absorbing the island life on Mata ki te Rangi - the eyes that look at the sky

Every New Year’s eve, while we lived in Europe, Bego, my best friend, and I tried to spend the big day (big deal) together. After turning 20 the hunt for the best party turned into a bit of a forced drag. It became same old. 
I once tried really hard to go to a remote spot, maybe in the Pyrenees, away from the booze, the frenzy and the NYE's “Notgeilen” (my word of the week, unfortunately inspired from an article about the recent assaults on the Kölner Hauptbahnhof this NYE). 

So I verbalised my dream: “One day, I will spend the New Year on Easter Island, away from all, I know it is one of the most remote islands in the world”.

So here I am, some years later. In order to come here I did the most bizarretravel  itinerary, Sydney-Auckland (6 hours stopover) -Auckland-Buenos Aires,14 hours in Buenos Aires I was convinced I could make it easy and cruisy. In Buenos Aires a childhood friend, Ori, Oriol,picked me up at the airport, great relief. He had to work, so he dropped me at a hostel, where my plan was just to pass out in horizontal position for at least 12 hours after 18+ hours on planes. But I happened to meet the hostel owner, who had happened to live in Australia and my night on the 30^th of December ended up on a rooftop in the San Telmo quarter drinking mate and beer. Then–oh my- someone brought a guitar and my quiet night ended up as a rooftop concert. The very talented guitar player was just amazing and I was the only capable singer. Yet another rock star moment. 
Below an impression of the spot. it had great views of the city on the veranda side, but the ambience of the patio got me.

Woke up at 6 to get my flight to Santiago and another 22hour stopover.

the morning after

Santiago was too big for a quiet stopover so I took a bus to Valparaiso

There I impregnated myself of some needed Neruda-ness and on my bus ride back to Santiago I didn’t manage to communicate on time with my host and I was last minute hosted by a thunder of a man with whom we shared our radical-unconventional points of view. He had some friends over. It  all started with shy, polite conversations, but ended by 2 am with booze, laughs and cursing the world queer-punk style. Another short night sleep, another rushed ride to the airport at 7am and a landing, finally on the Eastern Island, greeted by the best smile in Chile, Paulina, a friend of Sebas, my host for the days.

Best possible impression of  what would feel to see such a smile after a mess of time zones

I met my next host and the plan was to do an “asado” with his family. A reputed Rapanui family from the island. Not surprisingly, they were all cousins and uncles, a repeating Pasiffika theme. I felt at home. 

After that the plan was to go to town to see the fireworks.

At that point I didn’t know the island at all, I had just landed and I had been driven around. My idea was to walk to the lonely harbour Moai, but soon before 12 the whole island and a half was heading towards the same direction. My host, Sebastián, had to work at 6am as a tour guide starting at the 15 Moais at Ahu Tongariki by sunrise. It sounded just right to make it an early night.

Sebas, my host, lives in a cabaña a bit out of town and he has 7 cats and 3 dogs. On the 31st he was worried the animals would be scared of the fireworks so he wanted to be home before 12. I felt the the right way to start the year was keeping the animals company so they would stay within boundaries and didn't feel scare of the fireworks. So shortly before 12 I had held 2 kitties and I spent a few minutes during the loudest fireworks holding a scared puppy in my arms. I couldn’t have thought of a better way to start the year. I am not a firework enthusiast myself and even on a remote island, I really didn’t feel like joining the party crowd. 

Booze was again abundant, but moderate. I went to bed at 12:10. Happily.

My first day of the year started by seeing the Moais on sunrise.

from Sebas's sophisticated camera ©Sebastian Paoa

from my camera, rather orb-sy

It is quite an experience to arrive to such a special East-facing spot. I had many mixed feelings at the sight of the Moais, very different from what I expected (note that during my last teaching year in NZ I cried for anything and I was certain I was going to be filled with euphoric emotional tears... not ??!!). I later understood after learning more about the island’s history, the evolution. It's like a small-scale analogy of humanity with its wonderful and awful ways. If anything, it confirmed I am wired differently. I can't describe the sensation. It wasn't awe, it wasn't indifferent at all. It was deeeeply, very deeply reflective of slow motion silent serenity. It's the best way I can describe it.

 Coming on, my dramatic learning curve, the Rapa Nui way to extinction and the reasons behind their mysterious Moais. My learning curve and my need to absorb everything has lead me to stay 18 days, when, initially, I thought a week was going to be enough. Small remote islands have this special magnetism, quite almost literally meant. 
I feel I need more time to sink in this cosmovision. this place in the world is helping me fill a some cognitive holes I have on my path to understanding what makes me be so fascinated and shocked by humankind. Ohne Scheiss, the older I get the more responsible I feel as part of the process.

Coming on, a global analogy from a localised perspective. 

Aroha tatou - Iorana korua