Sunday, August 7, 2011
Atacama Desert
The Atacama desert is incredible--the driest desert on the planet. Yesterday we went to the Valley of the Moon and the Valley of the Dead. Beautiful rock formations. We also went to the Salt Mountains--so called because the mountains are mainly made of salt. We climbed through a cave on our hands and knees. Then we watched the sunset while drinking pisco sours.
The temperature ranges from warm enough for short sleeves to 30 degrees in a single day. Glad we brought lots of layers.
Today we hiked to Pucaro de Quito which was an old fort of the atacamenos before the Spanish conquered them. The first time the Spaniards attacked, they lost badly. They came back with many more men, captured the fort and beheaded 300 sodiers. The Spaniards then used it to control the region.
Later we went to the salt flats (the Chaxa Lagoon). The salt flats go on for miles and miles and look like a desolate landscape. There is no vegetation. But there are three kinds of flamingos in the area and we spent a long time watching and filming them. And watching another sunset.
The temperature ranges from warm enough for short sleeves to 30 degrees in a single day. Glad we brought lots of layers.
Today we hiked to Pucaro de Quito which was an old fort of the atacamenos before the Spanish conquered them. The first time the Spaniards attacked, they lost badly. They came back with many more men, captured the fort and beheaded 300 sodiers. The Spaniards then used it to control the region.
Later we went to the salt flats (the Chaxa Lagoon). The salt flats go on for miles and miles and look like a desolate landscape. There is no vegetation. But there are three kinds of flamingos in the area and we spent a long time watching and filming them. And watching another sunset.
Friday, August 5, 2011
Bye Easter Island, Hello Atacama Desert
Yesterday we visited the top knot quarry-Puna Pau-where they carved the red top knots that they placed on top of the Moais. They weighed 5-10 tons and were also moved clear across the island--12 KM in some cases.
We also visited the church. Missionaries converted the Rapa Nui to christianity, but the islanders also brought in their own religion--the birdman religion. The chruch is filled with imagery from the birdman religion and so it was quite fun to see how the islanders did that.
Easter Island was a great experience and there are still great challenges facing the Rapa Nui. The conventioall wisdom os that the islanders deforrested the island resluting in many people dying. They cut down the trees to move the huge Moai and for fuel. There was also much warfare on the island. Some use this as a lesson on environmental conservation. At one point the population was down to 110 people. There was also much warfare on the island. I think the story os more complicated than that. In the 1800s the island was raided for slaves with thousands of men taken from the island. Later on the slaves were sent back and brought with them smallpox. Then there was the impact of the colonists.
Until 1964, the Rapa Nui were not given full political rights and prior to then had to request permission just to leave the town of Hanga Roa. The island was "rented out" to an a British Company Williams and Balfour that turned the island into a sheep farm for several decades. The Moai sites are now considered national parks, but they are really sacred sites to the people. The government is now giving land to the Rapa Nuis families without regard to the sites that are meaningful based on ancestry.
Just a few years ago they only had 3 hours of electricity a day and when were were leaving the elctricity went out in Hanga Roa. Most people live in Hanga Roa--there is no elctricity or running water in the rest of the island.
Much more to be said on all of these topics.
We also visited the church. Missionaries converted the Rapa Nui to christianity, but the islanders also brought in their own religion--the birdman religion. The chruch is filled with imagery from the birdman religion and so it was quite fun to see how the islanders did that.
Easter Island was a great experience and there are still great challenges facing the Rapa Nui. The conventioall wisdom os that the islanders deforrested the island resluting in many people dying. They cut down the trees to move the huge Moai and for fuel. There was also much warfare on the island. Some use this as a lesson on environmental conservation. At one point the population was down to 110 people. There was also much warfare on the island. I think the story os more complicated than that. In the 1800s the island was raided for slaves with thousands of men taken from the island. Later on the slaves were sent back and brought with them smallpox. Then there was the impact of the colonists.
Until 1964, the Rapa Nui were not given full political rights and prior to then had to request permission just to leave the town of Hanga Roa. The island was "rented out" to an a British Company Williams and Balfour that turned the island into a sheep farm for several decades. The Moai sites are now considered national parks, but they are really sacred sites to the people. The government is now giving land to the Rapa Nuis families without regard to the sites that are meaningful based on ancestry.
Just a few years ago they only had 3 hours of electricity a day and when were were leaving the elctricity went out in Hanga Roa. Most people live in Hanga Roa--there is no elctricity or running water in the rest of the island.
Much more to be said on all of these topics.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Last night on Easter island
Easter Island aka the largest open air museum is every bit deserving of its Unesco heritage. The off season timing of our trip makes the beautiful place even more remote. We are very often its lone admirers sharing its awesome wonder with the grazing cows and wild horses.
Among our favorite sites were Ahu Tongariki with its 15 restored Moais, the Rano Raraku quarry with the famous chiseled Moai whose face has graced many travel books, the restored Moai with the cemented eye and topknot at Ahu Tahai where we had a picnic of empanadas.
We have walked along the coast with the waves crashing against the rocks, waves that seem to call out to surfers but much too dangerous to attempt. This is such a beautiful place.
Among our favorite sites were Ahu Tongariki with its 15 restored Moais, the Rano Raraku quarry with the famous chiseled Moai whose face has graced many travel books, the restored Moai with the cemented eye and topknot at Ahu Tahai where we had a picnic of empanadas.
We have walked along the coast with the waves crashing against the rocks, waves that seem to call out to surfers but much too dangerous to attempt. This is such a beautiful place.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Easter Island
Easter Island has been spectacular and known as the most remote civilization on earth. We experienced this remoteness as we travelled across the island to witness the amazing tribute to kings of the past, the Moai statues.The Moai are huge and one still wonders how the islanders were able to transport them across from the quarry to the coast. The topknots, the red hats you see on top of these statues, alone weigh over 5 tons. The Moai themselves weigh between 50 to 80 tons! They were moved across the island in ways that are still unknown.
We hiked up the volcano that is Rano Kau with the crater lake filled with totora reeds. This was where the Rapa Nui used to get their fresh water which was a hard and arduous climb up and down steep crater walls. We learned about the practice of birdman religion where the tribal chief for the year was determine by which chief's best warrior was the first to bring back the first egg of teh sooty tern. The competition amounted to a life and death triathlon comprised of scaling a 1000 foot cliff, swimming to an island 1.4 KM away, waiting and finding the first egg and bringing it back unbroken.
We hiked up the volcano that is Rano Kau with the crater lake filled with totora reeds. This was where the Rapa Nui used to get their fresh water which was a hard and arduous climb up and down steep crater walls. We learned about the practice of birdman religion where the tribal chief for the year was determine by which chief's best warrior was the first to bring back the first egg of teh sooty tern. The competition amounted to a life and death triathlon comprised of scaling a 1000 foot cliff, swimming to an island 1.4 KM away, waiting and finding the first egg and bringing it back unbroken.
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