08:15 local 14:15 UTC
Location: anchored @ Hanga Roa, Rapa Nui (Easter Island)
Position: -27d 08.625' S -109d 26,087' W
Wind: 8-15 kts SE True
Seas: swell = ~ 1 m @ 8 secs
Weather: early AM showers, late sunrise with clouds, clearing off to be another blue sky and sunny day
Sea temp: 78.9F
Air temp: 76.9F
Humidity: 74%
Spent the morning cleaning up the boat after two weeks of non stop living/sailing. The outboard motor on the dingy has been acting up so cleaned out the carburetor and spark plugs, checked the fuel tank for water and got it all back together and seems to be running better. We'll know for sure next run ashore. I also climbed the mast to inspect all the rigging and found the starboard halyard block (pulley) at the mast head had lost its bearings. Spent half an hour at the top getting the old one off and then when I got back late in the afternoon, replaced it with a new one and got the halyard reeved (fed through) and all mounted up at the top of the mast. Otherwise everything else appears to be none the worse for 2 weeks of wear and tear of non stop sailing.
One of the most common questions I get is "What do you do with all your time?". I don't have a great answer, and sometimes I ask that question myself in terms of where did the day(s) go, but they go amazingly quickly and are filled with a great variety of never ending things to do. There is certainly never any boredom (not that I really understand the concept) or lack of things on the list to choose from on what to do next and that's just the way I like it.
Ruby and I spent the day ashore and mostly just did one of my favorite things in an area, wandering around wherever my feet, nose, eyes and serendipity lead me. We walked quite a stretch of the coastline here and a large part of it turned out to be a national park area that was a long series of Moai (the famous stone face statues) and the large platforms they are built on. It has been particularly interesting for me to now see these things myself after reading so much about them and having just finished Jared Diamond's "Collapse" which has a long chapter devoted to Easter Island, the events that led up to the almost complete collapse of the island's society and what caused it all.
It was a perfect day, sunny but not too hot nor humid and it was great to be able to be out for a long walk with Ruby as well. She was able to be off leash for most of it as were were usually the only ones around. There are lots of other dogs here, mostly wild/stray types, which has been typical most places we've been but this doesn't seem to cause either side any problems. Occasionally Ruby will find one that wants to play and they will chase each other for a bit, but mostly they just seem to greet each other, have a couple good sniffs and be on their respective ways.
We also spent some time walking more of the small village here and getting a feel for it and the people. It's quite nice as the tourism part is not too pronounced given the very small numbers and that the town and overall island and population (about 4000) is so small.
After a lot of walking I stopped for a late lunch at about 2pm in a nice restaurant on the waterfront road and treated myself to a very full meal of salad, ceviche and fresh pescado (Mai Mai) with a mango juice to top it off. It was quite a surreal experience as I sat there, enjoyed this great meal, looking at and past the carved figures on the road side and out over the water where Learnativity is anchored, listening to the crashing surf, and spending a few relaxing hours reading on my Kindle. What a wonderful mix of cultures, old/new, history, technology and senses. The place became very busy about 3pm so I offered to share my table with a couple who came in when there were not tables and they turned out to be from Holland. We chatted for a bit, in English as my Dutch is almost non existent (sorry Erik) and they were here visiting for two weeks. She was particularly interested in my Kindle as she had seen two others with them in their travels and so I let her play with it for a bit and we talked about it, technology, traveling and more. Added to the extreme eclecticness of the whole experience and I just loved it all.
After that I stopped by the hotel where the people I'm trying to meet up with are staying but was not able to find them in on several tries. I wandered up to 3 different internet cafes trying to find a net connection but after waiting over an hour I decided to let it go for the day and we headed back to Learnativity for the evening. A bit more cleaning up, a light diner and just to add to the eclectic nature of the day, watched some TV shows that my generous friend John has recorded tons of for me. I have to just laugh at the whole scene. I hardly watch any TV or get to see any movies, so I don't know any of these shows that he's recorded but it has been great fun checking them out and finding some fun stuff to watch. So there I am, anchored off Easter Island and getting to watch & learn about shows like "Dr. Who", "Top Gear", "Dirty Jobs", "Eureka" and of course get to see (after reading the book) Master & Commander. I just LOVE these kinds of mashups of old and new, low tech and high tech, foreign and familiar.
Then it was off to bed for Ms. Ruby and I. AND we got to sleep in a real bed and for a real long contiguous time! Life doesn't get much better than this I don't think.
Today (Sunday morning) I've been enjoying the sunrise as it burns through all the storm clouds that have been here since about 4am and the day warms up, the sounds of the waking village drift out to us a bit and we roll back and forth with the swell coming in and around this side of the island now from the NE. Right now I'm using the time to also get this note typed up and sent off to you and then will finish my coffee, do a few more chores.
Intentions (vs plans) for the rest of the day include going ashore to see what Sunday in Hanga Roa is like, trying for a network connection, exploring a few more parts of the town, meeting up (hopefully) with Sonia, Charlie or Elaine the people here I've been communicating with via Email) and then maybe try some snorkeling in this unbelievably clear water (apparently up to 300' at times!)
Whatever it ends up being, hard to imagine a better Sunday, or any day. Hope yours is equally GR8!!
Enjoy,
Wayne
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