Isla de Pascua- Day 1

The first day of what I do believe was the best week of my entire life.
I present to you, Easter Island, Rapa Nui or Isla de Pascua.
On Friday we got on a bus in Temuco that was going from Puerto Montt to Santiago and picking up all of the kids on the way.
So by the time it got to Temuco there were about 10? kids on the bus, and then us three from Temuco. Then 2 hours later, like 6 more in Los Angeles, and then 2 hours after that 6 more in Chillan. Long story short, I slept about 2 hours the entire night :)
When we got into Santiago, we took a really high-tech and fairly large flight to Easter Island. It was cool and I was rather fascinated by all the cool flight gadgets. Like how every seat had a mini TV that had all the Oscar winning movies, from this year, and cool games. They also served us "omelettes" on the way there for breakfast. I watched "Joy" and got beat in chess very badly by a computer.
When we landed in the Rapa Nui airport, we were all super turned up to be in Isla de Pascua. It was like, "We're here, I mean like here, in Easter Island!!!!!!" It's just like such a mystical and beautiful place, that it's hard to believe when you are actually staring a real moai in the nose. I loved it.
The airport is really small. There's only one public flight everyday, and we had to get out of the plane onto the runway and walk to the airport. It reminded me of like a train station.
Afterward we got settled into our cabañas, like cabins, and ate lunch. After lunch we had free time to just walk around.
It was cool because our cabañas were like half a block away from the main tourist street. With like, cafes, markets, souvenir shops and then the beach, a few moai (no biggy. just a few moai) and the cemetery. So the first day I think I went exploring with one of my room mates, and took photos. We ended up at the beach where we met up with all the other exchange students swimming in their clothes and chilling on the rocks. I actually think that that day was the best day for swimming. Because it was warm and sunny and the waves weren't that strong.
I put my feet in, but after a few big waves I might have just gone wading, because my whole skirt got wet. :)
After dinner, we went exploring some more but as a group. We went and saw the church, which is really cool because it's like a mix of the traditional Rapa Nui religions and Catholicism. We also went to a different beach a little farther down the coast with a little pool. I didn't swim there that day though.
It was the beginning of something fantastic. :0

the beach where we went swimming first

plane computer flight route

the inside of our high tech flight

leaving Santiago

over the Pacific

landing in Isla de Pascua!!!! (better photos when we left)

us getting off the plane at the tiny airport

the tiny airport

part of the runway.
It was extended and then used by NASA at one point.

sometimes I feel like Rotary is like the Illuminati
It's everywhere!!!
But I love it, even if it is a cult ;)

el paisaje near our cabañas

entering the cabañas

I ate here later on with my friend Laura

the soccer field with the beach on the other side
so pretty!!

a little harbour
the boats are tied to ropes that are tied to a long one that goes across the harbour.
you can see it if you look in this picture

better view of the soccer field

a casual moai.
against common knowlegde, they do not look out at see,
but inward to protect the rest of the clan/family

mis patitias :)

they gave us these leis when we left the airport

these flowers were outside of my cabaña
so pretty

this is the church

you can kind of see the Rapa Nui influence.
it's more evident once you see my later pictures. :)

you have to enter the mass with long sleeves and pants

our first group shot of the week

the perfect marker of our first day.
a beautiful sunset

this is the pool we were at