- One couple at the hostel is taking the same flight to Easter Island, so we set out together at 5:30 am to take the airport bus for our 8 am flight. (LAN Airlines is the only flight operator to Easter Island and there is only one flight per day, occasionally two, to Easter Day, which explains the super expensive air ticket.)
- Maximum allowed weight for check-in bags is 24 kg. I thought I packed a lot of food (of coz you can dine at restaurants at Easter Island, but supposingly their pricing is super inflated. So it would be a huge saving to bring your own food to the island), turned out my bag was only 9 kg. I looked around and all other passengers have bags of 20-plus kg. I must have missed something. Darn it ... should have packed more food.
- Arrived at Rapa Nui at 3 pm. (Rapa Nui 2 hours ahead of Chile) I dreaded when I saw this large sign 'Myra Kong' waiting for me at baggage claim. Long story short, before I left Santiago, I sent an email to this guesthouse inquiring about dorm availability and rates. Next thing I know, they replied confirming my reservation for a single room with private bathroom at USD 40. NO! That was not what I wanted! Apparently they did not receive my second email. So I approached them about the miscommunication and politely declined the offer. Several guesthouses have desks at the baggage claim area, but all of them were charging a minimum $30 for a night. Yikes! By the time I picked up my bagpack, I was one of the last passengers remaining at the baggie claim area, still roomless. Out of the blue, a lady pulled me to her booth, showed me photos of her guesthouse (Residencial Apina Tupuna) and offered me her place for USD 20, including breakfast. Wooch. How amazing was that! I felt like a million bucks. She waved at her driver and took me and another girl Natalie back to her house.
- The location was perfect. It was right at the coast and only 5 minutes walk from the main street. I was expecting to share the room with Natalie (or someone else), turned out we each had our own room.
- After some brief unpacking, Natalie and I started venturing out. Easter Island´s ´downtown´ is pretty small. We got some ice-cream, tea (at inflated price) and bought beer (at surprisingly normal price) for the evening before walking along the west coast till we reached the Tahai Ceremonial Complex, one of the more well-known moais. Later I found out the only thing in the Island that is about mainland price is booze. Tahai comprises three principal ahus (shrines): Ko Te Riku (one with hat and scary restored eyes), Tahai, and Vai Ure. We stayed till sunset and the sky was amazing!
- Back at the hostel, we met the other two guests at the house: Paul, a high school teacher from Portland, and Bob, who just finished his voluntary program at the Amazon (Brazil) and will be heading back to Seattle after this trip. This core group turns out to be an amazing one.
