Today Marta and I went SCUBA diving off the coast of Easter Island. The main attraction was a moai statue that was apparently a replica that was made that fell off the back of a British vessel into the bay. Oops. After diving we washed some clothes, ate lunch and then set off on bikes to the top of one of the volcanoes on the island. It felt great to be on the bikes even though it was hotter than blazes and really humid. The ride was enjoyable and the views made it worth the trip. There is also an important archeological site at the top of the volcano called Orongo. Photos of the trip and an explanation of Orongo are below.
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| This is Rano Kau volcano crater on the southeast end of the island. It was a 1 hour bike ride to the top - hot and humid. |
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| Feels good to be on the bikes, but wish our RC crew could be hitting the trails with us. |
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| Petroglyphs at the Orongo archeological site. This place was home to an annual ceremony which sounds a lot like a triathlon. Competitors would swim out to the far island seen in this photo, scale the cliff, retrieve an egg, climb back down and swim back across the channel and present the intact egg to the competition organizer. The winner was awarded one of several virgins who were kept in a cave about 20 km away. The virgins would stay in the cave for the three months preceding the competition to lighten their complexion as that was a desirable trait (Marta and I would be very desirable I guess). Several virgins were kept in the cave so that the winner would not have to wind up with one of his cousins. Inscribed on the petroglyphs are the not only the winners, but also those who died in competition. |
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| Singletrack! |
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| Heading back down to Hanga Roa. |
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