Changing Gears and other Adventures

It is difficult to believe that our South American adventure has come to an end. We came here to "see the country" thinking that we would probably never return. Now that we have been here, we would definitely return.
There is much of Argentina still to see. As for Chile, we have been struck by the warmth and hospitality of its people. We have come to admire the resilience of Chileans in the face of disaster, and their pride in re-building their homes, their businesses and their country.

Adios - we hope that you have enjoyed our blog.

We have been without Internet access since March 17 and so I am woefully behind in my entries to the blog. We are now in Santiago and return to Canada tomorrow night so we have to put together a condensed version of our time spent travelling down the pacific coast.

After our wonderful fish soup at Boyeruca we shuttled to a lodge on Lagos Vichuquén. The area reminded us of Canadian cottage country. It was a very relaxing place to spend a day off from cycling.

Marina Vichuquén

There are three ways to climb a hill – on the bicycle, pushing the bicycle, or driving in the van. We chose the latter option to climb over the first “hill” out of Vichuquén. It turned out to be a wise choice given the pitch of that climb. Our cycling (and younger) companions were not so wimpy and we congratulated their accomplishment later in the day when we all completed the 60 km ride down the coast to Iloco. This was the first of three nights spent hearing the roar of the pacific ocean and viewing first hand the countryside that bore the brunt of the earthquake and tsunami.

The next morning we were met with thick fog. Although very difficult to see, we cycled by immense dark sand dunes – somewhat reminiscent of a moonscape.

Fog

The fog lifted by noon and we cycled on to Constitucion, along a coast with spectacular rock formations.

Rock formations - Constitucion

Our destination was a set of tiny cabanas literally hanging on the edge of the water. This particular small resort has been in business for decades. Last February the earthquake awoke the owner who immediately assembled his guests and told then they were moving to higher ground. One couple initially resisted – wanted sleep out whatever happened. Fortunately they were persuaded that was not a good idea because when they returned a number of hours later, there was nothing left. The place has been slowly rebuilt and we were among its first guests since the earthquake.

Each cabana is tiny but the view – breathtaking.

Cabana view

After being entertained by middle and high school dancers, we were treated to the Chilean version of a BBQ on the pool deck overlooking the ocean..

Dancers

Ocean view BBQ

The next day was a long ride (mostly into a head wind). Our picnic lunch in was spent in a tiny oasis near Pahui.

Lunch

Chile is a country of contrasts. In Constitucion we passed state of the art paper mills. Other folks have more traditional ways of dealing with wood.

Oxen hauling fire wood

As we dismounted our bikes at our destination just outside Pelluhue, we were warmly welcomed by the owner who, after a traditional hug and kiss, directed us to a cool spot at a table with an umbrella and inquired what cool drink could be served. Again, the view was breathtaking. We have never experienced this kind of welcome at a mainstream hotel.

Warm welcome

Dinner that night was in a restaurant in Pelluhue. The view to the north was a mostly empty beach. We were informed that before the tsunami, there had been 500 houses on this land.

Beach Pelluhue

Our last ride was through the central valley to Villa Alegre. The terrain was hot, dry and “rolling” - an euphemism for numerous hills.

Climbing - central valley

Our late lunch stop was less elegant than the day before but the fresh grapes, wine cider and locally made wine made it a memorable occasion. The day ended for most of us at that point.

Lunch (#2)

Twenty kilometres down the road we all stopped at the Balduzzi winery in the Maule valley. The Balduzzi family have been making wine since the 17th century, first in the Italian Piedmont region but more recently in Chile and in the United States.

Harvest time at Balduzzi

Our bikes were then loaded on to the van for the last time and we drove to out hotel in Villa Alegre where we thoroughly enjoyed a farewell dinner.

Javier loading bikes

Sunshine and blue skies are back. The weather promises to stay that way for the rest of the tour.

Wednesday was our loop tour from Santa Cruz through the Colchagua Valley (Chile's “Napa Valley”) and in particular to the Apalta area of the valley. There are numerous micro-climates and soil types in the valley making the area ideal for producing Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Carminere. Parts of the valley are very dry and the vines require irrigation.

Dry areas

The Apalta area is noticeably greener and remarkably requires no irrigation.

Apalta vista

The highlight of the day was our visit to the Neyen vineyards and winery. Casa Silva was an example of a large winery and Laura Hartwig an example of a young upstart. By way of contrast Neyen is a boutique winery producing only one wine a year (a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenere) and generally in quantities of no more than 80,000 bottles.

