Iguassu Falls, Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego, The Chilean Fjords, Easter Island

1.5.17


I am on my overnight flight home from Santiago to Atlanta to Sarasota. Seated next to me is this absolutely incredible 13-year old Chilean young lady, traveling solo, returning to her boarding school in Rhode Island! She shared her hopes and dreams with me - to return to the US eventually to study at Harvard; to travel to Spain and even Korea (South, not North). 

I try to remember my life at 13 and it was nothing like hers, but I did begin my travel adventures at 22, one month after graduating from college, when I traveled solo to Australia to teach for 2 years. And that was all it took. In Australia I traveled to all 6 federated states and the 2 territories during the shorter vacation breaks. From Australia I visited Japan, Singapore, Thailand and Hong Kong during my 4-week summer break. 

Eventually I traveled to England, Germany, France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Sicily, Greece, Iceland, New Zealand, Egypt, Morocco, Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, China, Mongolia, Vietnam, Cambodia, and now Argentina and Chile - my first foray into South America.

This trip has been on my bucket list as long as I can remember. I was drawn, as I often am, to the exotic nature of places that are relatively untouched and worried about getting too excited as the time drew near in case there was a letdown due to unrealistic expectations. I am happy to say this trip went above and beyond my hopes. Here's what we accomplished:

• Five distinct locations in 24 days explored by plane, ship, zodiac, bus, horseback and hiking
• Hiked both the Brazilian & Argentinian sides of Iguassa Falls
• Took a drenching motorboat ride into the San Martin waterfalls
• Walked alongside the Perito Moreno, Marinelli, and Pia Glaciers 
• Experienced Glacier Alley from the ship
• Hiked in Torres del Paine
• Visited an estancia near Puerto Natales
• Cruised from Punta Arenas to Ushuaia along the Strait of Magellan & Beagle Channel
• Hiked to the top of the end of the world at Cape Horn
• Visited the Parana Delta vacation spot
• Flew to the most remote spot on earth - Rapa Nui (Easter Island) to learn about the moai
• Celebrated New Year's eve in Rapa Nui with the natives + amazing fireworks
• Walked through the main plaza and enjoyed lunch in a revolving restaurant above Santiago

We experienced summer, winter, rain and up to almost 50 MPH winds.

We acquired 23 new passport stamps.

We made new friends and memories for a lifetime.  And that, my friends, is what life is all about...

Last Stop...Santiago, Chile

1.4.17

Santiago tidbits...

1. capital and largest city in Chile
2. founded in 1541 by Pedro de Valdivia
3. population of over 5 million people

The Santiago Metro underground railway network is the second largest and most modern in Latin America (Mexico is first), and 7th in frequency - running approximately every 1.5 minutes!  There are 5 lines and 108 stations encompassed by 64 miles of track.

The Metro carries around 2.5 million passengers per day for the very reasonable price (for us anyway) of about $1.00 each direction. And in March 2012 it was selected as the best underground system in the Americas.

The collection of artistic murals in the Universidad de Chile (University of Chile) subway station (below) depict scenes from Chile's ancient and modern history and is considered among the world's most artistic subway stations. 

 The mural "Visual Memory of a Nation" was created by Mario Toral 

and done in acrylic and oil on canvas. There are 6 panels.

Plaza de Armas - The Main Plaza

 The business center, The Cathedral, the Archbishop's Palace, 

City Hall, Central Post Office and National History Museum.

 Interesting sculpture.

 Tribute to Simon Bolivar.

 Metropolitan Cathedral.

 The old Post Office.

Lots of outdoor restaurants.

On December 8, 1863, during the celebration of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception at the Church of the Company of Jesus, a Jesuit church located in downtown Santiago, a fire started just before 7 PM when an oil lamp on top of the main altar ignited some of the veils that adorned the walls. 

Unfortunately the church doors swung inward and a strong wind blew the doors open during the mass and the wind knocked a candle off the podium. The fire quickly ignited and the main door became jammed with a pile of approximately 200 women and children trying to escape. 

The side doors were closed so the church could accommodate more people (they too opened inwardly). Because the men were separated from the women by an iron grating and closer to the main entrance, most of them escaped quickly. 

