On Easter Island there are 4000 humans, an estimated 4000 horses - most of which are running wild - some 1000 stone figures (called Moai) scattered around the island, countless dogs that bark throughout the night, and roosters who can’t get the time straight.

And it´s a place where the 21st Century is somewhat out of place, where it seems at times there are as many people riding horses down the main streets of the island’s only town, Hanga Roa, as there are cars and trucks.
 
Chances are good that, like me, you don’t know the island as Rapa Nui, but by its more common name of Easter Island. But, if that seems confusing, it also has a third name, called Isla de Pascua in Spanish, a term you’ll find throughout Chile since the island is a part of that country, having been annexed in 1888. Some 2,200 miles from the mainland, it is in one of the most remote parts of the Pacific, located at the southern end of Polynesia some 2,375 miles from its nearest major neighbor, Tahiti. The only way to get there is to travel by LAN airlines either from Santiago, Chile or from Tahiti.

It got its Easter Island name when Jacob Roggeween, a Dutch Admiral, sighted the island for the first time on Easter Day in 1722. But islanders know it by its Polynesian name and residents are fiercely proud of their origins, culture, myths and legends. Easter Island's capital and in fact its only community, is  the tiny town of Hanga Roa.

Just 20,000 tourists visit the island yearly, virtually all of them via air. So don’t expect the kind of facilities you get in Hawaii, Fiji, Tahiti or other more popular South Pacific destinations. Rapa Nui is after all, one of the most isolated destinations on earth and its facilities are what some might call primitive.

But that’s just one of the reasons why I loved the place. What you get, regardless of which of the 12 hotels you book (some are quite basic) is no-frills, clean accommodation and down-home Mama’s cooking. Most in town speak English though Spanish is the first language. There are 25 restaurants of varying content and prices ranges if you want a break from the hotel food, and cars are available for rental if you want to trek out on your own.

Doing the latter, however, is a trade-off. What you get in extra time and personalized photo ops, you lose the legends and stories told by the knowledgeable guides who can be booked through your hotel. And there are countless stories and fables to be told on this island.

The main reason for going there, of course, is the Moai and the stone quarries from which these massive carvings were made. There are two main must-see Moai locations on the island - the Moai at Ahu Tongariki with its 15 erected statues, and the massive quarry at Rano Raraku with more than 390 giant abandoned Moai on the hillsides.

The origins of these statues were long debated, some even suggesting that they were created by Aliens. There is, of course, a more simple explanation. They were constructed by local tribes as tributes to local officials, sacred chiefs and gods. The largest are up to 200 feet long and 23 feet high and weigh some 200 tons. They have consistent features: a raised platform made of fitted stones and rubble, a ramp that is often paved with beach cobbles, and a leveled court in front. Statues were brought from the quarry rolled on logs and placed to look over a ceremonial area and village, their backs to the sea.   

A few items you might keep in mind when traveling there. While credit cards are accepted, you can sometimes get a discount if you pay cash. I paid an additional six per cent charge at the hotel for using our credit card to pay for incidentals. I was told it sometimes takes months for credit card receipts to generate cash flow from card companies, thus the preference for cash.
 
The local water is drinkable, but you might want to have bottled water handy. Art work and artists are everywhere with quality and prices varied. The best art is at the island museum - with prices reflecting the quality. But there are many artists and their work to be found throughout the town and at many of the sites. And, oh yes, be sure to get a sunset photo as the sun drops behind the Moai at O Rongo Tautira, a 15 minute walk from downtown Hanga Roa.   

Rapa Nui will stay with me for a long time and not just because of the Moai and the many island legends that we heard and explored. But because of what the place hasn’t yet become.