The instructions today were to have the bags packed and outside our door at 6:45 am. We would then have breakfast and set off for the airport at 7:30 am. I mentioned yesterday that we got soaked. I had my iPhone in my backpack. It didn’t get drowned but it got wet. When I got back to the room last evening it was acting a bit strange but as things dried out is seemed to be returning to normal. I’ve been using the iPhone as the alarm clock. The room has blackout shutters so it is hard to tell the time from the light. In the morning a porter opens the door to the room. I make him aware we are there, he apologizes and leaves. I’m thinking, “that’s strange.” So then I look at the clock and it is 7:05 am. Total panic sets in. We hadn’t packed anything the night before because we wanted things to dry out. I get Marie up and we go into combat mode. We are throwing everything together as fast as possible. I’m not only worried about the baggage but also about holding the group up. At about 7:20 am I open the door and a porter is outside. I give him the bags and apologize. He says, “no problem.” No problem, maybe you don’t have a problem but I’m panicked.
Outside it is raining hard. We get down to the front desk only to find out that the flight has been delayed. We had plenty of time. Still, I can’t get back the 5 years of my life that the panic took out of me. We have a leisurely breakfast, wait around the hotel and finally the weather clears.
The tour operators had built room into the schedule for such a problem. It was actually better to cool our heels at the hotel than to spend a two hour layover at the airport. The weather cleared and we headed to the airport. When the 737 took off it felt like it was using every inch of the runway. The plane shuddered when it finally left the ground.
In Lima wee cleared immigration and boarded the 757. It was nice to be back on the luxury liner. We headed for Easter Island.
There is nothing to see except for blue water and clouds between Lima and Easter Island. When we approached Easter Island the pilot gave us a special treat. He took the 757 down to about 1000 ft. and did a full circle of the Island pointing out the features. He turned it around so that the people on the other side of the plane could get the full experience. The pilot was excited because as he said, “we don’t get to do this very often.” Then he brought the 757 in on the two mile runway that was lengthened and reinforced as a possible emergency landing strip for the Space Shuttle.
We are staying at the Hangaroa Hotel which is a newly renovated resort. It is gorgeous! We are in heaven.
The flyby of Easter Island. Note how low the tip of the wing is to the Island.
The two mile landing strip.