"you yourself are the most beautiful soul in the world, and every day spent living in truth, being true to yourself, with your true self, will always be a beautiful day" ― bodhinku, true self
since visiting rapa nui, i have found my dreamland place in reality and i have frequently revisited it in my subconscious ever since almost nightly to this isolated and remote island in the southern pacific ocean. it is here where there are the moai (spiritual statues) who are forever looking inward with their backs to the sea, protecting the island from spiritual invaders.
these are guardians of the night forever and always singing a silent lullaby with a distinct but hidden rhythm that i can both hear and see in my mind's eye...an enchanting beat much the same a symbiotic heartbeat that draws me closer like a lover. to fall in line with the rhythm, i only have to sigh and i am rejoined in rejoicing. it is metaphysical music to my ears, and nourishment for my soul, and a silence i want to hear more and more often in my life these days. there is such a beautiful rhythm in a melody of my heart.
after being lucky enough to have visited this island now three different times and bring it home in my memories, these visions of mystics now seemingly watch over me, sing their silent songs of wisdom to me, help to see me through my dreams, guide me through the doorways in my mind, and my reality with their rhythm into my heartbeat...my lucidity of life....can you hear them singing in silence? can you? can you see the echo in your mind?
my first visit in the summer (remember the southern hemisphere seasons are opposite of those enjoyed in the northern hemisphere), december of 2015 was special, and i left the island in awe, not wanting to leave...so i returned, twice more, once in the fall (april) of 2018 and again in winter (june-july) of 2019...and each time i arrive, i always have to leave, and i leave, but i leave wanting more, i'm not done yet, not even close...i want to go back again because i know i still have things i want to do, and unfinished moments there to spend, to live, to just be...i am not even close to being done with rapa nui, isla de pascua (a.k.a. easter island) in my life, i feel like this is all just only the beginning for me, my relationship with rapa nui is only just starting to develop like a grand and epic love story...for greater adventures and so many more beautiful moments still lie ahead of me the rest of my life, together this island and me...
as i stated above, this past summer in june-july 2019, i made the trip to easter island (rapa nui) for my third time in a span of four years...but why in the world would anyone travel to one of the most remote places on our planet, spending a nice sum of money to get there once again, when they have already been there twice already? simply put, the place is silently dreamy to me...and i will be going back again very soon...
is one of my favorite places to go on this earth, i have such a strong affinity for it...there is just something about it that draws me in, draws me back to it time and time again, i truly love it there...a mystique that i just cannot stay away from no matter how hard i try, and i find again and again, that i am compelled to travel to this tiny and remote south pacific island, returning over and over and over, so strangely beautiful, captivating, fascinating, and magical for my soul...ella esta mi isla de suenos...
the "traveling" moai pictured here is located within the grounds of the protected ahu tongariki which opens shortly before dawn and remains open until 6:00p.m...no trespassing is allowed during closed hours, and rigorous security is provided 24 hours and all night to watch this famous site and protect all the statues, with trespassers either ticketed or arrested. however, this statue is close enough to the road's edge next to the site, and as such, it can be photographed from the other side of the protective stone wall that surrounds the site in off hours without stepping on to the grounds and breaking the law...
the "a vere" moai, known as the “traveling moai”, is located at the entrance to the ahu tongariki and is one of the most photographed statues on easter island. it is truly "el guardian de tongariki" as it is a singular statue that welcomes the visitor who enters the archaeological site of the ahu tongariki. it is located on the left, close to the wal and the road, a few steps from the access to this magical place, in front of the park rangers control kiosk and very close to the remains of a hare paenga or boat-house.