So what do I take back from the Easter Islands ?
The Easter Islands are a tropical paradise. There are other places like that as well, but its cultural heritage makes it unique. I loved it for the Mo’ais and caves, the relaxed atmosphere, and the people, I met there.
Maybe the same forces shaped its ancient culture as in Japan: Even more than Japan, Easter Island was secluded and almost without stimuli from the outside which might have led to a refinement of the Polynesian culture the first settlers brought along.
Scholars have different theories when the settlement of the Easter Islands really took place, and whether it was just one group or several groups that settled on Rapa Nui. Unanimously they are however on how the culture declined: The natural resources were overused leading to violent clashes between different groups. In the that respect, Easter Island was the perfect laboratory as the lack of external influences makes cause and effect clearly visible.
Today, the economy of Easter Island heavily depends on Chile. The main income comes from tourism. The numbers of tourists are inclining but it is not mass tourism. There are no bed-bunkers as in Mallorca — and hopefully there never will be and Rapa Nui can remain a tropical paradise in the vast sea.
