Americas

[Visited: June 1994; May 1995]

Easter Island - Mystery Island. Suddenly, a tiny piece of land emerges from an enormous ocean after having seen blue in many different ways. This is Easter Island, according to many the most isolated place on earth. This is also one of the few places which still has many mysteries unresolved. How was it possible that it was discovered around the 3 century without the modern means of navigation? How was it possible to survive for such a long time without any contact with the outside world? But above all, how was it possible to make gigantic statues in one volcanic crater on the island, transport them around the island and erect them on special platforms in remembrance of the forefathers? What's more, they even managed to put "hats", which were produced from another crater, on top of the statues which reached up to 10 metres high.
Sadly enough, also this culture was nearly destroyed by civil war which ended in all the statues being torn down and damaged badly. During the last decades there have been efforts to restore the platforms. Huge cranes were needed to perform this task which makes the initial achievement even more impressive. Special software was developed which permitted to reconstruct the original platforms using all the original stones. Nowadays, several platforms can be seen in their original shapes. But most statues remain face-down on the ground, waiting for someone to put them back in their original place. Another impressive sight is the former statue atelier, where many more statues are still on their way to platforms which they will never reach.
Apart from visiting the world-famous statues, climbing the volcano nearest to the only village on the island, Hanga Roa, is rewarding as well, as it gives the very beautiful views over the ocean. Walking around this crater is not easy, but allows for the spectacular sensation of seeing on one side the ocean waves crushing on the rocks, on the other the crater-lake deep down below. Staying on this island gives a true sensation of loneliness, of distances, and it is difficult not to see the world in a different perspective ever after. When, finally, the plane leaves the tarmac, the last glimpse you can catch is the eternal play of the huge waves and the red-black rocks on which the ocean performs an eternal salto mortale.

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Easter Island (Chile)

Easter Island > Chile > Americas

[Visited: June 1994; May 1995]

Around the World in 80 Clicks