March 27, 2025

Easter Island

Well, it’s absolutely in the middle of nowhere, it is lush with greenery, inhabited by wild horses and the weather is perfect.  The Island is rather small though, about the size of Washington D.C.  If you are over 60 there is one milestone Easter Island claims that you probably have forgotten about.  In the 80’s when the space shuttle project was new, the United States built a runway here so that if the weather was bad in Florida and California, they could land the shuttle here.  We saw that runway yesterday and it is still in use today as several flights come and go daily.  As a matter of fact, a passenger who fell and broke her leg on Robinson Crusoe Island was evacuated from the ship yesterday morning and flown to Santiago for surgery. 

Easter Island is also known for its large stone statues, called Moai.  They are hundreds of years old, and many have fallen or were purposely knocked down for whatever reason, some were even victims of Tsunami’s.  In more recent years, some have been raised back up by the residents of the Island. 

After visiting many of the Moai sights, we roamed through the town of Hanga Roa.  We stopped at a little restaurant and had the most amazing ceviche I have ever had. 

It was fresh caught local Tuna, I might have to go back into town this afternoon for more.  Okay, I hear a few of you saying, “What? Is that Steve getting off the ship?”.  Yes, I have gone ashore both times we have had the chance.  The great news is that my back issues have all but resolved themselves and I can walk and stand much better and longer than I could a year ago.  I still have balance issues and age-related issues, but I am once again enjoying exploring our destinations. 

Speaking of going into town, the harbor is extremely small and has a dangerously narrow entrance.  The Harbormaster would not allow our Zodiacs and tenders to enter or leave the harbor without a local pilot on board and no nighttime landings at all.  They basically pick a wave and surf in on it.   BREAKING NEWS: Kim went to town early this morning and just returned.  She said the ride back was horrible, it scared her it was so rough and bumpy, wow.  So sorry she had to experience that.  Hopefully Pitcairn Islands will be better. 

More fun facts about the ship.  There are 227 Guests, 216 Crew and 23 Expedition Leaders on board for this leg of the cruise.  That will change in Tahiti, when most of the guests end their 20-day voyage.

After today, we are at sea for 2 more days and then we explore the Pitcairn Islands. 

Stay tuned for more……..