Easter Island – Orongo Ceremonial Village, Rano Kau, Ana Kakenga, and Lunch at Makona Restaurant

After breakfast we headed off to a site I was really looking forward to Orongo Ceremonial Village. Because this, like Rano Raraku was one of the two places where you absolutely needed admission, and they didn't open until 9am, we took our time. Meandering along the shoreline near Hanga Roa.

This one spot, where the road basically ends looked wonderful on a day like today….or perhaps it always looks amazing.

We'd soon be heading up that mountain in the background. But for now, we were content to watch the waves crash onto the rocks.

There's a campground right across the street. Quite a dramatic location. Though I wondered how things were during the high winds and rain the night before.

It must be great to wake up and have a banana while watching the wild Pacific doing its thing though.

We soon headed off, up Policarpo Toro and all the guest houses up the mountain. We stopped along the way at various view-points (mirador).

Our little Daihatsu Terios was doing a pretty nice job of getting us around.

At the top is Orongo Ceremonial Village. You need to show your tickets or purchase some, you also need to sign in. At Rano Raraku, I took a look at the country of origin of parties signing in; none were from the US. It was the same here. Strangely, very few people I know even know where Easter Island is, or if they've heard of the place, don't even know where it's located.

In the welcome center, we learned a bit more about Orongo. The village resides on a cliff and was home to the Birdman Cult. Suddenly, I had sort of a flashback. To a movie I saw in the mid-90's, named of all things; Rapa Nui. Good lord, the Birdman Cult actually existed!

There are also some rather sad stories of how the site has been plundered and destroyed over the years.

Things start on a beautiful grassy trail.

Which stops on a dramatic cliff over-looking three small "islands".

It is those islands that the competitors of the Birdman Competition would swim to and collect the first seagull egg of the season. Strangely, the folks doing the actually swimming weren't considered the real competitors, but the actual "sponsors" and those holding important positions who decided who would actually perform the physical duties were. Sort of like today, eh?

Further up the trail are some restored stone "houses" made of basalt slabs. Most have been restored.

One was left half restored so we could see the tiny quarters……

It sure does look pretty cramped in there.

Further up the trail and turning the corner you see some petroglyphs. I read that there are over 1700 petroglyphs at this site, but most are in protected areas. I understand that these might be of former Birdman Competitors.

The one thing that really caught my attention when I turned the corner was this.

This is Rano Kau, the crater of an extinct volcano that has become a lake. We found this mesmerizing and just plain beautiful; a bog of reed islets.

I wanted a better look so we left Orongo and went to the Rano Kau look-out.

Looking at this amazing sight, the inner Edwin Malone of my bookworm years arose. It left so much to the imagination……

Looking at the crater below, I recall telling the Missus, "Because its protected from the elements and population as a whole, I'm wondering if there's a special little micro eco-system down there; where there might be plants that are native to Easter island that can't be found anywhere else." Ah yes, there's still a bit of fantasy and romance left I guess. Then I came home and read the story of the Toromiro Tree. Endemic to Easter island, the last tree surviving in the wild was cut down in 1960. However, Thor Heyerdahl had saved seeds from a tree in Rano Kau during his time here in 1955-56. And while the species is basically extinct in the wild, it still survives in botanic gardens. All the trees that survive are thought to have descended from this one singular tree.

It was still rather early in the day. The Missus decided She wanted to visit one more place before lunch; the lava tubes that make up Ana Kakenga. Getting there was bit interesting as there's a definite lack of signage….you just go until the road ends and keep going.

The recent rains had made for some deceptively deep "pools". While nothing of consequence at first, it steadily got worse (sorry no photos – I was just trying to make sure we didn't get stuck). Finally, there was a road block and a makeshift shack where a Park Ranger had everyone park, sign the book and head off on foot.

And so we headed off……

With not a "two legged" soul in site……

Until we came to this……

And the sign said we'd passed our destination.

So we turned back…..

And then came upon a pretty large (like six-four, probably over three hundred pounds) guy. He asked in Spanish if we'd seen "Ana Kakenga" and we said no. So we all headed back. then we heard some exclamations; apparently his young son and daughter had found the place. You gotta love the sign……

We found a woman waiting among some backpacks and what was basically a hole in the ground.

There were folks checking things out, we'd wait until they finished then go down. It was a nice time to check out the scenery.

Finally, it was our chance to go down the rabbit hole. The Missus first of course!

Next me….at which things slowed down a bit. You see, the "big dude" got stuck. Finally, his kids and wife managed to pull him through…… He really wanted to hang with his kids, you gotta love it!

You're enrobed in pitch black darkness, with rocks ready to trip you at any moment. Your iPhone Flashlight is your best friend. You see two lights in the distance and understand why it's called "windows", basically two lava tubes formed perhaps centuries ago.

You head toward the light, making sure not to fall down the steep cliff at the end. No, this isn't the United States where everything is safety friendly.

You are ultimately paid off in full by this amazing view of the Pacific.

You turn the light to the direction by whence you came and go "holy s%!+".

Can you tell I'm not a caver?

You turn tail and get the heck out of there and walk back to your vehicle without getting on the wrong side of the rightful occupants of the place.

And yet, there are those for whom this is the norm.

We got back to the vehicle and made the short drive back to Hang Roa. It was lunch time.

While I've posted photos of the horses, cows, chickens, and killer cat, I really haven't mentioned all the dogs in Hanga Roa. Much like Cusco, they are everywhere in Hanga Roa.

And yet, there's a kind of rhythm to life here. The dogs fit in, they know the rules….those that don't, well, I think they don't make it. The dogs do their thing, most of them looked cared for and what was most interesting was that they will go to the door of shops and markets, but will not go in……I guess that's asking for trouble. They know the boundaries of life. Knowing that makes it a "dog's life".

I had a specific place for lunch in mind. Even though it seemed like a pretty busy lunch hour in town, we actually found the place, which we had searched for and found closed on our first day in town; Makona Restaurant.

There were two things on the Missus's mind for lunch; ceviche….and ceviche, so we ordered ceviche.

The folks working here were very nice; just like everywhere else on the island.

And we got ceviche and more ceviche.

The fish, while not as good quality as Te Moana, was still nice and fresh. It was nicely dressed, not too much citrus, great balanced flavors.

Slight ginger tones and the pungency of onion to balance things out. Like I mentioned before, I'm not a fan of the soy sauce they use in Hanga Roa. A touch of cilantro finished things off. Simple is sometimes best!

Meanwhile, we watched this fellow….who obviously was looking for a handout.

Doesn't he seem to be asking, "anything for me?"

And yet, he would not cross that threshold.

Makona Restaurant
Atamu Tekena
Hanga Roa, Easter Island, Chile