Information on Caracus

Re: Your travel in 2006...monthly updates

CCS - The road that bypasses the bridge that fell down was effectively closed last week. It took a colleague 9 hours to get from the airport to the city!

Easter Island was well worth the visit, even though I thought that I would get bored with Moai after a short while. I stayed 2 nights with a one day tour, and I would have liked one more day just to see the basics. It would be also a great place to just sit back and relax for a few more days. The island has a population of about 3500 and in the high season can have 2000 tourists as well. May was good because it was not so crowded. Apparently the tourist numbers have jumped from 2000 a year 15 years ago to about 50,000 today, so the island is on the cusp of losing the "unspoilt" environment. At present, you can still get up close and personal to some of the moai, but I have no doubt that in years to come it will become more like the better known destinations where all the attractions are roped off and you feel that you would have done better to stay home and watch it on TV.

A friendly place, and better Spanish would have been a help to me, but I managed, especially since the people who own the hotel I stayed at spoke English (one is Australian (which I know is not quite Kiwi English)). If you are interested, check out their website www.tauraahotel.cl or send an email to Edith at tauraa@entelchile.net.

Any other questions - just ask. If I get time I will do a trip report.

 

Easter Island

Well worth a 3 day (4 night) visit. No need to book accommodation ahead of time, unless you want to stay in one of the 2(?) hotels. Value for money & reports on these hotels are mixed, especially the one at the end on the airport runway. Many locals run private guest houses. They have desks in the luggage collection area where you select a place to stay while waiting for luggage. Then you get in there car and off you go to the guest house.

 

I was in Caracas Dec last year, and I wouldn't recommend spending too long in the actual city itself. The city does not have a great deal of attractions, it is rather unclean and unsafe. If I ever return there I will be staying on the coast somewhere, and if I feel I need to see the city again I would only go as a day trip.

Sorry to hear that the road is down again...collapsed shortly after I was there.

Hope you enjoy your trip, hope to read lots about Easter Island.

Mal.