Divirtiendo Mucho- Easter Island: Day 3

Today was the day where my relationship with the my fellow exchange students changed from just a bunch of teenagers that I knew into a family. It was slowly evolving throughout the whole year, and especially throughout the first two days of Easter Island, but on the 26th, you can really note the change in my journal. I seem really happy. I wrote that like the 25th, I went to a café with Laura and we were to busy laughing to "write straight". 

We went to a really cool volcanic wetland at the top of a hill. No one read the itinerary for the trip, so we never had any idea where they were taking us. So, when we got to the top of the hill, I think I was just expecting like a look out point. And when I got out of the bus, that's what I saw. However, I kept walking and I saw a big ass volcanic crater and I was like, "Whooo. Holy moly!" And then I listened to about 25 more exchange students have the same reaction when they arrived at the top. 

Later, we went to the other side of the crater and our guide told us about a race the Rapa Nui had from the shore of the main island, to a little island, swimming, to find an egg and win power for your clan for the year. It was really interesting. This stuff happened in like the 3rd fase of the Rapa Nui's history. 1st- the period when most of the moai were constructed, 2nd- the waring clans (and cannibalism) period, and 3rd- the period of the bird-men religions and of this race. 

Finally, we went to see some more moai on the beach and a cemetery. Sadly, my computer ran out of juice at the moai.

squad photo. :)
thanks Sophie for your amazing photography.
(I'm the one sitting with legs crossed and head tilted to the left siting in the middle)

the amazing crater

a figure of a bird man carved in a rock

the farthest island (and biggest)
is the one the racers had to swim too. 

these cave-like houses were where the young men who were competing
and the priests lived during the ceremonial event

moai with a different style than the typical ones
it was what caused an archeologist to think that Easter Island was not habituated by polenisians, but by peruvians

here are the moai.
keep watching to see sunset pictures from this spot