South by South America Tour – Chile Part 15

A Moai at the airport in Hanga Roa, Rapa Nui, Chile.

Sadly, the day I had to leave Rapa Nui finally arrived. I wish I could have stayed a few more days! A little bit after noon, the second of two daily flights back to Santiago ascended to the sky. Luckily, no one sat next to me, so I had a whole row of three seats all to myself! On the way up, I got a really nice view of the whole island of Rapa Nui. After lunch on the plane, I threw a blanket over my head and slept for two or three hours since I only got maybe three or four hours of shut eye the night before. About 45 minutes before landing, I woke up and played some games on the seat back touch screen. At the airport in Santiago, I bought a ticket for a Turbus back to the city center. I was stoked it only cost $3.00!

A boarding hallway at the airport in Hanga Roa, Rapa Nui, Chile.

I should have checked my big backpack into the luggage compartment below, though, as there was no extra space for it up in the seats, where I had to hold it and my messenger bag in my lap for about half the trip! After a while, it got really heavy. The bus was so packed, some people were even standing in the aisles. After 45 minutes and several short stops, the bus terminated at a big station and everyone got off. Luckily, there was a subway stop right there, and after a bit of confusion that resulted in me taking the train in the wrong direction, I got it sorted and finally made it back to the Hostel Plaza de Armas around 9:30 pm for some much needed rest.

The western half of the island of Rapa Nui, Chile..

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Words and photos ©2019 Arcane Candy.