August 2008 Easter Island Vacation

Travelog / Travelogue / Travellog / Travellogue, or however you spell it!

• Easter Island is the English translation of the Spanish name, Isla de Pascua. Rapa Nui is the name preferred by many locals. The only town is named Hanga Roa.
• Easter Island legally belongs to Chile, but there is an independence movement on the island. There is a $131 USD "reciprocal fee" for Americans entering Chile, payable by credit card in the immigration area of the Santiago airport.
• The flight from Santiago to Hanga Roa takes almost 6 hours. Due to prevailing winds, the flight back takes only a little over 4 hours.
• Easter Island is a great place to see the Southern Cross, because there is so little air and light pollution. In fact, the air is probably cleaner than any other inhabited spot on Earth. Be sure and research what it looks like, and where in the sky to look, before you arrive.
• There are no franchise stores on the island, with possible exception of the bank. No McDonald's, no Subway, no Starbucks.
• Unlike in Argentina, on Easter Island (and in Santiago) the stop signs are obeyed. There are no traffic lights on the island. None of the streets have signs telling their names. You can walk all over the downtown.
• I saw one man in a wheelchair. It was electric, and looked home-made, but it got him around quickly on the rough streets and sidewalks.
• Stores are open from about 8:30 to 1:30 and 5:30 to 8. The bank is open 9 to 1.
• The ATM at the bank (one of two ATMs on the island) only accepts MasterCard and Cirrus-branded cards. No Visa, no Pulse network. Some stores and restaurants accept Amex/MC/Visa credit cards.
• Based upon the foliage observed, it evidently never freezes. The temperatures ranged from 40 to 85F while I was there, with winds from about 5 to 20 mph.
• You always have to watch your step downtown. There are holes, some deep, at unexpected places in the sidewalks.
• Tourist season is October to March. During that time most visitors are Japanese, US and EU. In the off-season with its discounted rates, most visitors are from Chile.
• According to a local there are large storms, especially in winter. The weather was calm while I was there, with beautiful large Pacific waves hitting the shores. A few people were surfing.
• According to a young woman who lives on the island: "Everybody is sick all the time because of the humidity."
• Groceries arrive by ship every Saturday. Shop soon after that if you want to get the best selection. "Supermarket" shelves get pretty empty by Wednesday.
• One internet cafe charges 1500 pesos (about USD $3) per hour. Internet is reasonably fast.
• Upon arrival at the airport, you will enter a room with booths manned by representatives of various lodgings. That is how I found a hotel, the Anu Kapu. My hotel (a group of bungalows) was very inexpensive, and located across a deeply-rutted dirt street from the expensive Hangaroa Hotel. Private bungalows were $30/night (15,000 pesos), dorm-style accommodations $15. My bungalow had no screens on the windows, no heat, no A/C, no phone, no TV, essentially no window covers, no bar of soap, no mirror on the wall. It did have adequate hot water. The hotel had an internet-connected computer in the assembly / dining room, but the computer was only usable by certain guests.
• I rented a 4wd vehicle for $50 USD for 24 hours at one of the many places that have a couple of vehicles to rent. In those 24 hours I was able to reach all parts of the island served by roads and see just about everything (moai, volcanoes, quarry). Driving in the evening or night would have been risky, due to animals, people and unlit vehicles in the roads.

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