Yule: Making Midwinter Meaningful
I haven’t been certain about what to do with Christmas for many years. I enjoy the feasting in colourful paper hats that make us all the kings of absurdity for one night as family gets drunk together among a decorated withering topiary. I enjoy the relaxation that comes with knowing you have nowhere to be and nothing you have to do the next day but eat cheese and maybe open a gift or two. At least that’s my families. (With one of the families it also involves new pajamas!) But… I’ve never been invested in following one religion. I am far too interested in the wonder...
Read MoreEaster Island/ Rapa Nui: Anakena Beach
Pristine white sand, palm trees (imported from Tahiti in the 60s), turquoise Polynesian waters and stands where you can buy food, water and the most overpriced of the trinkets. This is Anakena, the part of the island that made me feel suddenly transported to pretty much any beach destination anywhere. For being the furthest location you can drive to from Hanga Roa on the island, it was probably the most populated place, and with reason – it’s the island’s only sandy beach – and people sure love sandy beaches. A beach doesn’t really excite me, so you will have to...
Read MoreEaster Island / Rapa Nui: Hanga Roa
“Easter Island” is how the tiny volcanic thumbprint of Earth’s mantle in the middle of the south Pacific is known to most of the world. It is a name given to the island by Dutch explorers to commemorate the day they found the land of stoic stone statues. The name used by the island’s inhabitants and each visitor who knows better however, is Rapa Nui. Oral history of the of the island hints to the original name even before “Rapa Nui” as being “Te Pito Te Henua” or “The Navel of the World.” Looking out into the ocean from the top of...
Read MoreEaster Island: Arriving in Rapa Nui
The day I awoke and patted Dave on the head to say “Hey, wake up, we’re going to Easter Island today!” was surreal. If I was irritatingly chipper waking him up every other morning, this was surely the one that took it. We grabbed a cab before the sun came out and got to to airport with time to spare. We were bumped up to first class for out 5.5 hour flight from Santiago, which never fails to thrill me. I could extend my legs fully and kick my feet around in the air, which I did. With glee. We arrived in the tiny IPC airport on the island’s only city; Hanga Roa. I...
Read MoreSantiago, Chile: Getting Lost in a Sprawling Graveyard
I was ready. I was so very ready to love Santiago. Instead, I found myself comparing it to Lima, and Santiago’s smog and traffic could not compare to the rush of life and history of the Peruvian capitol. I did find a saving grace; the largest (and tallest) graveyard I have ever set foot in. I think there is something intriguing about everywhere in the world. Every city, town, village, forest, desert.. Sometimes it just takes a little longer to find it. We landed in Santiago, and as I do, I routined into a quick airport washroom change into summer clothes and a generous layer of SPF 50....
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