Author Archives: Björn

Easter Island Folk Show

Posted on by

I am usually not a big fan of folk shows – few of them are really authentic, most of them are simply touristic. Anyhow, I guess, visiting one of these shows is a must while being on Easter Island – – with the culture, dances and songs just too different from most other places on the planet – below some footage.

Touring Easter Island

Posted on by

Today I did the standard Easter Island day trip, i.e. an organized tour with a guide. The tour followed the south coast and then up to Anakena and back to Hanga Roa. The first stop was at Ahu Vaihu with its thrown-over Ahus.

From there we continued along the coast to Ahu Akahanga, star here is the big fallen moai and the remains of a small village. After a quick look around we continued along the coast to Ahu Tongariki – – with 15 moais the largest ahu ever built.

Our next stop was at what would be the birthplace of the moais, i.e. the quarry where the stone was taken from and the figures were cut. A walk along the hill gave as the opportunity of getting closer.

Heading back we had another photo stop at Ahu Tongariki with the now enhanced light conditions – before finally hitting Anakena.

While Anakena is yet another Ahu site – it is also the only true sand beach of the island. We were given some time to enjoy at the beach and in the water – overlooked by an Ahu.

Easter Island Arrival

Posted on by

The final part of this ‘epic’ trip had started. The flight from Santiago to Easter Island was delayed by 3.5 hours – so instead of getting to Easter Island midday, I only arrived there in the late afternoon.

As usual I got organized (hey – I am German … no point to deny that), checking out what to do over the next days. After that I started out to explore the island’s capital (and only major settlement) Hanga Roa and its immediate surroundings – including some first Ahus and Moais.

La Serena

Posted on by

An 18 hours bus ride did brings me from the Atacama desert to La Serena – next to the Pacific Ocean. I had some late breakfast (one could probably call it ‘brunch’) before checking out the town, its churches and museums.

Once I had enough of churches and museums I headed for the sea. On the way a Japanese Garden got my attention, so I had a quick stop here. Having seen real Japanese gardens before, I was not overly impressed. Nevertheless it seemed, the garden is quiet an attraction for the locals – it was packed by visiting school children. From here I continued my walk down to the waterfront, around 3km from the city center. I was not overly impressed with the beach and seaside.

Hike to the Pukara de Quitor

Posted on by

Today I kicked if off with the local museum of  San Pedro – after which it did not take too long to realize that I had already seen the entire city center. My guidebook suggested a walk to the Pukara de Quitor, the ruins of an old Inca fort, strategically located on a hill, over-looking the oasis and the valley – a good 3km out of town.

Another hiking route started next to the Pukara’s entrance, leading up to the top of two other hills with even better views.