin Williams.
Luzzu boat, Marsaxlokk
So, I set off from St. Julian and hit the road. The fishing village of Marsaxlokk was really beautiful. I just love all of the colorful luzzo boats. For anyone who missed the photo of the day yesterday, here’s the story of the luzzo boats:
The boats are derived from Phoenician vessels and are painted in vibrant hues of blue, red, yellow and green – they look a bit like a floating box of crayons. The most distinguishing feature of the luzzu are the eyes carved into each side of the bow known as the “Eyes of Osiris.” Osiris was the god of fertility and of the dead. Maltese fishermen believe that the eyes of Osiris ward off evil spirits and keep them safe from the dangers of the sea. Every year in the spring before the fishermen put their boats in the water for summer they paint the eyes afresh to give them maximum protection.
From Marsaxlokk, I made my way along the coast and stopped at the Blue Grotto. Like the Azure Window on Gozo the day before, it was a little more grey than blue on a day like today but impressive nonetheless. From there I worked my way back inland to Mdina, the old capital of Malta with origins tracing back to 1500BC. Like Valletta, the streets of this fortified city are lined with palaces on narrow shady streets. Both Medieval and Baroque architecture feature prominently in the design and Mdina is one of the finest examples of an ancient walled city in all of Europe.
After leaving Mdina and being quite impressed with my navigational abilities thus far, I decided it was time to seek out my last stop for the day, the Popeye Village. For those who may have missed the story of the Popeye Village a few days ago, here it is again:
Starring Robin Williams as Popeye and Shelly Duval as Olive Oyl, the mythical village of “Sweethaven” was created in Anchor Bay in the latter half of 1979 for the filming of the 1980 musical production, Popeye. Tree trunk logs were shipped in from Holland and wood shingles used in the construction of the roof tops were imported all the way from Canada. Construction of the authentic wooden village took an international crew of 165 people 7 months to complete. Filming commenced on January 23, 1980 and wrapped later that year on June 19th. Today, Popeye Village is one of Malta’s top family-friendly attractions. During the summer season, there are Popeye-themed boat trips as well as games and water sports on the village beach.
You can walk right along the cliffside and get a great view of the village so that’s what I did. It’s such an odd contrast to have something that looks like a shiny, new Disney set on an island where everything is so ancient, but the village is really adorable. I bet it’s crawling with kids and families on the average summer day.
After getting back to the hotel and returning my car, I had dinner along the water in St. Julian and pondered what it might be like to visit Malta in the summer. I imagine it would be pretty amazing to be able to get into that beautiful azure water but considering the trade-off would be bigger crowds and higher prices, I think an off-season visit was just the thing for me. Thank you Malta and Le Meridien St. Julians for an incredible week. Next stop, Mauritius!
Posted 3 days, 8 hours ago at 1:47 pm. 1 comment
The "Eyes of Osiris" stare out from a luzzu in the fishing village of Marsaxlokk
Malta is an island nation so it’s no surprise that it has a long and distinguished maritime history. One of the most common symbols of the island are the brightly-colored fishing boats, called luzzu, that are ubiquitous in every harbor. The boats are derived from Phoenician vessels and are painted in vibrant hues of blue, red, yellow and green – they look a bit like a floating box of crayons. The most distinguishing feature of the luzzu are the eyes painted on each side of the bow known as the “Eyes of Osiris.” Osiris was the god of fertility and of the dead. Maltese fishermen believe that the eyes of Osiris ward off evil spirits and keep them safe from the dangers of the sea. Every year in the spring before the fishermen put their boats in the water for summer they paint the eyes afresh to give them maximum protection.
Posted 4 days, 10 hours ago at 12:00 pm. Add a comment
Popeye Village, Malta
Fun fact about Malta…the 1980 musical production Popeye was filmed here on the island. Starring Robin Williams as Popeye and Shelly Duval as Olive Oyl, the mythical village of “Sweethaven” was created in Malta’s Anchor Bay in the latter half of 1979. Tree trunk logs were shipped in from Holland and wood shingles used in the construction of the roof tops were imported all the way from Canada. Construction of the authentic wooden village took an international crew of 165 people 7 months to complete. Filming commenced on January 23, 1980 and wrapped later that year on June 19th. Today, Popeye Village is one of Malta’s top family-friendly attractions. During the summer season, there are Popeye-themed boat tours, animation shows, games and even water sports on the village beach.
