Photo by Yann Arthus-Bertrand
This weekend I’m heading off to another corner of home…..Easter Island, or Rapa Nui. One of the smallest, most remote inhabited places on the planet, it is nearly 2000 miles from any other populated land and it has a surface area of only 60 square miles – about the size of Washington D.C. But, unknown to many, it has a thriving population of over 6000 people, not to mention the 80,000 or so tourists that visit each year.
This is the first time in 10 years that I will travel to the island without Ta’u. I will miss his presence very much, but I’m getting excited to take on this new challenge. I’ve definitely let him lead the way with his huge extended family there – he’s related to most of the islanders which can get pretty confusing trying to keep them all straight and remember who’s related to who. Knowing who someone is there means knowing how they are related to you, so when you get introduced it’s not just, “this is so and so” but, “this is so and so, he’s your cousin, he’s the grandson of my father’s brother’s daughter.” You’ve got to learn fast, and as someone who’s terrible with names anyway, this is the ultimate challenge. When in doubt I know to smile and wave at everyone I see just in case they are family (which most likely they are) and try not to let on that I can’t remember who’s cousin’s wife’s brother-in-law they are. So being there on my own, I hope, will force me to learn by doing, shall we say.
I won’t have too much time to see family, though, because for most of my visit I’ll be leading and guiding a tour on the island. They will meet me in Santiago, Chile, and then we’ll head to the island together where I’ll get to share the statues, or moai, in all their glory, as well as the less glamorous, but just as important everyday features like house foundations and rock walls. This group is all about lecturing and continuing education so I’ll be doing a lot of this fancy posing while I discuss the details of life in the past.
I’ll also get to enjoy views like this. Oh, I miss this little island so much. I can’t wait to get there.
We have some exciting posts planned for while I’m away, so keep checking in. One of them may or may not include an epic video about our recent log rolling experience, and we have a whole week of Boundary Water Canoe Area (BWCA)-themed posts including survival skills and gourmet food.
Happy weekend!