http://omegle.com/
This is wildly addicting
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
I'm back
*I needed something powerful to herald my return. It came down to KISS or Wagner. You see who won out.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Island at the End of the World
I'm finally getting around to posting my Easter Island photos. I took 375 photos/videos which is about a 500% increase over my normal amount. These are just a selection - basically a cut and paste from my Picasa album. The "Blog This" function only allows 4 photos to be uploaded at a time, and I am too lazy to merge them all into one big post, hence a dozen different entries. This was really a fantastic trip. Off the beaten path, for sure, but extremely interesting. Two recommendations:
1) If you are thinking about Easter Island, it is worth the visit. It is pretty far out there, but not that tough to get to on LAN.
2) If you are thinking about traveling to somewhere random, and everyone you tell thinks you are crazy, ignore them and go anyway. Most of my friends thought I had lost my mind when I told them that I was going to Easter Island, but I have had more requests to see my pictures than for every other trip in the past 5 years combined. Ignore the critics, hop on Kayak.com (better than Orbitz) and book a ticket. Oh, and drop me a line so that I can tag along.
1) If you are thinking about Easter Island, it is worth the visit. It is pretty far out there, but not that tough to get to on LAN.
2) If you are thinking about traveling to somewhere random, and everyone you tell thinks you are crazy, ignore them and go anyway. Most of my friends thought I had lost my mind when I told them that I was going to Easter Island, but I have had more requests to see my pictures than for every other trip in the past 5 years combined. Ignore the critics, hop on Kayak.com (better than Orbitz) and book a ticket. Oh, and drop me a line so that I can tag along.
The backside of the Ahu at Anakena. Note the carvings on the backs. All statues face inland. A common misperception is that they face the ocean. The palm trees visible in the background were re-introduced in the 20th century. The island had up to 16 million palm trees on it when first settled by humans between 600-1000 AD. By the 1600's, the island had been completely deforested and not a singe tree remained. This was part of the downfall of the statue building civilization, and contributed to the isolation of the island as no wood for boats existed.
Also at Anakena beach, the first Mo'ai ever re-erected. When first discovered by western sailors, all of the statues on the ahus were intact and standing. By the late 1700's all of the mo'ai had been toppled, many with their necks intentionally broken. This was a result of internecine warfare between various clans on the island. Breaking the neck destroyed the "mana" or spiritual power of the statues. All statues standing on ahus today have been re-erected. This one was re-erected using traditional methods by Thor Heyerdal (of Kon-Tiki fame) in the 50's.
A view of Anakena beach from the north side of the island along the shore of the Mataveri plateau. The Poike peninsula is seen the the background. Anakena is the only beach on the island, the rest of the shoreline is pretty rocky. Note the small ahu in the foreground. Most ahu did not have mo'ai on them.
The desolate north side of the Mataveri plateau. This only reachable by horse or on foot. Not many locals, and very few tourists come to this part of the island, but I wanted to seen the whole island, so on my first day Andrew (a tollbooth operator from Wales with whom I ended up sharing a hotel room - long story) took a cab to Anakena, then walked around the north and west coasts of the island back to town.
A small cove along the north coast of the island.
The desolate north side of the Mataveri plateau. This only reachable by horse or on foot. Not many locals, and very few tourists come to this part of the island, but I wanted to seen the whole island, so on my first day Andrew (a tollbooth operator from Wales with whom I ended up sharing a hotel room - long story) took a cab to Anakena, then walked around the north and west coasts of the island back to town.
A small cove along the north coast of the island.
I stuck my head into the small opening in the ahu above and saw a few bones. I thought they were probably from animals who had crawled in and died, so I grabbed the closest one and pulled it out. This was clearly a human femur. I'd forgotten that the ahu were used as burial chambers. I put the femur back and we hurried off, hoping not to be haunted by the ghost of an ancient islander.
The seven Mo'ai at Akivi. These are far inland, a mile and a half from the sea.
Also at Akivi. These are in a field along a dirt road. There was no sign along the road, they were just out there in the field. We were the only people at this site, as was the case for many of the locations on the island.
The seven Mo'ai at Akivi. These are far inland, a mile and a half from the sea.
Also at Akivi. These are in a field along a dirt road. There was no sign along the road, they were just out there in the field. We were the only people at this site, as was the case for many of the locations on the island.
A Mo'ai in the town of Hanga Roa. This is one of the few that is lighted at night.
Rano Raraku, the Mo'ai quarry where most of them were carved. This was by far my favorite place on the island. This a volcano, and around 200 mo'ai, in various stages of completion, are present along the exterior (seen here) and within the volcano crater.
Some of the mo'ai at this site, like this one, are "fallen". Likely abandoned while moving them from the quarry to other sites on the island. Please don't stand on the mo'ai.
Rano Raraku, the Mo'ai quarry where most of them were carved. This was by far my favorite place on the island. This a volcano, and around 200 mo'ai, in various stages of completion, are present along the exterior (seen here) and within the volcano crater.
Some of the mo'ai at this site, like this one, are "fallen". Likely abandoned while moving them from the quarry to other sites on the island. Please don't stand on the mo'ai.
A fallen mo'ai, likely abandoned in transit. One of the greatest threats to deterioration of the mo'ai is not weather, or even humans. It is the livestock left to roam freely among them, constantly rubbing up against them and using them for shade from the sun.
Exterior, Rano Raraku.
The 15 mo'ai at Ahu Tongariki, one of the most magestic sites on the island. This site was restored in the 80's by Japanese scientists with help from a crane company who donated equipment to lift the statues.
Exterior, Rano Raraku.
The 15 mo'ai at Ahu Tongariki, one of the most magestic sites on the island. This site was restored in the 80's by Japanese scientists with help from a crane company who donated equipment to lift the statues.
Before restoration, these statues were washed several hundred yards inland by a tsunami in the 60's.
A petroglyph at Orongo, along the south side of the island. The petroglyph shows "Make Make", the creator god.
From Orongo, looking north. The airport is in the foreground, with the town of Hanga Roa behind it. The Mataveri plateau is seen in the distance.
A mo'ai at Ahu Tahai. The only mo'ai on the island with restored eyes. The eye sockets were not carved at the quarry, but at the ahu. This is not well understood, but the placement of the eyes is believed to complete the mo'ai. Only one, partially intact, eye has been found. It is in the museum in Hanga Roa.
Some of the mo'ai at the Tahai complex. Along the west coast of the island, just north of Hanga Roa.
A mo'ai at Ahu Tahai. The only mo'ai on the island with restored eyes. The eye sockets were not carved at the quarry, but at the ahu. This is not well understood, but the placement of the eyes is believed to complete the mo'ai. Only one, partially intact, eye has been found. It is in the museum in Hanga Roa.
Some of the mo'ai at the Tahai complex. Along the west coast of the island, just north of Hanga Roa.
Sunset on Easter Island.
The runway extends from the east coast of the island....
....to the west coast. At one point this was an emergency landing strip for the space shuttle, but it is no longer used for that purpose.
The runway extends from the east coast of the island....
....to the west coast. At one point this was an emergency landing strip for the space shuttle, but it is no longer used for that purpose.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)