Category: Back In a Heartbeat 2024. Antarctica, South America, Easter Island/Rapa Nui

Yonks ago we decided to capitalise on being in Melbourne on ANZAC Day and organised to stay in St Kilda Road and attend the Dawn service. I’m pretty sure we were all having second thoughts on the wisdom of that at midnight after a long two flight 18 hour trip home. We got collared by…

Up for showers, packed up all the tech we had charging and breaky. Not picked up till 10 for our 1:40pm flight to Sydney (14 hours) The airport was painless. It’s a Qantas flight and we had back row seats. Lots of movies to watch and a tiny sleep. 1. Blue back 10/10 2. Top…

Into our mini van this morning with our team – Carolina and Juvernal. J struck a bit of traffic so was running late – time for me to run to the supermercado following a last minute request from home for some maté tea. Fascinating to see the ads on buses and along the freeway –…

Today we sadly leave Rapa Nui. We’ve all agreed that 7 days here would be the way to go. The way the limited flights to Island work it’s either 4 days or 7. We have business class flight today as it was the only option to get off the Island. We were not clear of…

Sunrise tour to the 15 Moai at Toŋariki. Picked up at 6am. The tsunami of 1960 here knocked over the Moai – previously there were 21 evidently and some were broken too badly for repair. Yesterday on our tour we learnt that the restoration at Toŋariki was funded by the Japanese. They had been loaned…

Mary’s birthday. We surprised her with gifts and the staff arranged a candle in a breaky mousse and sang Happy Birthday and something in Rapa Nui. A full bus load this morning for our full day tour of Rapa Nui. Half Spanish speakers half English. Luis our bus drivers is taking care of the former…

Breakfast with views over the bay. Lots of sweet pies and mousse type options. The pancakes were just like Mum used to make. Poached egg was good too. Today our paperwork says a full day tour but Isabelle, our guide. tells us it’s two half day tours today and a full day tomorrow. As always…

A late arrival into Santiago last night, into Central CBD with driver Juvenal and guide Carolina. We were a bit dismayed at the state of the city, there was graffiti everywhere and the place looked depressing. Our hotel Fundador is quite old and we have a large room with a king and single – very…

Early start with another missed hotel breaky. 6:30am pick up by Juvenal and Carolina. To the airport for our 9:05 five hour flight to Easter Island. Carolina came in and assisted us to print our own bag tags. We had to complete a registration online and then have all details ready for the PDI (immigration…

Transfer to airport due at 8am, so breaky (quite nice at this is hotel) and into our bus to the nearby Domestic Airport for our international flight to Santiago, Chile. We rocked up to check in (as we’d once again had trouble with Aerolineas Argentina site) only to learn that our flight number didn’t exist…