The trip from mainland Chile to the Easter Island was of course on business class – not because we had booked it, but just because luck sometimes strikes. Five hours in luxury… and a lot of playing around with the declining seats.
Is it at all possible to fly without Champagne?
But luck stroke again when we hit the island. The annually Tapati festival was just started, something we knew nothing about. Two weeks of cultural activities, where two of the most beautiful women on the island (and there are many) compete for the title of Queen by having themselves and their families compete in range of should-be-olympic events:
– Mass-hola-dance involving hundreds of pretty girls with swinging hips.
– Beating bark to textile…. (?) we didn’t see it.
– Traditional body painting… again involving girls in bikinis.
– Fishing… alright, not all events was exciting.
– Homemade song contest… the winner song was about a man who stole something and dug it down, but his littlebrother saw it and reported to the police, so now is the theif in jail, apparently based on a true event.
– Ocean swimming… mostly eyecandy for the ladies, since the muscular male was only wearing loin cloth, naked buttocks and rubber cap.
– Banana run… well, running with banana around the shoulders, again practiced by half naked muscular Polynesian men.
– And then my favorite: Sliding-down-the-side-of-an-insane-steep-hill-on-a-trunk-of-a-banana-tree… with a half naked Polynesian on top. They reach up to 80km/h on these monsters.
Proud warriors
Unfortunately we are not here when the Queen will be announced for we are flying to Tahiti tomorrow, but I bet it is the girl in the red. Her evening dress was very revealing and she could shake some booty… believe the rest of the island agree.
We wished it was our view from our hostel… but no!
The main reason to visit Easter Island… the Moais
A classic shot never goes out of fashion
Two versions of the Navel of the World
Man, I barely touched it!
On the last stretch coming up through southern Colombia
One last trip.. to the parking lot..
Making her look good for the next owners…
It is not easy parting with your first motorcycle :-S
No more helmet-hair 🙂
Time to fly…
This is a vomiting-stick – as it is better to inhale hallucinating substances on an empty stomach. Which apparently is needed to talk to God and see stuff as a medicine-man.. 