I can’t wait to hear about Easter Island! Have you already been there and are holding out?? I read Jared Diamond’s book Collapse. It had a whole section on the Easter Islands. Curious to get your impressions and learn what the story on the ground is!
I just posted it yesterday. It is a fascinating place. It is hard to get real research from tour guides, but my guess is that they over populated the island, inter-tribal struggles left them weakened (along the way they knocked down each others Moai) and slavers from South America took most of them off the island, including the chief. An “appointed” chief sold the island, excepting the one village to a sheep raising operation. The remaining people were contained in the village until some reforms were began in the last 30 years. They are still struggling to regain their island, but are definetely on the rebound with the help of the Chilean government. The undeveloped former “sheep ranch” comprising 95% of the island is very pristine and much of it has been turned into National Park.
Glad that the seas have calmed. Happy Valentine’s Day!
Love, Jeff and Darrel
I can’t wait to hear about Easter Island! Have you already been there and are holding out?? I read Jared Diamond’s book Collapse. It had a whole section on the Easter Islands. Curious to get your impressions and learn what the story on the ground is!
I just posted it yesterday. It is a fascinating place. It is hard to get real research from tour guides, but my guess is that they over populated the island, inter-tribal struggles left them weakened (along the way they knocked down each others Moai) and slavers from South America took most of them off the island, including the chief. An “appointed” chief sold the island, excepting the one village to a sheep raising operation. The remaining people were contained in the village until some reforms were began in the last 30 years. They are still struggling to regain their island, but are definetely on the rebound with the help of the Chilean government. The undeveloped former “sheep ranch” comprising 95% of the island is very pristine and much of it has been turned into National Park.