Jason Pearce

Four days are all you need in Easter Island, even if it rains three of those four days. For the one day that was nice, I managed to get a mild sunburn.

Of everyone I met, I was the only person who came specifically to see just Easter Island. Everyone else visited as a part of a long holiday. Some had even been traveling for 18 months.

When I told fellow tourist that I came all this way for just four days on the island, most thought I was mad. Though a few were impressed by my effort.

The moai are very mysterious and impressive. Twice I rented a car with some newly made friends. Neema is an Indian girl from London while Tamara & Jarrett Bulat are from Vancouver, Canada.

It’s amazing how four complete strangers can find each other and enjoy two full days exploring the island via a jeep. The days I spent with the three were a blast.

On my second day, I went scuba diving. Though Easter Island is supposed to have the clearest water in the world (lack of plankton), rough seas and cloudy skies kept such an experience hidden.

On my last day I went on an official tour. We visited the same sites I had twice explored. But at least this time I had a guide to explain what I was looking at.

This evening I am in Santiago. The customer service in this city is better than anywhere I’ve been. They ignore you when you want to be ignored and jump to your service when you indicate you want some help. The best balance I’ve seen yet.

The only exception has been the taxi touts at the airport. But compared to other countries, they were harmless.

Tomorrow I explore Santiago before flying back to the US that evening.

Lunch today was on LAN Chile airlines at about 35,000 feet above the Pacific Ocean on my way to Santiago from Easter Island. Any airline that serves free beer and wine is okay in my book.

Finally, Easter Island gives me a sunny day. This is my view from the plot of grass I’m napping on.

Though the tour I took around the island was helpful in some ways, exploring via a jeep with Neena, Jarrett, and Tamera was much more fun.

Tomorrow morning I fly to Santiago. I’ll stay the night and explore the following day, departing for Dallas that night.

Oh how promising the day looked this morning. But the sunny day turned to wind and rain shortly after noon.

Neema, Jarrett, Tamera, and I spent most of the day driving on muddy roads and rushing out of the car to see ruins anytime the rain let up.

One memorable event was finding a cave to hide in when a rain storm caught us well away from our car. It was neat thinking how locals on the island used to live in the very cave we sought for shelter.

For dinner, Australian friends Jim and Leslie joined me at a small French restaurant by the harbor. The French owner was a big man, his mustache was curly, the food was fantastic, and a local played the Blues next to us. Another favorite restaurant of all time.