Renewal on Easter Island
“A traveler is, in the end, a sensualist – more honestly human, perhaps; more openly passionate in response to the world than the person who only occasionally peers above the rut he or she has dug along the course of workaday life at home. “ For years upon years this unknown quote kept staring me in the face every time I opened the refrigerator door and I never grew tired of seeing it - quite opposite actually.
I grew up in a very mid-west town as one of four siblings in a family that enjoyed traveling around the States occasionally by car or train. As with most people in that area of the country, the importance of life was raising a family and staying at home. Back in 1972 while educating myself as a music major I met a woman, Twila, who certainly had a different perception on life. She drove a purple Dodge Challenger for goodness sake. Eventually in 1975 we were wed and started our life together. Little did I know at that time what a “global” impact that would be to me.
From our first month long tour around the perimeter of South America in 1981 to our last trip in 2007 experiencing the Galapagos, we made plans to see the world as often as we could afford. We actually moved into a very large and elegant home in Kansas City, but realized the world that was waiting for us was much more important. So … we moved into small, but ultimately cozy series of homes wherever we lived. In 2005 we achieved our ultimate goal of reaching all 7 continents when we took a trip down to Antarctica. I am forever thankful that she and I were able to fulfill our dream in Antarctica together as it is truly an out-of-this world experience. Twila and I consumed over 55 countries in our 26 years of travel, which provided me an experience unknown to anything that I could have ever wished for. Each trip added to my total desire and dedication to see more of what the world has to offer, and to experience the uniqueness of each location, whether it was cultural, wildlife, scenic or adventurous. Twila and I were always on the same page too, which made the experience that much more fantastic and … priceless.
After we returned home from the Galapagos trip, Twila was irritated at the bunions in her feet and was planning to have surgery. In the pre-screening it was discovered she had an aggressive form of cancer. Twila passed away in May of that year. Needless to say those short months were the worst moments of my life and left me with a huge hole in my heart. Not just with her as a person, friend and lover, but as a companion who truly showed me the value of travel and experiencing this joy with her.
It was not an easy transition for me, as I previously had never lived on my own. After several months of wallowing around I decided I needed to do something to turn my life back around and to try to accept what had happened. I fought for a long time the willingness to travel. She was so much a part of that. But I soon decided to find a location that allowed me to separate myself from the rest of the world for a short period. My line of thinking was simple: go as far away as possible from the rest of humanity. The choice ended up to be fairly easy for me as it was a location that has sounded its sirens to me since I was a child: Easter Island.
So that December of 2007 I set off on my first solo trip ever to Easter Island. I had no idea what to expect other than the large Moai statues that were scattered about the island. Typically I research my trips extensively ahead of time, but this time I just wanted to go because it was known to be the most remote, inhabited place on earth.
I rented a car for a week, hired a tour guide for the first two days and made myself at home in a local hotel. I went during Christmas and fell into their large Christmas celebration. They allowed me into their lives and gave me a lift in seeing how truly fascinating these people were. The locals have had a horrible history not only with their distant past, but also with how they currently were treated by the Chilean regime. It was not until after a Canadian reporter visited the island in the 70’s that they were able to emerge as a people not enslaved or abused. It was discovered at that time that the women were raped, abused and enslaved by the local military presence. The effects of this treatment spread to the entire population in the form of alcohol abuse by the men. In the time since this treatment was recognized internationally, Chile has dramatically improved the situation. Now there are privileges given to the locals such as fuel at cost (very low), yearly free flights to Chile, lower taxes and a safe place to live. Today, due to much of this recent history, alcohol is still a problem. In addition, the purity of the native bloodlines has changed to where there are few true Rapa Nui people in existence.
Easter Island also proved to be an intriguing place. What happened there over a period of time could be considered a microcosm of what may be, and perhaps is, happening to our planet. Historically, Easter Island used to be rich in vegetation and full of plant life, especially thick groves of palm trees. Due to the tribal abuse of using wood for a multitude of purposes, most notable the staging of the Maoi in their seaside locations, after a relatively short period of time the island became void of these forests and the soil became very infertile. Today much of the island is treeless and the soil is of little value for crops and other organic life.
Despite learning all of these historical events, exchanging stares at these incredible Maoi monoliths was the highlight of the trip. It allowed me to reach into my current state of mind and move it forward. To know that these magnificent statues had been planted there and remained in that single barren and forgotten location for centuries was unearthly. It is so easy to understand the bewilderment modern humans encountered as to what these things were and why they were put there. For a while I did not want to understand how these things were created and moved … it was too ethereal. I enjoyed getting lost in it. But, as I stayed longer, I started to follow the path of Maoi “enlightenment” by discovering the Maoi birthplace, the methods of transportation and setup, and ultimately the potential reasons for why they faced in a certain direction … always facing inland away from the sea (except for one location). Although this was eventually good to know, I still enjoyed my time with them so much more when I thought of them as I always had since I was a kid … mystic and unearthly - Garden of the Gods stuff.
There was so much more to Easter Island than I am able to write in this short space, but it finally came time for me to go home. Did this trip help me? The result was a closer appreciation for what my wife ultimately taught me … to be more honestly human through the appreciation of travel. Throughout my stay, I know Twila was with me still and encouraged me to see more and more. I know that upon leaving Easter Island I had a renewed vigor for again going out into the world and seeing it without delay. It also taught me the world is changing too fast. And waiting is not an option. Things will never be the same and I want to see them before they change. All of this - thanks to Twila. She implanted in my soul this stark and unrelenting passion to experience in our short life not the safety of a house but the outside in every nook and cranny that I can discover. I since have continued my passion in more ways than I could have imagined. Due to this lust for travel I have moved to Singapore for a while to get closer to places I would not be able to so easily visit were I home in the USA. I now travel up to 5-6 countries a year. And although I may not enjoy a rich and secure retirement life later, it does not matter. I am a very happy person and this all can be attributed to my guiding angel, Twila.
BTW … I still have that quote sitting on my PC at home, and although yellowed and tattered it serves as a constant, wonderful reminder of whom we few travelers are.
Editor's Note: I placed this in large format at the end because you really have to see it large to make out the man on the left peering at the enormous statues on the right.
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