| Easter Island, Chile, South America |
Known as one of the most isolated islands in the world, it is a no brainer that I had to pinch myself a few times when the plane finally landed on this peculiar piece of land.
Our professor, in which our group of 12 college students were traveling with, surprised us two days early with a getaway to the remote island. I would be lying if I said I knew exactly what place he was talking about when he sprung this adventure upon us. The only image that came to my head was the large head in 'Night at the Museum' that says "Dummb dummb, give me gumm gumm!" So to say the least, I was a bit sceptical on what this so called "magnificent" destination would have to offer.
Every corner one takes a mystery waiting to unlock. Easter Island is located off the coast of Chile, in the South Pacific Ocean. It is about a 4.5 hour plane ride, and this tiny spec of land is formed by a series of massive volcanic eruptions.
The colors of this island provided miraculous blues and greens as far as the eye can see.
Once we departed the plane, we all piled into a van that would take us to our lodging for the three nights that we would be exploring. We arrived at Cabanas Rapa Nui Orito. A great place to go if you want to feel away from the world, have an incredible view of the mountain side, and to be equipped with exceptional hospitality. The first morning that we were on the island, one of the other girls that was traveling with me, Kylee, agreed to go chase the sunrise with me. We went thinking that we were going to climb the mountain next to our homestead, but later changed our mind when we realized that we might of been a bit to delusional and our ambitious characteristic were overpowering us. Instead, we took out our handy IPhone flashlights and started the trek down a local road in hopes of finding a good place to settle and enjoy the morning glory. Sadly, we did not find a mountain, but we did find a brick wall that we perched ourselves on and enjoyed watching the sun slowly sneak up over the crystal Pacific Ocean. On our adventure back to where we were staying, things went a bit differently then expected. As we were walking and talking about life and everything around it, we spotted a isolated puppy coming out of the tall grasses. Completely shocked we didn't know quite what to do. He seemed relaxed and made his way to cross the street to meet him. We encouraged him to go back on his side of the road, in the fear that we did not want him to get run over. We said just a simple hello and a quick snuggle and we were back on our way home. Before we knew it, he was prancing energetically behind us. Well what would you do if an adorable puppy would not go back where we originally found him, and had a mindset that he was going to follow you home? Yes, that is right, we did not know what to do either. Trying to get him to go back wherever he belong, he thought it would be better to follow us all of the way home and that is where he met 16 new American friends. Long story short, although he was a puppy that wanted to get into everything, everyone had a soft spot for him in their heart. He waited by the rooms doors in hopes to welcome everyone home, and he always was up to playing whatever game everyone else was a part of. He made friends with the Resorts dog that was currently there, and he was even treated to two baths..because man did he stink. Leaving the island was hard, but leaving that soft face was even worse. He holds a big place in our hearts, and an even bigger one in his love companion Kylee, who he loved to snuggle with.
Besides adventuring around the Resort with the dog, we had our own adventures all over the island. Due to the island only being 63.17 mi², traveling for the most part was a breeze. One day was spent renting bikes in order to go to town to pick up groceries or fresh fruit, and the other was spent in a van that the group had rented to venture to see the heads.
The quant simple town had millions of things to offer. Though the things may not be flashy in one's face, it does take a bit of searching for. The heads provide a historical content like no other. Visiting and searching for all of the landscapes and spots provide a deeper understanding, as well as allowing the mind to wonder with what is the symbolic meaning with all of theses, or what made many of them fall down. One is able to take many different ideas and thoughts simply by taking in all of the natural beauty that surrounds them. While the heads do provide a day full of wonder, take a trip down to the beautiful white sand beaches, or make the hike to the caves. Any of these adventures will not disappoint, but remember to put your camera down at some point and soak up all of the beauty around. It is difficult to put into words what you will see because as cliche as it sounds, it will take your breath away.
Overall, I visited Easter Island with no idea what I would truly see, but I came back wishing that everyone could visit this spec of land at some point in their life. The abundance of nature allows reflection to be put in full force, allows the mind to wonder with glorious thoughts, and ables the heart to seek adventure.
Guaranteed that one will fall in love upon entering and 100% recommend one to visit this on their upcoming adventure.
Blessings.
