Dream Destination Diaries: Sweet sandy beaches & mystical Moai meditations on Easter Island

My last two days on Easter Island are filled by what I originally intended for this part of my #CreativElenaRTW trip – taking an actual HOLIDAY besides all the cultural engagement & happy adventure spirit. 😀

Just imagine arriving on Easter Island as an international travel blogger being used to always reporting live & in real-time from all four corners of the world … well, it is “Ritmo Rapa Nui” here. Meaning that everything happens, when it happens (including the Internet!). Beautiful, actually: You really slow down, with “digital detox” being the norm, and “we hope it will stay like this for a while still”, Vicky at Anakena Beach Bar tells me. She laughs, and I join her not for some WiFi, but for some delightful natural fruit juice and the company of her lovely friend Antoinette. Antoinette originally hails from Tahiti and has come to Easter Island for a holiday: “My husband is Rapa Nui”, she smiles while we choose to speak French with each other. “We actually understand each other really well talking Tahiti & Rapa Nui, our native Polynesian languages – better than if I tried to understand the Spanish spoken here with my Tahitian French. You are so lucky to be able to speak even five languages, dear Elena!”

I beam at her while sharing with her my first days of magic on Easter Island: “Just now, I have been sitting over there by the Moai at the beach. It really helps you to understand what this place is all about, what with all its history & energy … Sometimes, I am even reminded of Iceland here, especially when we talk about the many aspects of spirituality & cultural evolution. The Moai and all their history, now that is something to be proud of really … Because the whole world is watching, fascinated by your stories of achievement and spirit … !”

Südseeträume auf der Osterinsel ...

Postcard fairytales on Easter Island …

 

... am Strand von Anakena Beach. Hier im Norden der Insel Rapa Nui gibt es Kokosnussschalen zuhauf ...

… at Anakena Beach. Here in the north of Rapa Nui island, I find heaps of coconut shells such as these ones …

 

... sowie die ewig faszinierenden Moai.

… as well as the forever fascinating Moai.

 

What kind of supernatural forces, or combined manpower of a society deeply rooted in spiritual belief, have actually made them? I sit on the grass in front of the "elders" of the people of Te Pito O Te Henua, listening to what they are willing to tell me.

What kind of supernatural forces, or combined manpower of a society deeply rooted in spiritual belief, have actually crafted them I wonder once more? I sit on the grass in front of the “elders” of the people of Te Pito O Te Henua, listening to what they are willing to tell me.

 

Von dem Anblick gebannt, fällt es schwer sich loszureißen ...

Captured by the spell, it is hard to turn away under the enchantment here …

 

... einzig die Verlockung auf Sandstrand & Südseeträume ...

… only the modern temptation of beautiful palm tree beach life …

 

... oder wunderschöne Tischdekorationen an der Strandbar ...

… or beautiful little details by the Anakena beach bar …

 

... sowie das Gespräch mit der lieben Antoinette aus Tahiti (links) und der Einheimischen Vicky erleichtern mir den Weg zurück in die Gegenwart.

… as well as talking to new friends on the road Antoinette from Tahiti (left) and local lady Vicky (right) help me find my way back into the present here.

 

Ach, und gutes Essen natürlich!

As well as great food, of course!

 

Die mit frischem Thunfisch & Käse gefüllten Empanadas sind schon etwas Besonderes ...

Love the beautiful, home-made empanadas of Easter Island, filled with savoury cheese & fresh tuna …

 

... gestärkt geht es weiter zum Schnorcheln an den Strand: Seesterne & Meeresschildkröten, ich komme!

… fuelled with new energy, I let myself be embraced by beach life once more … love this day at Anakena beach!

 

Life, a travel dream steeped in sunlight & culture in the Pacific. Geologically speaking, the Orongo crater is the birthplace of Easter Island. In spiritual terms, the Rapa Nui refer to it as their place of origin & evolution.

Rano Kau rises as a volcanic cone some 300 metres above sea level. From up here, in the very south west of Easter Island, I look back upon the entire island as well as Maunga Terevaka, the highest volcanic crater on the island that we have only recently climbed. It is not a big island, Easter Island. You can definitely “overlook” it easily. I am having my thoughts, reflecting on the many stories about past & present Rapa Nui culture & evolution, including the central question: Why haven’t they talked to each other (before all the wars broke out)? Why have they not convened an “elders’ council” or whatever it was, as population size, egos, even the Moai carved from stone, got too big in order to sustain the culture of the Rapa Nui, their scarce resources, agricultural systems and society? Then, of course, I also think: “You simply cannot understand everything that happened here from today’s modern point of view, dear Elena. As much as you are trying to understand! Even modern-day Rapa Nui continue to be burdened by the complications of their history.”

A history that really is not an easy one. And like almost everywhere in this world, the situation has been exacerbated even further by the arrival of Western settlers and conquerors: Stories about deportation & enslavement of priests and elders from Rapa Nui to Peru, of diseases & death as well as the island’s use as a sheep station with more than 60.000 (!) sheep, forced labour & locking up the last remaining local inhabitants of Rapa Nui, continue to sadden me. Especially the story about having used Easter Island as a sheep station is really shocking, I believe. “The sheep, they would have eaten the stones, too … They literally ate everything, leveling the ground of Easter Island”, Nune tells us on the second day of our day trip around Easter Island. “There is a book, La Historia Oculta de Isla de Pascua – The Secret History of Easter Island. Patricia Stambuk wrote it. It is sad, moving – and important. Read it, if you can. We all appear in there …”

Die Osterinsel: Atemberaubende Anblicke sagenhafter Küstenlandschaften ...

