Pablo returned safely to Valdivia, and since we have been enjoying a quiet weekend at home. 

Here are some of the final photos from Easter Island. One of the days when the seas were very rough, the crew took a break from diving and we visited Rano Kau and Orongo. It is difficult to think of a more beautiful setting... an extinct volcano filled with wildlife with the grand Pacific in the background. It is no surprise that the ancient Rapa Nui people choose this site for the Tangata manu ceremony in which men proved their worth by swimming from the coast to the small Motu island, capturing a recently laid bird egg, and racing back to the volcano's edge. 

All in the name of science. Here are some photos from the famous guppy hunt (see previous post for more details)! 

The sunset that evening really was spectacular. Dramatic clouds and a raging sea were tinged with the golden hue of the day's end. Fishermen came in and out of port as we sat on the rocky coastal shore. The marejada from the few previous days was finally calming down, yet still, every few minutes a giant set would roll in and our friends and surrounding rocks would be doused with chilly salt spray, a reprieve for the fauna inhabiting the otherwise shrinking intertidal pools.  

Happy Halloween! I think these teeny tiny fish photos + mad scientist are about as spooky as they come. 

One evening, Erwan decided that it would be a great idea if we all enjoyed the sunset together while trying to catch guppies from intertidal pools. The fun of this adventure was maximized with massive waves crashing into the coast, giving everyone a nice little unexpected spray from time to time. After a few minutes of worthless effort, Pablo and I found a nice dry spot to sit back and laugh at our friends being soaked and dominated by such minuscule fish. In the end, it was a great evening. Vale might have a new calling as a tiny fish hunter.

someone really likes guppies...

looking a bit dehydrated from a fatal ethanol bath, but still the colors are magnificent!

name of photo: still life with guppies

I hope you are having a nice weekend! 

Today, I thought I'd share a few photos from Ahu Tongariki. The Ahu at this site displays 15 moai that site right in front of a beautiful semi-enclosed bay. To drive along the curvy Rapa Nui road and suddenly see these 15 enormous statutes looking back at you is quite impressive, I must say. Several times we all remarked that we seemingly visited the island at the perfect time of year because often there were no more than two or three other tourists around us at any given time. This left us ample space to get silly with the moai :)

While we were waiting for fishing permits to be approved, we took advantage of the downtime to explore the beautiful island.

Easter Island is most well known for the giant stone moai that were created by some of the first Rapa Nui inhabitants. As story has it, there are seven moai that face towards the ocean that serve as a symbol of the first Polynesian missionaries that were sent to colonize the island. The remaining hundreds of moai that dot the island face inland symbolizing protection, much as a parent would shield his or her child from oncoming danger.

I couldn't tell you which site is most impressive, though Rano Raraku (photos shown here) is spectacular. Rano Raraku is the ancient quarry where the moai were carved from volcanic rock. Here moai are scattered across the landscape, some even half buried in the hillside. I am hard pressed to think of a more monumental representation of human imagination and fortitude.

We have been in Rapa Nui for the past ten days and still have another half a week to go before we return home! Life is rough, let me tell you. While we are here for work, we have had ample time to explore this beautiful island in the middle of the Pacific. More to come on all of that in a bit... in the meantime enjoy a piña colada for me!