Everything is done by hand at Neyen; not only are the grapes hand picked from the vines (originally planted in 1890), they are also individually plucked from the stocks. Only French oak is used. The result is a remarkable wine (even to my uneducated palate). We tasted the 2006 wine – a 50/50 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenere – it was exquisite.

Vines at Neyen

Raising a glass at Neyen

Thursday was an 82 km ride from Santa Cruz to the tiny town of Boyeruca on the Pacific ocean. This ride took us over the coastal range and so there were some significant climbs. The route took us through very dry areas that included olive orchards, on to stands of eucalyptus trees and pine forests, and finally downhill to the ocean with salt flats along the way. As we were heading west, the ride was into a strong headwind so that even the flat portions were a challenge.

Along the way we stopped in the beautiful town of Lolol and had snacks in the town square.

Lolol - snack in the town square

When we arrived, there was a funeral service being conducted under an open tent beside the church. The church itself (along with much of the town) were severely damaged by the earthquake. As Lolol has been designated a “Typical Zone” (akin to our heritage designation), all re-building has to be done in the traditional way, that is, with adobe. We spoke to the priest (through our guide) and he is trying to get permission to use steel bars to reinforce the adobe. He does not want to have to re-build the church again after the next earthquake.

Damaged church Lolol

Boyeruca was completely destroyed by the tsunami that followed the Chilean earthquake last year. Thankfully no one was killed and the town has been re-built. It was mid-afternoon when we arrived and as we had only had a light snack in Lolol, we stopped and enjoyed a wonderful fish soup at a restaurant on the edge of the Pacific.

Boyeruca - lunch view

The van was then loaded and we drove another hour over very rough roads to our hotel on Lago Vichuquen. Along the way we were on a high road overlooking the Pacific to the west and the high Andes to the east; the entire width of Chile was within our view. It is truly a narrow country.

On Sunday we flew from Rapa Nui back to Santiago and met up with our new cycling companions for the “Cycling Chile's Wine Country” tour. We are a very small group; 6 in total. The other two couples are from Toronto and Cornwall so this is an all Canadian tour. It has been fun catching up on Canadian news and politics.

On Monday we drove about 150 km south of Santiago to the Casa Silva winery. This is the oldest vineyard in the Colchagua Valley with the original founder moving from Bordeaux to Chile in 1892. Until 1997 the vineyard's wine was sold in bulk. At the suggestion of a fifth generation family member, it began to bottle its own wine in 1997 and the Casa Silva brand was born. We understand that the LCBO buys Casa Silva wine. For those of you in Ontario, we strongly suggest you look for it.

All assembled at Casa Silva

Casa Silva suffered considerable damage in the earthquake last year and is slowly re-building. The quake dislodged a number of massive stainless steel containers with the result that wine was quite literally flowing down the streets.

After the tour, wine tasting (exceptional wines) and wine purchasing, we were treated to lunch in the winery's restaurant which overlooked a polo field. There were four courses, each paired with a different wine. One had to keep in mind that after lunch we were cycling 30 km to our hotel!

Restaurant with polo field

We spent last night in a tiny hotel in Zuniga. It had only 4 rooms and is frequented by Chileans as a summer get-a-way. It was 'rustic' but charming. For dinner, we travelled by horse and cart to a farm down the road where we enjoyed appetizers and wine under the trees followed by a wonderful “home-cooked” dinner inside.

Transportation to dinner

Yesterday was cloudy and today it rained. Somewhat ironically, this tour was expected to be warmer and drier that our trip over the Andes.

Today we cycled from Zuniga to Santa Cruz – a 72 km trek on FLAT road! This region was particularly hard hit by the earthquake because so many of the homes, churches and buildings were made of adobe (basically mud and straw) which crumbled. In addition many of the clay roof tiles simply slid off roofs. The buildings are slowly being rebuilt. With a rain predicted (apparently it has not rained all summer), we noticed many folks scrambling to put plastic over their partially completed roofs.

Re-building a church roof

The region is also very dry and without irrigation, it would be little more than a desert.

Colchagua Valley

A couple of kilometres outside Santa Cruz we stopped at a winery with the unlikely name of Laura Hartwig. This is a new winery which started to make wine in 1996. It is very small and produced only 140,000 bottles of wine last year. By way of contrast, Casa Silva produced of 6 million bottles. Again the wine was exceptional and, surprisingly, is available in both Ontario and British Columbia.

It also seems that a polo field in de rigeur for wineries in Chile as Laura Hartwig had one as well!

