A few final thoughts

While flying our final leg back to Orlando, I had a chance to reflect on what a fabulous trip we were completing.  I spent a little time thinking about each of the destination, but what really made this expedition special was the people.  And by this, I mean both the people we met at each destination but especially the people we shared the experience with.

The people that signed up for this trip are obviously up for an adventure.  This trip is not for the faint of heart with 5:00 a.m. wake-up calls and a new destination every few days.  However, everyone kept a smile on their face and welcomed each new destination with a continuing sense of wonderment.  We met some wonderful people that we will not hesitate to contact when passing through their hometowns.  There may even be some additional travel with some of our new friends in the near future.

The TCS staff was outstanding and made the trip feel effortless even though there were countless hours behind the scenes making sure everything ran on time without any major problems.  Eszter, Lynn and Mary all were our moms, making sure our luggage boarded the plane and was delivered to our rooms, our customs documents were filled out, and our tours were informative.  To make this trip on our own would have taken much longer due to all the logistics we would have had to handle on our own.  Bravo to them all.

The expert presenters added color to the trip with minimal effort on our part.  In particular, Charles was invaluable when making decisions on what tour options to take, also offering shopping services when needed.  The presentations helped make our 7 hour flights fly by.

The flight crew really worked hard to make our 72 hours on the plane pass by with as little discomfort as possible.  We really felt like we were returning to our family when boarding the jet.  On our final flight, David and I along with a couple of other passengers were recruited to give the safety demo.  Video to follow.  They greeted us with warm towels and smiling faces.  David was the recipient of two large bags filled with sour cream pretzels that they knew he had become addicted to.  They were truly a special addition to the trip.

Would I do this again?  In a heart beat.  Do I have any regrets?  None.  We've already started looking at future trips with TCS hoping to entice some of our new friends to join us.  I hope this blog has been informative and entertaining and worth the time you've spent reading it.  It definitely will serve as a reminder to me what a special November I had in 2011.

The Remotest Place on Earth

Have you ever circled an island at 1500 feet not once but twice in a 757?  Well, we did.  Because there’s not a lot of air traffic around Easter Island, one of our travel experts asked our pilot if he could get clearance to circle the island twice, once for the right side of the plane and once for the left side of the plane.  We could see inside the crater of a dormant volcano, we could see statutes on the beach, you name it we could see it.  What an experience!

For those of you that have or have had teenagers (especially boys), you’ll relate to our welcome to Easter Island.  Before we were allowed off the plane a very nice person boarded and walked down our aisles spraying disinfectant.   I guess like teenagers, they weren’t sure where we’d been and what we might be have gotten into, but a little Lysol seemed like a good way to make us a little more socially acceptable.

Rapanui, better known as Easter Island, is one of the most remote places on earth located in the Southern Hemisphere between Chile and the Polynesian islands.  We probably would have no interest in it except for the very large stone sculptures known as moai left in various locations around the island from an ancient culture.  I’m sure you’ve seen photos, large heads attached to legless bodies with very long arms, much like the people they seem to interview after a tornado hits a trailer park in the Midwest.  They come in all sizes, but like most things, we are much more fascinated by the really big ones.  And big they are.

First, a note about our accommodations.  Think about a 1950’s era motor lodge and you’ll have a pretty good idea what awaited us.  It was clean, had a comfortable bed, but far from luxurious.  What they lacked in luxury they more than made up for in scenery.  The sunset was stunning, with gentle waves lapping at the rocky coastline. a gentle breeze at our back.  Picture postcard perfect.

The morning we headed out to view various moai locations around the island, it was a little overcast with a threat of rain on the horizon.  Our first stop was a location with statutes in various states of repair at a rocky beach location.  As the visit progressed, the skies darkened and precipitation began to fall.  We hurried to the bus, on to the most historically significant location on the island.  By this time it was really raining and those gently breezes weren’t quite so gentle.  We waited a few minutes for it to blow over (which apparently it always does) but to no avail.  We zipped on our rain coats and headed out.  If you have every watched that movie classic, Caddy Shack, think about the scene where the priest is having the game of his life in hurricane like conditions and you’ll have a good idea of our touring conditions.  We soldiered on because this might be our only shot at visiting the quarry where the moai were carved in place.  To say we were soaked is an understatement.  My phone got so wet that it no longer functions and it was inside my purse!

A quick change of plans (no beachside lunch) found us back at the motel changing into dry clothes and waiting out the rain.  After lunch, it did clear to a point a few stalwart travelers were ready to try again.  We visited a site where our guide, Claudio, and his archeological team restored an alter to its original splendor thanks to the gift of a Japanese crane donated to assist in their work.  It took five years, surviving a labor shortage due to a really bad Kevin Costner movie that briefly made all the natives “actors”, to complete the movie and reassembling the seven moai back to their rightful location.  Barring a major earthquake or tsunami, they should be there for years to come.

Our evening’s entertainment was a local dance troupe that won a dance competition among the Polynesian islands.  I’ve never been fascinated by Chippendale dancers, but let me say these guys were really something to watch!  Talk about abs of steel.  I’m sure if David was writing this post he could add a description of the female dancers, but frankly I was too fixated on the shimmering tanned natives gyrating a few feet in front on me, pounding their (shaved) chests and flexing their muscles all to native inspired music to even notice anyone else on stage.  Enough said.