December 23, 2007 - Easter Island, Chile
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I woke up later than usual and headed for breakfast around 9 AM (I think). As I was the sole occupant at the breakfast table, Marianna invited me to have breakfast with her and her son (Nelson) in the Kitchen. We chatted about my travel plans in south America and her travel experiences in south America, especially Argentina. Both Marianna and Nelson told me that Argentina was far cheaper than Chile. I sincerely hope so!
After packing up, I was gazing out the door of my room when I realized that I could see the top of Rano Kau / Orongo from my room!
As Cecilia had taken a group of guests on a tour, she had instructed Marianna to call a taxi for me around noon to take me to the airport. The taxi arrived shortly after noon and I bid adieu to Marianna and her son Nelson. While the good bye with Marianna was more traditional (kissing on both cheeks) the goodbye with Nelson consisted of what he insisted was a Rapa Nui handshake. It reminded me of the Bronx/Harlem handshakes I had observed during my stay in NYC!
The ride to the airport was less than 15 minutes. As the fare was prepaid by Cecilia, I did not have to open my wallet.
Folks here leave their cars unlocked with the keys on the dashboard. Must be a great feeling. Then again this is perhaps the norm here. Where can one go after stealing the car? :)
One of the waitresses at Raa Cafe was a baggage screener here! Check-in was not complicated. I ran into Nil who was travelling on the same flight as well. I took a look at the souvenir shops at the airport and found out that Magnets and some t-shirts are cheaper in the airport than in town. Not that I was induced into buying anything.
We spotted Cecilia and Nil went outside to greet her while I kept an eye on our bags. Cecilia walked back with Nil and bid us goodbye. She came back after 10 minutes or so and gave us each a Rapa Nui souvenir. While I got a carved Wooded Moai as a necklace, Nil got a shell necklace.
I got a window seat on the plane. Although I had my camera ready, the plane did not do a loop of the island after take-off. I had a very good vegetarian lunch on the flight. I slept most of the way.
December 23, 2007 - Santiago, Chile
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We landed in Santiago around 8:25 PM. As our flight originated from Tahiti, we had to go through Passport control. By the time we got our bags it was around 9:25 PM. I noticed that my bag had a visible wet stain on it. On closer inspection, it turned out that fish was placed on top of it (yet again)! Oh, the AGONY i have to experience YET AGAIN!
I bid adieu to Nil and took a shuttle to my Hotel (Hostal Rio Amazonas). This time I got a room on the second floor. After checking in and picking up my bag (from the Hotel´s locker room), I headed out to get some dinner.
The local soccer team (COLO COLO) had won the national title for the 4th time. Rowdy, flag waving fans were all around. These fans make American fans (of any sport) look timid! Riot police were out in force preventing these revellers from spilling onto the roads thereby blocking traffic. I need to watch a good soccer game while I am in South America. Hopefully the season is either still on and will commence before I depart South America.
All restaurants were barricaded against this mob. The restaurateur opened a small window within a large metal door to ensure that I was not a rowdy fan but a hungry man in search of food, before opening the larger iron door to let me in.
My main course was a plate full of boiled vegetables and 2 boiled eggs. After setting aside the 2 eggs, I proceeded to clean up the plate of veggies before having an ice-cream to finish up.
I got back to the hotel close to midnight. I spent an hour checking e-mail and responding to messages. It was free at this time of the night. I went to bed at 1 AM. I had a large 3-bed room to myself. The private bathroom was across the hall.
But for the creaking wooden floors and the traffic noise at Night, Rio Amazonas is an excellent place to stay.
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