Wonderful wine tasting

About the roses – they are everywhere in Chile because of the acidity of the soil. They are particularly prominent in vineyards. We were told that roses and grape vines attract the same blights and fungi but evidence of such infestations appear on the roses first. Roses help protect the health of the vines.

We will be spending two nights in Santa Cruz. Tomorrow we are doing a 55 km loop to visit many more wineries!

Easter Island/Isla de Pascu/Rapa Nui – regardless of the name it goes by – is arguably the remotest inhabited island in the world. Lying 2086 kilometres away from its nearest inhabited neighbour, it is triangular in shape – 24.5 kilometres in length and 12.5 kilometres across at the widest point. There is a volcano at each of the three “corners”. It has 5,500 inhabitants; approximately half are considered to be Rapanui - people of Polynesian descent. It terms of size and population, it is very similar to Gabriola Island. There the similarities end.

Rapa Nui Map

Vegetation (and hence shade) are sparse and without pollution, the sun is relentless. It is generally windy and the rain, when it comes, is torrential. With the exception of two coral beaches, the shoreline is dark and volcanic. The horizon stretches endlessly in all directions.

Rapa Nui vista

In the mid 1980's NASA built a runway across one end of the island – long enough to accommodate an emergency landing of the space shuttle. As a result, the airport readily accommodates jumbo jets and 80,000 people are expected to visit this year. The challenge to accommodate these visitors is placing enormous burdens on the island's infrastructure and its ability to protect its archaeological treasures.

LAN 767

As noted by James Grant Peterkin in A Companion to Easter Island:

No other island in the world has generated even half of the literature written about Easter Island, with its unfathomable isolation and monumental stonework having struck universal appeal amongst early explorers and modern-day travellers alike.

It is both the remoteness and the “tall, monstrous statues” that drew us to this island. Circumstance, however, has made our experience more fulsome and unique.

We are staying in a small guesthouse that comprised 4 cabins. Three are occupied by guests and the fourth by Sharon, the owner. Sharon is originally from Canada but lived in the United Stated for many years. Twelve years ago she move to this island and married a Rapanui man. Sadly she was widowed a number of years later but has stayed and remains an integral part of the community.

Our cabin (Ra'ah) is reached via narrow staircase. It is open to the breezes on all sides and boasts a stunning view from its balcony. Its proximity to the ocean with the attendant roar of the waves at night takes some getting used to. We are not complaining. It has a small but well equipped kitchen and is within walking distance of the village Hanga Roa. It suits us perfectly.

View from Te'ora

RAPA NUI
Rapa Nui/Rapanui are the Polynesian names for the island, the indigenous people and their language. Today's Rapanui are proud of their culture but given their history are understandably wary of strangers.

Contrary to the theories of Thor Heyerdahl, it is now certain that the first humans to reach Rapa Nui came from another island in Polynesia. At the time they arrived (sometime between 600 and 900 AD), the island was a tropical paradise; it's surface was covered with palm trees and edible plants. There was an abundance of birds and fish. Over time, resources became scarce and the tribes that had developed and lived in relative peace became antagonistic toward each other. Cannibalism became a way of ensuring continued survival.

The first European to reach Rapa Nui was the Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen in 1721. Like Felipe Gonzalez de Haedo who arrived from Spain fifty years later, and Captain Cook four years after that, he did not stay.

In 1862 Peruvian entrepreneurs arrived on the island in search of cheap labour. They rounded up 2,000 Rapanui and forcibly took them to Peru. As the result of public outcry, 15 were repatriated (the rest having died en route or in Peru). Those repatriated brought smallpox back to the island and by 1877 there were only 111 Rapanui left. It is no wonder that the birth of a daughter is widely celebrated in Rapanui culture.

Rapa Nui was annexed by Chile in 1862. After its initial plan to colonize the island with Chileans failed, Chile leased the island to Williamson Balfour & Co. a Scottish/Chilean nitrate/sheep farming company. The Easter Island Exploitation Company was incorporated and given a 25 year lease. The company lived up to its name. The Rapanui were herded and fenced into Hangoa Roa; 70,000 sheep were allowed to roam the island. Stone walls were constructed all over the island using stones from the Rapanui ceremonial platforms. The damage to the island's archaeology and ecology is evident today.

