Chile - Moai of Rapa Nui

We have just completed a fantastic six-week trip around Argentina, Chile and (a bit of) Brazil - see map. What contrasts! From cities to mountains, and glaciers to deserts. Naturally I took loads of photos, so I have arranged them: Argentina - Cities, Landscapes, Wildlife; Brazil - Rio de Janeiro; Chile - Cities, Landscapes, Wildlife plus (as they are so unique) Moai of Rapa Nui (this album) and Street Art of Valparaiso. I have also included one combined album: Argentina and Brazil - Iguazu Falls. Wow! Rapa Nui (Easter Island) is like nowhere else on earth. Naturally, it is an UNESCO World Heritage Site. It's a small volcanic island, lying 3,500 km from the Chilean mainland. It's thought that the first people arrived around 1200 CE from Polynesia. They somehow carved and transported the enormous moai (probably representing ancestors), and set them on platforms (ahu) overlooking their villages; almost 1,000 are known to exist. When civil war broke out amongst the tribes (probably over increasingly scarce resources) the moai were toppled. The cult of the Birdman and the annual competition, to bring back the first tern eggs from a small island down a precipitous cliff, replaced the warfare, but the population continued to decline. It is only in more recent times that some of the moai have been re-erected on their platforms. What a privilege to have been able to visit such a special place!