Around the World for the 1st time [Day 9] Rapa Nui Day 2
Rano Kau
I finish breakfast, still basking in the afterglow of the excitement of yesterday’s Rano Kau. I wanted to see Rano Kau one more time, so I went to Rano Kau in the morning. Rano Kau faces east, so I wondered how beautiful it would be in the morning sun.
Hanga Roa
Back to Hanga Roa, I went shopping at a bakery. It looks delicious, but it is dry! The cakes are very sweet and gooey! Walking around Hanga Roa. There was also a moai in Hanga Roa. There are supermarkets, souvenir stores, restaurants, post office, fire station, soccer field, elementary school, church, bank, police station (only this one is tucked away in a different location), and all other infrastructure. We saw school teachers and children out and about. They seem to be having fun! I doubt there is any crime on this island.
Hanga Kio’e
On a road I had not yet taken, I found a small moai by the sea. A young man on horseback is running in that vast grassy field. This is it! This is it, not the urban artifacts! I like it this way!
Ana Kakenga
I parked my car, showed my ticket to the receptionist, completed the formalities, and just walked off-road. We don’t even know where or what we are walking towards. All we know is that there is a reception desk and we are sure that we will see something good. We have walked quite a bit in the direct sunlight. I am exhausted. There is a small hole in the ground, which we enter.
Inside is a rather large cave, and a little further in is a hole facing a precipice. If you fall in, you will not survive. The light from the hole makes it possible to see your feet, but when you enter the cave, it is pitch black and you can’t see anything. There is lava strewn around your feet, so it is impossible to walk normally.
There were daredevil footprints along the wall from the hole in the precipice. I would never step out in such a place. They were probably Chinese.
Rongorongo
On the way back, I hear a nice playing from the reception desk. A local resident is playing guitar and singing. Lovely! We were then shown a picture of a “Rongorongo,” a wooden tablet with the old Rapa Nui language written on it, which is now indecipherable. These two people also had a deep love for Rapa Nui. And very mischievous and cheerful! These are the Rapa Nui people. Translated text from the upper part of Rongorongo.
La singularidad de Rapa Nui
La isla se encuentra en condiciones extremas de aislamiento, en el punto mas alejado de cualquier otro lugar poblado del planeta. Las manifestaciones mas conocidas del desarrolo historico cultural rapanui son sus famosas esculturas monoliticas, los altares megaliticos y un tipo de escritura jeroglifica que aun se resiste a ser descifrada, junto con avanzados conocimientos de ingenieria y astronomia. En realidad, el verdadero “misterio” de la isla no es tanto el de los moais y las tecnicas para su transporte,que es un tema de ingerieria presente en muchas culturas del mundo, sino lo paradojico qsue resulta el surgimiento de una sociedad compleja en tal condiction de aislamiento.
The uniqueness of Rapa Nui
The island is located in extreme conditions of isolation, at the farthest point from any other populated place on the planet. The best known manifestations of Rapa Nui’s historical and cultural development are its famous monolithic sculptures, megalithic altars and a type of hieroglyphic writing that still resists decipherment, along with advanced knowledge of engineering and astronomy. In reality, the real “mystery” of the island is not so much that of the moais and the techniques for their transportation, which is a subject of ingerieria present in many cultures of the world, but the paradox of the emergence of a complex society in such a condition of isolation.
Te Moana
Dining at a restaurant by the sea in Hanga Roa. The restaurant in Rapa Nui waits more than 30 minutes from the time you order to the time your food arrives. I guess they don’t prepare the food. We were not in a hurry, so we waited leisurely while enjoying the view. There is a terrace, but it was too hot, so we ate indoors. I wanted to eat pasta with noodles, but when I ordered pasta, gnocchi came out. Pasta here is like gnocchi. The rest was steak and cake. This restaurant is delicious. Water is not served like in Japan.
The Disney movie “Moana and the Legend of the Sea” is modeled on Rapa Nui, and Rapa Nui motifs appear everywhere. The main character Moana’s name is also the same as this restaurant!
Graveyard
Ahu Tahai
It seems to be a spot for sunsets and moai, so we will wait here until the sun sets. Rapa Nui has a long night; even at 9:00 p.m., it is still light in the evening. There seems to be no concept of stray dogs on the island, and I got the impression that the whole island has dogs. All the dogs looked happy and contented. To my surprise, there was even a Chihuahua. At first I thought, “What? Where is the owner?” but that’s how it is.
Tapati Rapanui Festival 2017
There is a lively stage of singing and dancing, as well as some kind of award in the Rapa Nui language. Food stalls are full of delicious food. You can also drink alcohol. Fun~!