Rapa Nui's road to self determination (or at least a say in its affairs) has moved forward slowly. Today, the Governor is Rapaui appointed and the mayor elected by the islanders. As importantly, in 1996, Rapa Nui National Park which covers more than 40% of the island was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

To preserve the Rapanui language and culture, the first three years of elementary school can now be taken solely in the Rapanui language. Although high school can be finished on the island, it is still necessary to go away for university. We understand that the culture shock can be difficult to manage. However, the first of the university graduates in law, medicine, business and tourism are now returning to the island. They have undoubtedly learned lessons from the island's history: it will be interesting to see what they do with that knowledge.

MOAI
Those “tall, monstrous statues” are known as “moai”. The moai were carved, erected and ultimately pushed over by the Rapanui.

These statues are symbolic of ancestor worship that was common throughout Polynesia. When a chief or important member of the tribe died, a statute was carved to preserve that individual's life force or mana. Once properly erected, the moai stood facing inward overlooking the village. Those moai that are facing out to sea had not yet been moved to their final destination.

Virtually all the moai were carved from one quarry, Rano Ranaku. Moai were always carved on there backs so that the details of the face and torso could be completed at the place of carving. Once that step was completed, the moai would be chipped away from the bedrock, slid down the slope and lowered into a pre-prepared pit and stood upright. The moai you see in the picture below are standing in front of the quarry in various states of completion.

Unfinished moai

The manner in which the moai were then moved to other locations on the island is thought to have involved the use of logs as rollers.

Ahu Tongariki is the island's largest ceremonial platform with 15 restores moai. It is difficult to capture the grandeur and mystique of these moai.

Ahu Tongariki

Magically moai number 16 and 17 have been added to the photo below.

New moai

Virtually all the moai had been pushed over primarily by the Rapanui themselves during the period of tribal wars. It was thought that by toppling the maoi, a tribe's mana would be weakened. The cost to restore the moai is enormous and many archaeologists would prefer to study them in their present state.

In addition to moai, we also saw the remnants of stone houses, caves used for shelter and various ceremonial walls and platforms.

Horses are allowed to roam across the empty countryside in search of food. Unfortunately they also cause damage to many of the archaeological sites. In addition, because it has been a very dry summer, these horses are in very poor health. In fact, we came across a horse who had died in the middle of the road.

WAITING FOR THE TSUNAMI
During our second night on Rapa Nui, it poured rain. Having seen the desperate horses, we were happy to hear the rain falling in significant amounts. As dawn approached, we were struck as to how much traffic there was on the road beside our cabin, especially the Carbinaros with their flashing lights. Shortly before 8 am (when it was not yet fully light), Sharon was at our door asking if we had heard that there had been a significant earthquake in Japan and that tsunami alerts had been issued for the west coasts of North and South America along with Hawaii and Rapa Nui. We immediately understood that we might be particularly vulnerable. We were instructed to pack a small bag with “essentials”, all documents and any food and water on hand. Time was on our side as the tsunami was not expected to hit until 6 pm. As we came to learn, this island takes tsunami alerts very seriously.

As luck would have it, Sharon was the “Canadian contact” for the island and so when the Canadian Consulate called, she was able to inform them as to our whereabouts. We were particularly impressed when the Consulate called back later in the day to make sure that we had moved to higher ground.

Although the general population was instructed to assembled at the airport (24 metres above sea level), through Sharon, we were invited to join her Rapanui “aunties and the cousins” up in the hills. This proved to be the experience of a lifetime. We cannot express out gratitude for their kindness, hospitality and generosity. These are folks who have very little but were generous with what they had.

We arrived later in the afternoon laden with beer, wine and assorted goodies. A fire was lit to advise the spirits that we were welcome guests. We spent a most enjoyable afternoon under a large avocado tree. At the dinner hour we were served a wonderful dinner of roasted chicken, vegetables and fresh green salad.

Lighting fire

Under the avocado tree

Although it was initially thought that we could go back to our cabin by 8 pm, the alert was not lifted until 2 am the next morning. Accordingly our hosts pitched tents for us to sleep in. Before retiring, several of the Rapanui brought out guitars and we were treated to a concert of Rapanui music. It was beautiful – very much in the folk tradition. This was a concert and experience money could not have bought.

Evening concert

The tsunami did hit the north side of Rapa Nui but was no more than a meter high. There had been considerable concern because the water had been receding for several hours and “churning” in an unusual way.. I am thankful that there was no damage and that we did not have to find out how remote Rap Nui really is.

Rapa Nui is truly a “wonder” - one to be shared with the world. The challenge will be to build a sustainable tourist industry that ensures that the fascination and mystery can be enjoyed by generations to come.