This was a fantastic day to see Moai!! We went to about 4 different sites to see a range of Moai. I liked the personality of this guy.We started our tour today by visiting this Moai site. All the Moai here were knocked down face-first indicating that someone lost a fight and the victors knocked down the other group’s Moai face-first to humiliate the losing group.The support structure (Ahu) for these Moai were not interconnected as we saw by the Incas in Peru. The thought is that these were built by Polynesians and never by the Incas because the structure is so different.Although knocked-down, this guy was clearly seen.This is a top-not that used to be on top of a Moai.Although there has been quite a bit of erosion, this guys face is clearly seen.We next drove to another site and this statue is of a famous king on the island.As we learned about the Moai, it was beautiful to watch the Pacific ocean waves burst on the lava rock!!This next site also showed the three Moai had been knocked down face-first.Although substantial erosion has occurred, you can still clearly see this guys face and arms.Although face-down, it was still amazing to see how large and heavy this huge statues were. All kinds of theories have been proposed for how they were moved from the quarry to the edge of the ocean.I loved to watch the Pacific waves crash on the lava rock!!This guy seemed comfortable with his view of the ocean!I absolutely love these flowers!! They are a bright red-orange and seem to grow everywhere on Easter Island!!I love seeing all the bright colors all over Easter Island!!We moved to another location and you can see this Moai had his neck broken. It is noted that it is face-up, so maybe it fell over from erosion rather than someone pushing it over.We next drove to the quarry site and saw many, many Moai!!The rock in the background is where these Moai were carved to create these statues!!This guys face is very clear despite extensive erosion over the years!!It was amazing to see so many statues in one area!!I liked the personality of this guy!!This guy was impressive to me!!This guy is leaning over so far, it makes me wonder how much longer it will remain upright?I was amazed how many Moai were found near the quarry!!There were statues in every direction!!This is the largest Moai found on Easter Island. It was never finished. It still has a keel along its back since the carving was not totally finished.This Moai was still be carved.This statue is unique because he is kneeling. It is the only Moai found on the island where he is kneeling.I could not comprehend how a people had carved so many statues!!This guy seem somber to me.These Moai almost seemed to be talking to each other!!I was impressed with the craftsmanship!!We moved to another location on the island and saw this statue. For a period of time, this statue was moved to Japan and put on display there!!Changing the angle a bit, you can see 15 Moai lined up along the ocean right behind this same guy!!Within the string of Moai, this guy was the tallest.A crane was used in more recent times to move all these Moai together!!It was a massive undertaking to move these statues that were so heavy!!Within this row of Moai, this is the guy that I liked the most!!Near the Moai was the mountain with storm clouds moving in!!I simply love all the colors of hibiscus!!The colors of flowers is spectacular!!After learning about Moai, we went to the beach!!We close the day on Easter Island with a beautiful sunset seen under the storm clouds!!
We arrived in Easter Island today!! This island is in the middle of nowhere!! It is still part of Chile! We are way out in the South Pacific!! As we exited the airport, we were greeted with these beautiful flowers!! It reminds me of a rustic Hawaii. My friend John thinks it is more like Guam.Everywhere you look, there are beautiful flowers. The bird of paradise has always been one of my favorite flowers!!I was captivated by the gorgeous hibiscus flowers!! I do not remember ever seeing such a vibrant pink hibiscus.This Moai is one of the main reasons people visit Easter Island!! This Moai is the only statue on the island that still has eyes. These guys are massive!! They were carved in another section of Easter Island and then moved to the coast of the island.This Moai is near the Moai with eyes, but this guy has lost some of his features as the statue has degraded over time.Everywhere you walk around this Moai’s eyes follow you!!These Moai are not in as great of shape as the Moai with eyes. The pedestal where the Moai sit are called an Ahu.This view shows how close the Moai sit to the Pacific Ocean!This very large red hibiscus really captured my attention. It is on the road, right next to our hotel!! Absolutely stunning!!
Fiesta on Wheels 