Rapa Nui 2 - up a volcano

Today we were down for two walks - the first was called the Birdman walk; the second was called the fifteen.  We were only 6 in the morning - us, two youngsters (teenagers here with their Mum) and two Sri Lankans of indeterminable age.  The walk was some 9 km with a healthy 250m climb.  It is safe to say that the poor guide was spread thinly with the juniors able too keep ahead (in spite, in the case of the younger, of an arm in plaster) and the Sri Lankans lagging some way behind.  This is a double whammy because when the guide chooses to stop and tell the party something, we wait for the slow coaches, get spoken to and head off again; so no rest for those that, apparently need it the most!  At the end of the climb we were treated to a great view over a volcanic crater, filled with water and with an extra of the sea just over the rim.

We then walked round the crater rim to the Birdman site - not some prisoner in Alcatraz with a canary but a sadistic type of triathlon between the island's tribes!  It went along the lines of a 100m dash to the cliff top, a 300m descent of the cliffs, 1.5km swim to an island (see picture above and think big island, not stack), climb on to the island, find an egg from a visiting sooty tern and then do the reverse. Oh, and by the way, don't break the egg!! All to get your elder to be, effectively, PM for a year (perhaps the promise to the winning competitor of a white virgin swung it!). We lost the Sri Lankans on the way and they ended up being mini-bussed to the end of the route, but we were there with the youngsters.

The afternoon saw us sent out with the Sri Lankans again, a pair from Los Angeles who were accompanied by JR., their ventriloquists dummy, who was dressed in his best South Sea Island outfit (seriously) but had a change into Gaucho clothes just in case. The final couple were from Copenhagen - sane, but slow.  As a result, the walk, although interesting was shorter than it might have been and ponderous.  We have noted who to avoid when having tomorrow's activities allocated.  We ended up at the only beach on the island having seen, on the way, a site with 15 Moai, some basic observatories (a stone tower with no windows but a hole in the ceiling) and som chicken coops with secret doors. Strange but true.

Ccertainly got some exercise today, but not enough to dissuade us from two walks tomorrow.