It all began with a nudge – “Easter Island is one of the best places in the Southern Hemisphere for stargazing.” The idea immediately sparked my curiosity, but the $140 price tag for a stargazing tour seemed a bit steep. Then, a thought struck me: Why not rent a car and explore on my own? I could even take a scenic drive along the coast the next day—perfect!
But when I inquired, they only had manual cars available [facepalm]. It had been 20 years since I last drove a stick shift… I gritted my teeth and rented it! I stalled twice, managed to start on a slope, and only realized after driving back to my accommodation that this old car didn’t even have glass windows [shocked] and no locking mechanism [shocked]. The rental place was already closed, so I steeled my heart and kept driving.
After watching the breathtaking sunset at Tahai, I set off towards Anakena Beach. Darkness fell quickly, and the road turned into an unlit, bumpy off-road. I took a wrong turn and was terrified the whole way, worried the car would get stuck or stall. Fortunately, I arrived safely.
I rushed to the beach with my phone, brimming with excitement. The sky was filled with countless beautiful stars. I carefully stepped through the grass and sand, wary of snakes [embarrassed] (later confirmed, Easter Island has no snakes).
Just as I snapped two photos in front of the Moai, a very bright light shone over, and a local man suddenly appeared [shocked]. To be honest, in such a dark place, I was genuinely scared when a stranger suddenly showed up. Luckily, he was just a guard, reminding me not to get too close to the Moai.
Shaken, I decided to head back, but then I realized a big problem: coming here, I had the Moai as a reference, but now the beach was pitch black and looked the same everywhere. I didn’t know which way to go [shocked]. I wandered around like a headless fly and ran into the guard again. He kindly pointed me in a direction, but when I followed it, it wasn’t the way I came, and I couldn’t find my car [shocked].
If I had just walked along the perimeter, I would have found my car, but with so many things happening at once, I completely panicked [shocked][shocked][shocked][shocked]. At that moment, a police car patrolling by appeared. I instinctively stopped them, hoping they could help me find my car by driving around.
But a new problem arose: they didn’t speak English, and there was no internet for translation [facepalm]. After a while of miscommunication, they still didn’t understand, so they let me get in the police car and went to find the guard. The guard understood some English and finally got that I was looking for my car.
So, I got back in the police car, and after about 300 meters, I saw my old car. Thank goodness! [frowning] The two police officers waited until I confirmed the car could start before leaving [frowning]. Then I drove back to my accommodation, trembling.
Well, that’s how I ended up in a police car, all just to take a photo of the Moai under the Milky Way.
If it were anywhere else in Chile, I wouldn’t dream of stepping out at night. But I heard that Easter Island boasts excellent security and zero crime, and the locals, including a friendly uncle and the police, were incredibly helpful. Still, next time, I think I’ll stick to a guided tour [laughing and crying].
Oh, and here’s a little detail I almost forgot: this vintage car needed to be manually turned off, and after a night filled with fear, I completely forgot to switch off the lights. So, the next morning, the car was as lifeless as a stone, refusing to start [facepalm].
