As soon as we stepped off the plane on Easter Island, we knew that we didn’t want to waste a moment of our time here. Here is an aerial shot we took just before landing..
Alvaro, the owner of our hotel, greeted us at the airport with fresh leis (corones). Choosing his place proved to be extremely beneficial since he was born here and his grandfather was actually the first mayor of the island and the first to re-raise one of the fallen Moai back in 1956.
After arriving at the hotel, he gave us a thorough run down of all there is to do and see on the island, as well as a checklist of crucial sites for us to visit.
We quickly changed into shorts and sandals and took to the coast for some light trekking.
First we stopped off at Tia Berta’s, as recommended by Alvaro, for a quick bite. What we received were dangerously large and delicious empanadas!
..best we’ve ever had.. by faaar – the wrapper was reminiscent of Shanghai Cafe scallion pancakes while the stuffing was super fresh and juicy (which was surprising considering how large they were). Oh yeah, and to make things completely unfair, she even had a spicy salsa to douse each bite.
We wanted to try a local beer just to wash it all down and chose some random and unassuming brand from the menu. And this, is how we first learned of the best beer since Hitachino!
Ladies and gentlemen, Mahina!!
Bellies full, we encountered our first Ahu and Moai sighting by the wharf
Then walked along the coastline
Visited the serene and simple cemetery
Followed by the highlight of the walk, Tahai.
But something was missing..
..much better 😉