Beach day - Monday April 24

Today we are finally going to swim in the Pacific. We bring out the snorkel equipment that we brought from Brazil, apply plenty of sunscreen, and get towels and water from the hotel reception. We take the smooth road, which goes straight across the island to the Anakena beach. When we see a discreet grey van turn into an unmarked dirt road into a property shielded by dense vegetation - unsual on the island - we wonder whether we have discovered the imperceptible entrance to the very secluded Explora hotel,  It is situated roughly in the center of the island, between the two main roads and spotted most easily in the dark, when the lights from the distant one-story buildings are visible.

We leave Victor at the beach to do his yoga and meditation and continue on to a dirt road leading to a point, past a moai

where we see the beach from another angle, envying the people anchored there in their beautiful sailboat. We've seen them in the Hangaroa harbor, fetching supplies in their rubber dinghy, and wonder what kind of voyage they're doing, where they're from.

Then we move on to Papa Vaka, a fenced-in, stone-strewn field off the north coast road, where 4 island men lounge around a red pick-up truck filled with tools and gallons. They've obviously been cutting grass, but take a break while we walk around inside and look for the petroglyphs, which are not easy to make out in this particular light. But finally a shark and a tuna leap out of the stone, and we are very pleased.

Shark

Tuna

We pass a very narrow entrance to a cave. The Rapanui families owned individual secret caves and used to hide themselves and their possessions there during difficult times. They made the entrances as small as possible to avoid detection.

It's time to return to the beach. Like many Brazilians we settle on the far shady side, shielding ourselves from the always brilliant sun. The water is delicious, cool and refreshing, and a wonderful bright shade of turqoise, turning a deep inky blue further out. There is sadly no reason to have brought the snokels. Oswaldo reports seeing three fish and no vegetation or corals at all.

While we are in the water we marvel at the fact that we can float here in the sun with such an extraordinary view, which includes an ancient moai - with his back turned to today's bathers. If only he could speak and tell the story of how he was made, transported, and erected - what he saw from his great height, and why and by whom he was toppled, to be stood up and restored only decades ago.

Eventually we traverse the hot sand and head up through the palmtrees to a pleasant looking cabana restaurant. We order a Mojito and a beer and then two robust empanadas,  all delicious.

Victor joins us to eat a plate of seared tuna with a side of fresh palta, which is what they call avocados here.

We go back to the hotel to rinse off and rest up. When the stores open at 4pm after their siesta break we head into town to buy souvenirs. We eventually end up at the restaurant we liked best, Te Moana, for a final meal and ditto Mojito, while we watch the surfers and the now 5 yachts bobbing on the waves.