From Island to Mainland

It's 5 AM, my phone/alarm clock went off. My Santiago-bound flight wasn't even leaving till 1 PM yet I bolted out of bed quickly and took a shower. On the extra bed in my room lay all my usual travel mess: soiled shirts, soiled socks, soiled underwear, souvenirs, maps, etc. Ah that can wait. Seeing the sun rise behind Ahu Tongariki - Easter Island's largest ahu - is more exciting than dealing with packing smelly clothes.

Easter Island: Hanga Roa

A ship awaits to off-load cargo meant for Easter Island

For something so remote, Easter Island may as well be on the moon. But that has not deterred a steady influx of visitor arrivals. In 1989 barely 4000 people visited it while 2011 saw more than 70,000. This sounds good news for a local economy that relies heavily on tourist dollars. The allure and enigma of a moai has surely put it up there on everyone's bucket list along with Macchu Picchu and Angkor Wat.

Easter Island: From Fallen Moais To Birdman Cult

Where moais used to stand

"What you see here is how exactly things were since the last 200 years or so", James announced as we arrived at Ahu Vinapu. It's a brisk early morning and I haven't completely digested everything our little group saw the previous day.

There are more stones to see. Which probably will lead me to stone-fatigue by end of the day.

Stone Sentinels of Easter Island

The "traveling moai" stands guard at Ahu Tongariki

Before flying to Rapa Nui, I watched the Oscar-nominated movie Kon-Tiki which chronicles Thor Heyerdhal and his ballsy real-life high seas voyage on a balsa wood raft. He sailed in 1947 from Peru across the Pacific Ocean to prove ancient people from South America migrated westwards to Polynesia - a theory now proven wrong since current archaeological, linguistic and genetic data supports otherwise.

To One of the World's Most Remote Destinations

How often does one see Isla de Pascua on a flight monitor?

Flying long-haul may be a routine for many, even a punishment for some, but I always look forward to all of them. It's not just a means to a destination for me but an experience in and of itself. Especially this one, booked at such a great price for a premium class it's almost too good to be true. Never mind if it involves 3 flights to Rapa Nui, AKA Isla de Pascua or Easter Island.