Trips

 

Wed., 12/24/14 – Christmas Eve on Easter Island
            We had the morning at leisure so we stayed near the lodge,  had a late and leisurely breakfast, and then walked along the coast toward town taking pictures of the rough lava rock with the ocean rolling up over it.  It was very soothing to watch.  A cruise ship had anchored during the night and we were curious to see where they were bringing the tenders.  From their dock the passengers had about a half mile walk into town.

Cruise ship in port	Cove
Daily LAN flight approaching	Daily LAN flight approaching
Daily LAN flight approaching	He made it!
Ocean and lava rocks	At 2 PM we met Polo for a last drive to look at more moai and the quarry where the red top-knot pukaos were made.  The first stop was to see one of the few moai that are inland.  This moai (Huri A Urenga) appears to face in the direction of the sun rising at the winter solstice.  It has four hands and is in one of the agricultural communities and not seen by many tourists.
Huri A Urenga	Huri A Urenga
Next stop was Puna Pau, the red scoria quarry where the pukao were carved.  The theory is that once the stone was carved to its round shape, pulleys were used to bring it up out of the crater and also to control it as it was rolled over the ground to the place where it would be installed on top of its moai.  Strong ropes could have been made from reeds, grasses, and some tree bark that are found on the island.
Pukao	Carved pukao
Pukao quarry	Pukao
View of Hanga Roa from Pukao quarry	Fields below the quarry
Our last stop was at Ahu a Kivi.  Here is a reconstructed ahu of seven moai that look to the sunset of the equinox.  These moai are the only ones that face the ocean and are thought to represent the seven warrior explorers who explored the sea and found this island before hundreds of the first people came to colonize it.   The legend says that the king of Kivi sent them to follow the stars and find a land where his people could immigrate because Kivi was sinking into the ocean.  These seven came and planted sweet potatoes and bananas, stayed for two years and made a livable place.  Two stayed and the others returned to Kivi to bring the others to Rapa Nui.
Moai facing the ocean	Moai at Ahu a Kivi
Details	At 4 PM we returned to our lodge and at 6:40 we had Christmas Eve dinner at our lodge. Dinner was salad (a rarity on the island), chicken breast, rice, and an apple strudel-like dessert.  Zdenka shared her wine with us and we had an enjoyable holiday meal with Bernice and 13 new friends.
Christmas Eve dinner on Easter Island	We sat outside by the pool deck drinking Champaign provided by OAT and then Pisco sours free from the hotel staff and watched another sunset.  This one also dipped into the clouds on the horizon but it gave me my first occasion to see the legendary green flash!  I have been looking a long time to see one.  Just as the sun disappeared there was a bright green reflection (flash) that lasted only one second.         At 9:30 eight of us headed into town to attend Christmas Eve Mass at the one and only church (Catholic) on the island.  We were told it would be an outdoor mass in the street at the big, colorfully lit tree with a nativity scene underneath.  No one was there as we arrived in the rain.  Berenice asked three locals about the service getting the typical three different answers before we decided to hoof it all the way to the church in town.  We arrived at 10:10 for the 10 PM service and were glad we did.  We stood in the foyer and experienced a “cultural event of the island.”  Six of our small group were Jewish, Berenice is Catholic, and me.  Bernice and I tried to explain parts of the service.  The mass was given in Spanish and the songs were all sung in Pascuan with a guitar and accordion for accompaniment.  The priest wore a native feather headdress, which was one of the ways Catholicism here incorporates some native rituals.  Two things were special to me in this service: the people joined hands in the pews and across the aisle as they sang the hymn before the “greet thy neighbor” hugs and handshakes.  After communion was given only to those who had attended confession, the priest invited other Catholics who “for whatever reason had not been able to attend confession” to come forward to receive a special blessing.  He gave them each a small medal or token to enhance their religious experience.  There was no organ or hymnals or paper “programs,” just a comfortable acknowledgement of the reason for the season.             We walked back in the dark and had the Santa parade of cars and balloons pass us.  They were wishing everyone Felice Navidad.  It was an evening I will remember every Christmas.
