We were quite excited for our next stop, and
to leave the apartment we were in. We didn’t expect luxury places, but that was
a bit much. The noisy neighbors seemed to leave halfway through our stay, which
was nice. The conveniences of being in a city were wonderful but we were ready
for a change, and felt like we did most of what we wanted to. We didn’t get to
walk Santa Lucia on account of the weather (it’s very steep and closes in the
rain) but that was ok.
We woke up early to catch our flight. I
checked in but Kim wasn’t able to get a seat, so we got there earlier than we
thought we’d need to be there just in case. The line was already long and the
flight was full, and larger than I expected. There were around 300 seats on the
flight, give or take a few.
Kim was able to get a flight. We saw a Dunkin
Donuts and stopped to get coffee. First we waited in the wrong line, and then
they wouldn’t take Kim’s money as she only had a large bill and no change. I
ordered an espresso—at Dunkin’. So strange. Kim grabbed a soda instead and had
to chug it before we got to the security stop. Somehow the lid popped off and
she dropped it and it fizzed all over. Whoops!
We got our seats and I was seated between two
children. Fantastic! I thought the one-year old would be the issue, but it was
the five-year old with incredibly sharp elbows and a strong right kick. Ow.
Every time I was starting to drift off.. Let’s just say I will never ever ever
forget my birth control pills again.
Thankfully, the flight was only
five-and-a-half hours and I managed to get off without doing anything evil. The
airport is tiny, and similar to some of the airports in the Caribbean where
‘terminal’ is a bit of a strong term and you walk down onto the tarmac to get
your bags. The runway is quite short.
There is only one flight a day onto the
island, and it’s a madhouse getting out and getting your driver. We thankfully
found him fairly quickly and it ended up being a short bus for the people who
are shuttled around to the hotels and a van follows behind with our luggage. He
greeted us with fresh flower leis. Nice touch.
The place is really cute! Marae Cabanas is a
small property with 5-6 small independent buildings. Camilla, who checked us
in, was adorable! Kim found out she moved here from Santiago 9 months ago as
she came on vacation and fell in love with a man, so she moved here. Her
English is amazing and she was great giving us tips and recommendations. She
offered to schedule a car if we’d like, and to book us for one of the local
dances if we’re interested. There are two companies she recommended and one
only does song and dance while the other also tells the story of Easter Island.
The second sounds great, but it’s tomorrow night after a 9-hour tour so not
sure we’ll be up for it.. will see how we feel in the morning.
The place is large too! I booked a 1 bedroom
one bath and it has two bedrooms and two baths. The living area is large and
it’s well appointed. After having to buy soap and a sponge at the last place,
it’s luxury! The kitchen is very basic but fine. There are a lot of windows
with a wonderful breeze. They even offer a drying rack and some beach chairs. Nice!
We settled in then walked down to the main
street, which is fairly short and maybe a ten-minute walk. We walked through a
couple of the tourist shops then walked over to the bay to snap some pictures
and see our first Moai. We then went to a restaurant that she recommended to
grab lunner (we didn’t eat since breakfast so had an early dinner) at Haka Konu
overlooking the water and two Moai. We both got papaya fish with tarro, with a
white fish called wahu caught locally. It had the consistency of swordfish. I
also got a salad as I was craving veggies. I know I’m not eating well when..
lol. I got a caipurinha as well, which was very good.
Forgot to mention that on the way down main
street we ran into a woman begging. She was quite drunk, we realized after she
staggered between us. I waved and said no, and she rattled off something and
smacked me on the ass! Well, she missed my ass and got my hip, but still! I
laughed out loud and was shocked.. that’s a first for me.
The waiter was hilarious and quite fluttery. At
one point my eyes caught with another guy dining and we both giggled. The
waiter did speak fairly good English so that was helpful.
We then wandered for a supermercado to find
some groceries. Things are very expensive here so we figured we’d eat in when
we can. Groceries are crazy expensive too! But we’re a bit tired of eating out
all the time and having breakfast in the room cuts what we eat a bit. We
wandered to find a market, and even the ‘supermercados’ were less than a
convenience store at home. We finally found one with some items we could buy
and lugged them back.
We did find out that we can drink the water
in Chile, which is helpful. I had read that we could, though the travel clinic
said not to. We avoided it, even for brushing our teeth, for a few days then
decided to go for it. Today I wanted that salad so hoping.. and hell, I have
cipro if needed.
We have exchanged the city noises for country
noises. I have five roosters chilling under my bedroom window, and there is a
sheep singing somewhere nearby. We were warned to close the gate to the
property or there might be horses later this evening.
Early night tonight but we’re both tired from
being on the go for over 12 hours, including the flight. Tomorrow will be a
long but very fun day. Can’t wait!!!
1 comment:
Being next to active kids on a flight is not for the faint of heart, that's for sure! So glad place you're staying at is both larger and comfortable -- right about now is when you want that additional space. I wonder if there will be that famous video about how students figured out how the Moai were moved and positioned? I found that fascinating when I first saw it and, well, I still find it fascinating! Bill & I want every detail since that's his top travel dream spot :) oooohhhh, you will have so much fun! All our best, B&C
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