With excitement we got up at 6am ready to take the dark drive to Tongariki, The most famous collection of Moai on the island to watch the sunrise.. We were warned to take the road slowly due to large amounts of wild cows and horses (a bit like the new forest) that roam freely around Easter island. So we made sure we left plenty of time to cruise over there. After taking a wrong turn (this island may be small but there are literally no road signs and tons of roads that aren't on the map) we realised our error and swung our little terios around. Having remembered seeing quite a few horses and cattle at the side of the road we took the drive at a steady pace. Coming across a group of horses in the road we slowed to a stop assuming they would wander out of the way.. What came next was more than a surprise! One of the horses with a glint in it's eye obviously shocked by the head lights of the car bolted directly towards the drivers door smashing into it! In absolute horror I put my foot down and hurtled away with the now detached wing mirror smashing against the door hanging on by a single wire.. Too afraid to stop for a variety of reasons including previous experiences with psyco local drivers and cows with horns we carried on driving through the darkness in a mix of shock and laughter until we found the turning for the road we were originally supposed to be on; pulling over we surveyed the damage.. The car obviously came off worse than the horse as it totally ripped off the wing mirror and put a massive dent in both the front and rear drivers side doors, plus where we had driven away in such haste the area surrounding the wing mirror is all scratched..
Pulling the wing mirror inside the window we headed on in the darkness with dust blowing in our eyes through the now wide open window praying that no further wild animal would throw itself at us.. With still a way to go the light was starting to creep across the east of the island as we continued to try and complete our original view.. As time was against us we pulled over at a single Moai and absorbed the spectacular sunrise with the hope that we will reach our intended destination later in the week.
As we sit here now writing this we are waiting to hear the cost of our horse damage as there is no such thing as car insurance here.. We will let you know the outcome..
- Posted whilst on the road
Location:Easter island
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