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Chile and Easter Island

City of Valparaiso across the bay
Not only does Torres del Paine boast several distinct ecosystems; each ecosystem contains a wealth of landscapes, flora, and fauna found nowhere else in world.
Looking out from the bridge of the ship in the fjords.
For the second time on this trip we view up close a Condor in flight.  I was one of the only photographers to catch this magnificent bird in flight.
Nicole Flores,  our Chilean guide for the trip, and one of our travelers mix the famous red "pipeno" to kill your sorrows.  Quita penas, or "take away sorrow", is exactly what the patrons of this bar do - drown their sorrows with a large jug of pipeño or in one of their rich dishes. The food served here is a true example of Chilean comfort food at its finest, with bread, potatoes and meat as the base of almost all of these dishes.
We have now returned to Santiago, Chile after a great 5 days visiting Easter Island.
Ahu Akivi is part of the Ahu Akivi-Vai Teka complex which was built up by the Rapa Nui people in two phases. In the first phase, during the 16th century a central rectangular platform was created on a leveled surface. It had wings projecting to the north and the south directions. An approach ramp was also part of this platform which led to the ceremonial plaza stretching 25 metres (82 ft) towards the west of the central platform. A cremation ground existed behind the central platform. The second phase of construction was elaborately planned and implemented in the early years of the 17th century when the platform was modified, a ramp was created, seven statues of equal size were erected. Another crematorium was also built. A cave in which people used to reside was also used as tomb during historic times.
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View of the port
The national park has over 252,000 visitors per year. It is a popular hiking destination in Chile.
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Giant molinas or wind mills on the Atacama desert floor located in Northern Chile.
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This is a map of Easter Island.  The numbers in red are all the places that we visited while on the island.
The country side inland from the ocean. Very rural.
Though the consensus is that Easter Island did indeed suffer an ecological catastrophe, no doubt helped along by human folly, one theory argues that it was rats – yes, rats – that were key culprits in the demise. Archaeologists have found that nuts retrieved from the extinct Easter Island palm show evidence of nibbling by Polynesian rats. By eating the nuts, the sizeable rat population could have prevented reseeding of the bountiful but slow-growing palms across the island, causing them to die out.  But the most likely cause of the downfall of Rapanui society is disease brought about by slavery. According to Easter Island: The Truth Revealed, approximately 1,500 to 2,000 people – half the population – were taken in 1862 in a raid by slave traders from Peru to work there, predominately in agriculture.
The famous hillsides of Valparaiso
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Murals on the face of a restaurant

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