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giant stone monoliths In his book The Happy Isles of Oceania, Paul Theroux finally made it to Easter Island and for once he seemed happy being somewhere. Contrasting the first four hundred pages of his book, he was positively giddy about Rapa Nui. Not only did he like the islands themselves, he also liked the people that lived there. Personally I was glad to hear it. Not only was the end of the book a more pleasant read than the beginning, but going there has been on my list of things to do before I die list for some time and hearing him dismiss it would have been crushing to me. I can't remember if it was in a book or on television where I first saw a moai, one of the stone heads that litter the island, but the sight of those faces made a definite impression on me. The idea of being able to walk amongst such sculptures quickly filled my head as something that I had to do. On Globe Trekker, Ian Wright made his way through the country of Norway and seeing him do so was my last television for the day. |