Posted 5 days, 7 hours ago at 2:26 pm. Add a comment
Ahu Tongariki - "The Fifteen"
It’s one of the most remote islands on earth. A startling 2,200 miles west of the nearest continent and 1,290 miles east of the nearest populated island. The United Nations has proclaimed Easter Island the most isolated inhabited island in the world. It’s also one of the world’s greatest mysteries and an undisputed archaeological treasure. The island is home to more than 20,000 archaeological sites. But despite intensive study of these sites, the question still remains: What caused the dramatic rise and fall of this ancient Polynesian culture?
Known as Rapa Nui to the native population and Isla de Pascua to Chileans, the English name commemorates its European discovery by a Dutch expedition on Easter Sunday in 1722.
I arrived on Easter Island late Wednesday night with 6 days to explore this perhaps most fascinating of the world’s sacred sites. Since most accommodation on the island consists of simple guest houses, I’d booked a room at the highly recommended Kaimana Inn. My host, Marcelo, was cheerfully awaiting my arrival at the airport late that night and after more than 24 hours of travel to reach the island I was grateful for the short drive into town and to my bed for the next few nights.
After a solid night’s sleep, I awoke the next morning and joined the rest of the guests at Kaimana for breakfast. I decided to start my day by exploring the island’s only town of Hanga Roa, just a short walk from my hotel. I made my way to the water and immediately spotted my first moai which seemed to be guarding the town’s small harbor.
It’s hard to appreciate just how powerful a visit to this sacred island is without a basic understanding of its turbulent past. So I will try my best to explain what is known about the history of Easter Island.
Moai at Ahu Tahai
No one knows the true story behind the moai but the most common theory is that they were religious symbols of gods and ancestors. Archaeologists believe that Easter Island may have been inhabited as early as AD 400. Beginning around 900 AD, the islanders began carving the moai out of the soft volcanic rock forming the sides of the Rano Raraku crater (where more than 400 unfinished moai remain today). The giant moai average 12 tons in weight and 13ft in height with the tallest known a staggering 69ft.
Once the moai were carved, they were then transported to a family burial platform called an “ahu” which were located all around the island. The family dead were then usually buried in a vault beneath the moai to transmit mana, or spiritual power, to the living family chief. It is believed that the islanders transported these giant statues atop tree trunks and that ultimately led to the total deforestation of the island. Today there are more than 850 moai spread throughout the island.
While it’s fairly clear how the moai were made and transported, the big mystery is why? It seems for a period of time the entire island was obsessed with the carving and transportation of the moai. And then, for some reason that will never be known, it stopped as abruptly as it had begun. It appears the islanders experienced some dramatic event that caused a complete change in their belief system almost overnight. The production of moai was utterly abandoned with many left around the island still in transit.
A period of tribal wars followed and all of the erected moai were toppled, presumably to break the mana of the family chief they protected. All of the moai standing today were re-erected by archaeologists in recent times.
When the first Europeans arrived on Easter Island in 1722, they found a once-great culture in rapid decline. Deforestation had led to environmental disaster and a shortage in the food supply. Most of the island’s natives were carted off to Peru to work as slaves in the 19th century or died in epidemics, leaving only a few behind to carry on the Rapa Nui culture.
Today, the descendents of those few Rapa Nui are helping their island experience a Renaissance. Many of the island’s archaeological treasures have been restored and protected against future damage and Easter Island has opened its doors to tourists from all over the world. Luckily for those of us who do visit, the minimal tourist facilities and logistical difficulty in reaching the island have kept the tourist throngs to a trickle compared to many of the world’s other great sites. This was one of my favorite things about the island – the opportunity to experience one of the world’s most spectacular archaeological treasures without the threat of a bus full of Japanese tourists arriving.