Between 2000-3000 people died in the fire - mostly women and children. It took 10 days to cleanup the bodies, which were burned beyond recognition and buried in a mass grave.

The Ex Congreso Nacional statues commemorate the altar 

of the Church of the Company of Jesus, a Jesuit church located in downtown Santiago 

and site of the Church of the Company fire December 8, 1863.

We completed our walk of the city with a quick walk through Los Graneros del Alba, the largest and most entertaining handicraft center in Santiago.

And now it was Lynne's turn to buy our return tickets for the subway (but she could speak Spanish at least).

 Catorce entradas por favor...

Our farewell lunch was at Giratorio, floor #17 of the revolving restaurant with a wonderful 360 degree view of Santiago. We couldn't resist taking photos of our reflections in the mirrored ceiling. (We are easily entertained).

Lynne shares her original and very entertaining poem 

about Nicole and each of us a we await our appetizers.

The view below... 

 Taxi queue.

 Great view of the cranes working below.

Hooking up some fresh cement to the crane for pouring into the lower platform.

Back to the hotel to wait for Christian to take us to the airport for our overnight departures back to the USA.  What a fantastic trip!

Goodbye to Easter Island...Hello to Santiago

1.3.17

Goodbye Easter Island. Goodbye moai. Goodbye Sofia...
sniff, sniff, sniff.

In honor of Sofia's husband, Shelley and I try each of the 2 beers brewed at the brewery where he works (and when she's not working as a local guide, Sofia does as well). 

Isn't this the cutest airport terminal entrance you've ever seen?
Boarding our plane for the 5-hour flight to Santiago.

Ahu Akivi and Sunset at Tahai Beach

1.2.17

Ahu Vinapu, explored by William Mulloy in 1958,  is an archaeological site containing large, carefully fitted slabs of basalt, whose accurately fitted stonework showed contact with Peru. The remains of 3 platforms can be found - Ahu Tahira, Ahu Vinapu and a third one with almost no remains left.

 Ahu Tahira at Vinapu

 One of the 6 moai that toppled off the platform at Ahu Tahira.

 A close-up of the same moai as above.

A very large pukao of red volcanic stone.

Sofia informs us that the great red stone monolith column in front of the ahu 

and unearthed in 1956 by William Mulloy, may be a female moai. 

The detailed dental exam supported details of thin arms and hands, 

small breasts and pronounced navel.

Puna Pao

The volcanic quarry where the pukao (hats) for the moai were carved from red scoria rock. Approximately 20 exist in various shapes and sizes and provide archaeologists with clues about the Rapa Nui technology, art and history.

Moai with a pukao on top were thought to have more power, were more majestic and important.  Another theory is that the pukao represented hair, and since it was a custom for high-ranking men to have long hair tied in a bun on top of their heads, the pukao distinguished them from other common men.

 The underside of a pukao.  (Remind you of a Georgia O'Keeffe painting?)

The 7 identical moai at Ahu Akivi
One of the only inland ahus on the island. 
A sacred place looking out toward the Pacific Ocean.

Also known as a celestial observatory set up around the 16th century, they exactly face sunset during the spring equinox and have their backs to the sunrise during the autumn equinox.

 A very quick final stop at the Parroquia Santa Cruz church downtown.

Lunch...empanadas, pisco sours, seafood - amazing!

 Our host and hostess at Vai Uri.

We ate in the tent on the right - how about that view???

 Our beautiful table setting - looking out to the sea.

The protective moai watching over us (making sure we clean our plates).

During lunch we were entertained by Lynne and Al, who could easily do stand-up comedy. Lynne loves to shop. Al watches the credit cards. Whenever she ventures out on her own he uses an app to track her whereabouts. During the entire trip, when they are together in a shopping area, Lynne asks Al about possible purchases. His answer is always the same - "no".  

After lunch there were several choices as to what to do next. We had to get organized for our departure to Santiago the next day while some folks went out on a boat to look at the moai from the sea and others tried to do some last-minute shopping.

Nicole picked up some cheeses, cut veggies, wine and tuna + cheese empanadas that were nice and large and greasy - absolutely delicious! We returned to watch the sunset over the moai at Tahai Beach.  Lynne was so preoccupied with eating and watching the sunset that she didn't even realize that she had her bunched-up underwear static-clinging to her leg inside her pants until Connie asked her if she had some kind of elastic wrap underneath (ha ha). I asked her if she had a severe case of varicose veins. Well we laughed about that wadded-up underwear for hours. 