Sunset	Sunset
Manger scene in town	Midnight Mass
Thurs., 12/25/14 – Merry Christmas – Rapa Nui to Santiago             We had a leisurely breakfast (I made sandwiches to take for dinner), our suitcases were picked up at 9:45, and we were driven the two blocks to the airport.  We were almost the first to check in and then sat for two hours to wait to board. It was a smooth 5 ½ hour flight to Santiago.  We had ravioli for lunch and lots of wine.  They also offered free Scotch after lunch was picked up.  South American airlines (LAN) are certainly different from those in the states and this was a domestic flight with free TV, movies, and games.             We arrived at the Hotel Torremayor at 9 PM, got a welcome Pisco sour, and went to bed.  Fri., 12/26/14 – Santiago, Chile to Buenos Aires, Argentina             Our bags were repacked and outside our door at 6:45 AM.  We had breakfast, boarded our bus to the airport at 7:20 AM and our 9:50 LAN flight left at 10 AM – not bad for Latin time.             We checked into our hotel in BA, ate ham and cheese sandwiches for lunch, and hurried down for our introductory walk around our new neighborhood.  Berenice showed us close restaurants, markets, the Galleria Pacifico shopping mall, a pharmacy, and the restaurant where we will have dinner tonight.  I caught the cough and cold that one of our fellow travelers arrived with from the states and so we went to the pharmacy.  I coughed for the pharmacist who spoke no English and my extremely limited Spanish does not include any health words.  He produced some cough syrup and lozenges, which I hoped would help me.             After our 4 PM briefing and meeting of the other tour members who did not go to Easter Island, our group had a tango lesson. The welcome dinner was at La Posada de 1820.  We had the typical Argentinean meal: tossed salad, beef empanadas, French fries, and delicious steak with wine or beer.  We had ice cream for dessert.
Flag of Argentina	License plate
Learning the tango	Learning the tango
Sat., 12/27/14 – Buenos Aires             Marge and I skipped the city tour because it was the same one we did two years ago when we were here for our Antarctica trip.  I slept all day, dosed up with cough medicine and Day Care.  Marge went out by herself for a hot two-hour walk down to the plaza, the “Pink House,” and the Cathedral.
Interesting picture	Sports venue
Riverfront	Corbeta (corvette) ARA Uruguay (we toured it two years ago)
Women's Bridge (Puente de la Mujer)	Women's Bridge
Casa Rosada (Pink Palace) Executive Offices of the President	Christmas tree in front of the Casa Rosada
Plaza de Mayo Equestrian monument to General Manuel Belgrano	Plaza de Mayo - May Pyramid
Plaza de Mayo Malvinas (Falkland) Islands protest signs	Plaza de Mayo Malvinas (Falkland) Islands protest signs
Metropolitan Cathedra	Metropolitan Cathedra
Tonight was our “home-hosted dinner.”  We were taken to Salema’s house by van and were relieved that she spoke very good English because none of us speak any Spanish.  We toured her mother’s 80 year-old first floor (really the second floor) apartment with four bedrooms, two bathrooms, small kitchen, informal and large formal dining rooms, and a living room where we ate.  Salema’s mother has 19 grandchildren, mostly younger than six, so one room is a playroom, two rooms are used for Salema’s father’s business managing several rental apartments in the city.  Salema was working for Grand Circle (in finance) and now is an independent insurance agent with four kids.  She was very intelligent and explained a lot about life in Argentina.              Dinner was cooked by her mother.  We had salad (lettuce with puree carrots and something green), spaetzels with beef stew, and flan with Dulce de Leche for dessert.  The two hours went fast.	Home-hosted dinner
Building in Buenos Aires	View from our hotel room

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