Within 15 minutes from when we left home, we couldn't find
the road we were looking for. We had pretty much tried all the possibilities
when a group on horseback went by in our direction. We followed them off road
for a kilometer or so until the trail became unbikeable. We were in the outback
by then. There were other trails that came and went, many made by the wild
horses grazing and wandering, but for the most part they weren't bikeable
either. We knew the general direction we wanted to go, and our guide book said
we couldn't get lost in Rapa Nui. We proved it wrong. With only the lay of
the land, the sun and the distant sea for reference, we push our bikes over
rocks and through brambles looking for a bikeable road or trail.
After pushing on for an hour and a half, we finally came out
a couple of kilometers from home on the
coast road we had taken 2 days prior. With relief, a few bruises, scrapes and
just a little blood, we cycled on. Just past
where we had left off 2 days before, the road veered east into the
interior. At that point, we left our
bikes and hiked along the beautiful northwest coast. Our guide book described
it as "the island's most dramatic walk" and we agreed.
Also, because of the area's inaccessibility, the historical
remains are for the most part untouched, some from hundreds of years ago. I joined my new friend Moai for a little rest.
This was our last Rapa Nui adventure, and I'm hopeful as the
scars heal, Marlene will forgive me for our rough start.
Click here for the next story in this series:
http://travellingwithsteveandmarlene.blogspot.ca/2013/10/postscript-kudos-and-words-of.html
Click here for the next story in this series:
http://travellingwithsteveandmarlene.blogspot.ca/2013/10/postscript-kudos-and-words-of.html