Thursday, January 12th
Ana Kai Tangata Caves
Despite the small size of Easter Island, it is home to three dormant volcanoes. The nearest to town, Rano Kau, was said to be the most spectacular so the next morning I decided to hike it. On the walk from town, I passed two giant caves at Ana Kai Tangata. They were stunning enough to be their own tourist attraction and I was surprised that they were barely mentioned on my map (which just goes to show how many amazing sites this island has). The hike to the top of the crater was steep but the terrain was not difficult and in a little over an hour I was staring down into the lake-filled center. Spectacular, indeed.
During my long layover in Lima on the way to Easter Island, I’d done a Twitter search for any mentions of the island, primarily to see if any of my fellow travel bloggers were also visiting. Surprisingly, I saw a tweet from @aliadventures7 that she and a friend would be arriving on the island next day from Tahiti. So I sent her a message and we had arranged to meet up for drinks one night in town. As it turns out, she and her friend Amanda were both originally from Atlanta! Go figure…down here in the middle of nowhere I run into two fellow travel-lovers from Atlanta – you’ve gotta love Twitter.
Sunset at Ahu Tahai
When I met up with Ali and Amanda that night, we decided to walk over to Ahu Tahai and try to catch the sunset from what I’d read was THE spot on the island for sunsets. I’d gone by there the night before but clouds had ruined most of the fun. Determined not to be deprived of an amazing sunset, I wanted to try again. And it was well worth the hike. We were treated to perhaps the most spectacular sunset I’ve ever seen in my life. It’s amazing what a few moai can add to an already picturesque sunset. As the sun slowly dropped behind the giant moai, it was literally hypnotic.
Still basking in the glow of the sunset, Ali and I decided to grab a glass of wine and sat for an hour or so rehashing our travels – where we’d been and where we dreamed of going. I love chatting with people who are just as obsessed with travel as I am…it almost makes me feel normal. Ha!
Friday, January 13th
The next day, fate intervened in my travels – as it often does. I’d posted a few pictures of Easter Island on Facebook and my friend Jill from high school (who is now a travel writer in London) sent me a message asking if I was staying at the explora Rapa Nui hotel, she needed a review of it for her website. I said no but I’d be happy to do a review for her if she could work it out with the hotel for me to move over there. Within a few hours, Jill had worked her magic and the plans were set for me to spend my last two nights at the island’s ultra-luxury eco hotel – all expenses paid. Since the usual $1,000 a night rate at the hotel included gourmet meals, drinks and daily island explorations led by local Rapa Nui guides, I was very excited to get a chance to experience this amazing property (more on that and all the pictures here) which was not in my RTW budget!
Saturday, January 14th
Moai in transit at Rano Raraku
While at the explora I was able to visit all of the remaining sites on the island that I hadn’t seen yet. On my first day, I joined two guides and a family from Kansas City going to the Rano Raraku quarry, the site where all of the moai were “born.” It was incredible to see the sheer rock face with visible indentations where each moai was carved. Hundreds of laborers must have worked full time here for years. You could look down from the top of the quarry and clearly see the path where the stream of moai were in transit when they were so abruptly abandoned. The quarry is a very spiritual site and you could almost feel the power of the mana as our guides explained its history.
Sunday, January 15th
On my last full day on the island, I squeezed in a lot. I spent the morning with head guide Joanna (who is from Southern California) exploring the northern part of the island. We started at Easter Island’s most famous site and the image that probably comes to mind when you think of the island, Ahu Tongariki aka “The Fifteen.” It’s the largest collection of re-erected moais on the island and was just restored in 1996. Joanna and I had it all to ourselves for the better part of an hour and I walked all over taking pictures and just breathing it all in. I’d been looking forward to visiting this spot since I landed on the island 4 days earlier and it was totally worth the wait.