Easter Island: Breathtaking views of mighty coastal landscapes bordering the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean …

 

... stehen in Kontrast zu dem, was hier passiert ist und passieren könnte – wie etwa Tsunamis!

… are in stark contrast to past & present threats on the island, such as – tsunamis!

 

An meinem letzten Tag auf der Osterinsel mache ich mich auf, den Vulkankrater Orongo zu erkunden ...

During my last day on Easter Island, I set off to explore the volcanic crater of Orongo …

 

... Wiege spiritueller Geister wie der des „Tangata-Manu“, oder Vogelmannes ...

… also known as the spiritual birthplace of the “Tangata-Manu”, or bird man cult …

 

... und werde dabei selbst nachdenklich: Wie gehen wir mit Gipfelstürmen um? Muss es tatsächlich immer höher, schneller, weiter sein? Was machen wir, wenn wir „oben angekommen“ sind?

… becoming thoughtful, almost spiritual myself: How do we in modern life actually cope with “reaching the top”? Does it really always have to be more, faster, further, higher? And where will it ultimately take us?

 

(Erst mal einen Stempel holen: Ich war in Rapa Nui, liebe Weltenbummler! Hehe.).

(First of all: To getting a stamp of achievement for your passport – I have been to Rapa Nui. Hehe.).

 

"And finally, I dedicate this book to everyone who, and be it only for a moment, stop everything only to be looking at the magic of the sky" ... beautiful lines from a book written by dear friend Fabrizio from Brasil, gifted to me on this journey of discovery around the world!

“And finally, I dedicate this book to everyone who only for a moment stop everything just to be looking at the magic of the sky” … beautiful lines from a book written by dear friend Fabrizio from Brasil, gifted to me on this journey of discovery around the world!

 

Hier bin ich, am äußersten und südwestlichsten Ende des „Nabels der Welt“ angelangt: Te Pito O Te Henua, wie die Osterinsel von ihren polynesischen Ureinwohnern genannt wird.

Here I am, in the very southwest corner of the “Navel of the World”: Te Pito O Te Henua, as Easter Island is referred to by the first people.

 

Last but not least, let me bid you farewell … farewell from a world full of dreams, myth, truth, stories, inspiration & wisdom: The wisdom or the wish to be returning here one day.

 

Rapa Nui, Easter Island, Te Pito O Te Henua: This special island, a tiny speck in the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean, has been called many things.

All words, however, fall silent against the sheer natural beauty of this island. And it is with this natural beauty, that I would like you to “fall silent” too now … Merry Christmas in any case from Easter Island, dear readers! 😀

Die Osterinsel: Sogar die Pferde sind hier „total gechillt“ und kugeln müßig rum – wie hier vor dem Eingang eines Luxushotels. ;)

Easter Island: Even the horses are really “chilled” out here, taking a nap break at the entrance of a luxury hotel. 😉

 

Urlaub muß (auch mal) sein: Maracuja-Eiscreme ...

Holiday spirit rules: Me & my fresh Maracuja ice cream …

 

... und hochgelagerte Füße mit Musik im Ohr, so stell’ ich mir einen guten Tagesausklang vor ...!

… followed by good music & great sunset vibes …!

 

Last but not least, I am "back to where I was", visiting the very Moai by the beach where only days earlier, I witnessed the mighty Chilean Symphony Orchestra with dear local Hernán against the magic of a sunset no less impressive than this one ...

Last but not least, I am “back to where I was”, visiting the very Moai by the beach where only days earlier, I witnessed the mighty Chilean Symphony Orchestra with dear local Hernán against the magic of a sunset no less impressive than this one …

 

... this day, too, we are lucky, watching surfers in the sunlight: In my memory, I am even reminded of the last time I saw similar scenes in the city of Porto, Portugal ...

… this day, too, we are lucky, watching surfers in the sunlight: In my memory, I am even reminded of the last time I saw similar scenes in the city of Porto, Portugal

 

.. das letzte Bild hier für Euch, wie kann es anders sein: Gutes Essen! Leichte Crêpes mit exotischen Früchten & Schokosauce ... Herz, was willst Du mehr?

… saying goodbye with good food from Easter Island (naturally, as a foodie traveller): Lovely crêpes with fresh fruit and chocolate – what else could you desire?

 

Neue Freundschaften beispielsweise: Mein herzliches Treffen mit dem liebenswerten Paar Lorena & Washington, die noch dazu in Kürze Eltern sein werden (!), macht diesen Aufenthalt nochmals speziell.

New friendships and connections, of course: Saying goodbye to dear Lorena & Washington from Chile, who I was very happy to meet and spend time with and who I learned will soon be parents, too! Congratulations my dear!

 

I have also written & published the following stories about Easter Island:

Hope you enjoy! :)

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