The Famed Moai

1/1/17

Ahu Tongariki, Te Pito Kura & Anakena Beach

YAY!!! Today is Moai day!!!

Time to learn about over 900 discovered gigantic monoliths in various stages of completion at the quarry in Ahu Vaihu and various ahus (sacred sites where they stand). Then to the impressive collection of 15 restored moai, carved from the quarries of nearby Rano Raraku Volcano, at Ahu Tongariki. LA RAHA!!!!! (and I'm not talking butt crack here) AWESOME! OVER THE TOP! BREATHTAKING! Not enough adjectives in the dictionary to describe it!

OK, now for the nitty-gritty...

1. The moai were carved during a relatively short time, possibly during the megalithic era (ranging from 400 CE to 1500-1700 CE)
2. Almost 95% of the inventoried 887 moais were carved out of distinctive, compressed, easily-worked volcanic ash or tuff found at the extinct volcano Rano Raraku.
3. Only stone hand chisels, mainly of basalt toki, were used for carving.
4. A single moai would take a team of 5-6 men approximately one year to complete.
5. Each statue represents a deceased long-ear chief or important person whose body is interred within the ahu or coastal platform the moai stand upon.
6. Only 1/4 of the moai were installed, while nearly 1/2 remain at the quarry. 
7. Anywhere from 180-250 men were required to move the moai from the quarry or volcano to the ahu.
8. Those not installed remained scattered on the island - not making it to their designated resting places due to lack of workers, shortage of money for the transportation or ADD/ADHD (just kidding, but these statues had to be moved without semis and vehicles - more on those theories later...)
9. When questioned about how the moai moved from the volcano or quarry, and according to the Rapa Nui tradition, the answer is that they walked. Mythical as this sounds, one theory is that they were constructed with a slightly curved base so that they could be rocked back and forth alternately (as if you were moving your refrigerator in or out of its space). With this movement they did indeed appear to be walking.
10. The majority of moai are a standard design and badly eroded and broken.
11. The moai had eyes made of white coral and black obsidian, but the eyes are only added after the statue completes its journey and is installed on its designated ahu.
12. Some moai had a Pukao - a hat or topknot (or man-bun in today's lingo). More on those later...

Thor Heyerdahl's 1958 expedition to the island imitated the method of using a miro manga erua, a y-shaped sledge with cross pieces, pulled with ropes made of the tough bark of the hau-hau tree and tied tightly around the statue's neck to re-erect a moai on Anakena beach.

First stop...Akahanga

 Souvenirs greet us at the entrance.

 One of the caves for warmth and wind protection.

 A very large moai knocked off its ahu. Most fall face down because they are erected with their backs to the sea, so they can watch over their people. 

High winds and seas and tsunamis are responsible for their toppling.

 A very large pukao (hat or topknot). They are added after the statues reach their intended ahu and most of these are merely resting upon the flat heads of the moai, 

so balance is of the utmost importance.

A great shot of a moai head with the face visible. 

Note that the white coral eyes are not installed yet, and it has a bright blue mole 

(of course that probably appeared much later).

A moai is looking over my shoulder.

Next stop...Ahu Vaihu (the Quarry)

where we find moai is various stages of completion...

A very different moai - with a rounded head and more detailed features.

And the culmination of the moai viewing...Tongariki

15 restored moai, carved from the quarries of nearby Rano Rataku Volcano, were knocked from their ahu during a tsunami resulting from the May 22, 1960 9.5-Richter scale earthquake at Valdivia. Work to restore them to their original standing positions was finally completed in 1996 through a joint effort from Chilean and Japanese archaeologists and the people of Easter Island.

 I know these are 2 photos of the same moai - 

but these are so famous and so awesome, they deserve way more than just one photo.

Most of our group decided to join the moai with our own poses.

Next stop...Te Pito Kura

The biggest moai ever moved and successfully erected on an ahu.

It's almost 32' tall and weighs almost 80 tons.

Its pukao alone weighs almost 12 tons!

Ordered by the widow to honor her late husband.

Sofia - guide extraordinaire!

Te Pito Kura