After leaving Ahu Tongariki, Joanna and I hiked the northern edge of the island winding our way through a small fishing village and finally to the island’s two best beaches, Ovahe and Anakena. At Anakena, still more moai stand guard by the sea. For lunch that day, Joanna and I joined a few other explora guests for a seaside picnic fit for a king. I sat back with my glass of champagne and grilled shrimp listening to the waves crash against the rocks and simply couldn’t believe my luck to be here. What an experience.
Moai at Anakena Beach
That afternoon, I joined a small group from the hotel for a snorkeling trip out to Motu Nui in Easter Island’s startlingly blue waters. The water here is considered some of the clearest on earth with up to 200ft of visibility thanks to a lack of plankton in the water. The flip side of that is that there are very few fish to see once you’re underwater but the clear, cobalt waters are still quite an impressive sight.
That night I joined some friends from my hike the previous day – Nicola, Walt and their son Matt from Kansas City- for dinner at the hotel before falling into my plush bed for one last night of sleep before heading back to Santiago.
Monday, January 16th
Sadly, today it is time to leave. I had dreamed of visiting Easter Island for several years and after 5 days on the island I still feel like I could spend a few more weeks here. It’s rare that a place you’ve built up in your mind lives up to your expectations. This mysterious island and its native people actually exceeded my every expectation and I’m only sorry I didn’t try harder to get here sooner. So much culture to experience and so many sights to see on this magnificent little gem of an island in the middle of the Pacific.
If Easter Island isn’t on your bucket list, add it immediately. It’s worth the effort to get here.
Posted 1 week, 1 day ago at 4:13 pm. Add a comment
Valletta, Malta
After two full days of travel from Easter Island, I finally landed in Malta yesterday afternoon. What a gorgeous island this is! It’s definitely a lot colder here than in Chile (today was in the high 50′s) but as long as the sun is shining it’s perfect weather for sightseeing. I spent today walking along the sea from St. Julians and Sliema to Valletta. Then I devoted the afternoon to exploring Valletta. This weekend I’m looking forward to seeing more of what Malta has to offer as well as visiting the neighboring island of Gozo.
Posted 1 week, 1 day ago at 12:10 pm. Add a comment
Explora Rapa Nui - Hotel Posada de Mike Rapu
Yes, there will be a complete post about my week on Easter Island coming soon but for today, I wanted to take a moment to highlight my weekend at explora Rapa Nui. To call this luxurious eco-lodge a hotel would be a disservice to the explora brand and the staff that make this property so unique. explora operates 3 lodges in Chile: Rapa Nui, Patagonia and Atacama. The mission for all three is “In-depth exploration and luxury of the essential.” This concept treats the luxury of the lodge as a comfortable home base for the exploration of your surroundings. Like the others, the Rapa Nui lodge is small – just 30 rooms – and the room price includes daily explorations and all meals and beverages.
I arrived at the lodge Friday afternoon and after settling into my cosy room and enjoying a delicious lunch, I met up with head guide Joanna to plan my afternoon exploration (there are no tours or excursions at explora – only explorations). Since I’d already spent 3 nights in town and had covered much of the southern part of the island, we focused my activities on the northern half of the island and I headed out with 3 other guests and 2 guides to the Rano Raraku quarry. After a terrific afternoon, we returned to the lodge for evening cocktails while the guides explained the explorations available for the next day (the offerings change daily) and tailored an individual plan for each guest. After cleaning up from our hike, we enjoyed another exquisite meal featuring local ingredients and fresh fish – all accompanied by fine Chilean wines.
My plan for the next day was a morning visit to Tongariki with Joanna, followed by a hike along the northern coast to the island’s two beautiful beaches. Jo timed our arrival at Tongariki (Easter Island’s most visited site) perfectly and we had the entire site to ourselves for more than an hour. This is just another one of the subtle things explora does so well. After a hike and a trip to both beaches, we returned to the car and our driver headed out in search of the site for the day’s picnic lunch. Since the location changes daily, Jo had to contact another guide via radio to confirm the location. I hadn’t been told much about the picnic lunch I was about to experience since they like to keep some things under wraps at explora. All I did know was that fellow guest Walt from Kansas City told me, “if they ask you if you want to go for a picnic lunch, just say YES. Don’t ask questions.” So, when Jo asked if I would like to join the picnic lunch the next day, I just said yes.
An explora "picnic"
And I wasn’t disappointed. Set by the crashing waves and seaside tide pools, white umbrellas dotted the shore as the lodge chef grilled up fresh seafood. I was handed a glass of champagne and a grilled shrimp appetizer and grabbed a seat to take in the view. Simple luxury by the sea. Spectacular. That afternoon, I rounded out my exploration of the island by heading offshore for a snorkeling adventure at Motu Nui. Again, my expert native Rapa Nui guide, Roberto, really made the experience exceptional.
While the luxury and sustainability of explora Rapa Nui are admirable, it’s the guides that are the true heart of this place. Their ability to translate their love and appreciation of their culture and natural surroundings is what transforms a holiday into a journey. A vacation into an experience.
My stay at explora Rapa Nui leaves me daydreaming about the journey that awaits at explora Atacama and explora Patagonia. I look forward to a day when I can say that I have lived all of Chile that explora has to offer.
Posted 1 week, 4 days ago at 1:00 pm. 2 comments
One of Easter Island's most beautiful beaches - Ovahe Beach
I’ve posted lots of pictures of the cultural sights on Easter Island in the past few days but you may be wondering if Easter Island has any great beaches. I’m happy to report that it does, Ovahe and Anakena Beaches are both on the northern side of the island and rival the beaches of any great South Pacific island. Yesterday I started my day with a private guided tour of Tongariki – the site of the largest area of restored moai and what you see in most pictures of Easter Island. Thanks to the cleverly-timed arrival of my guide, Jo, we had this spiritual site all to ourselves. It was simply amazing. After breathing in Tongariki for a while, we hiked the northern edge of the island making stops at both Ovahe and Anakena beaches before meeting up with a few other guests of my hotel for a picnic by the sea – Explora Rapa Nui-style – which is to say, first class all the way. We sipped champagne by the crashing waves as the hotel chef grilled up fresh seafood and local specialties. It was definitely my kind of picnic! I’ll post a few pictures of that on Twitter as soon as I get to Santiago tonight. This afternoon, I’m sad to say it’s time to leave Easter Island and head back to Santiago before moving on to Europe later this week. This island has been a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience and I can’t wait to tell you all about it and share many more pictures!
Posted 1 week, 5 days ago at 11:21 am. Add a comment
Easter Island's top spot for sunset - Ahu Tahai
Last night I watched perhaps the best sunset of my life. It’s amazing what a few moai can add to an already spectacular sunset. I was also lucky enough to share it with a couple of new friends, Ali and Amanda, also from Atlanta! Ali’s a travel blogger, too, and I discovered she would be on the island this week after doing a search for Easter Island on Twitter. We met up last night and made the walk over to what I’d heard was the best spot on the island to watch the sun set, Ahu Tahai. And it certainly didn’t disappoint. Despite the somewhat cloudy day, the skies cleared as the sun began to set and we were treated to a stunning display of nature. As most of you know, I love a good sunset and this was one I’ll never forget.
Posted 2 weeks ago at 11:21 am. Add a comment
Ana Kai Tangata cave just south of Hanga Roa
Another incredible day so far here on Easter Island! Today I took a fairly strenuous hike up to the top of the Rano Kau volcano. The volcano’s crater measures an astounding 1 mile in diameter and is quite an amazing sight. But one of the best parts of the day was the walk past this cave on the way. The sea-cliff cave was used as a refuge during Easter Island’s early years of conflict and inside it prehistoric paintings of birds still remain. Tomorrow, thanks to the handiwork of my friend Jill who runs an eco-luxury hotel website, I’ll be switching to the ultra-luxurious and decidedly-green Explora Rapa Nui for my final two nights on the island. In exchange for writing a comprehensive review of the hotel, I’ll get to enjoy all the luxury it has to offer. It’s a real treat that I’m definitely looking forward to!
Posted 2 weeks, 1 day ago at 4:05 pm. Add a comment
