Easter Island in Chile, Valparaiso region

 Chile - Valparaiso  Comments Off
Feb 212013
 

Introduction :
Easter Island is located in the south eastern part of the Pacific Ocean and is a special territory of Chile under the Valparaiso region and only commune in the province of Isla de Pascua. Much of the island is protected within the Rapa Nui National Park which is a World Heritage Site since 1995. The Easter Island is one of the world’s most sacred and important archaelogical sites and is famous for its stone cravings built centuries ago known as the Moai statues, reflecting the culture and history of the isolated Polynesian people. There is a total of 887 Moai in the island with an average height of 4 metres and width of 1.6 metres at its base weighing over 10 tonnes each.

Row of Moai statues at Ahu Tongariki
Row of Moai statues at Ahu Tongariki
Image attribution to zewegers @ Flickr

Close up on one of the Moai
Close up on one of the Moai

The volcano crater at Rano Kau
The volcano crater at Rano Kao
Image attribution to Professor X @ Wiki

Cravings on red stone known as Makemake
Cravings on red stone known as Makemake
Image attribution to Rivi @ Wiki

History :
Easter Island is believed to be one of the youngest inhabited places on Earth and was believed to be inhabited around the 8th century onwards while some believed the first settlers was as early as the 4th century by the inhabitants in Hawaii. The Austronesian Polynesians are likely to be the first settlers on the island arriving from the western side of the Marquesas Islands. All the Moai statues were toppled during the end of the 18th century due to internal conflicts among islanders according to European recordings. The first European explorer on the island was Dutch nagivator Jacob Roggeveen and reported an estimated 2000-3000 inhabitants on the island. The Easter Island was annexed by the government of Chile in 1888 who signed the treaty with the Rapa Nui people but the inhabitants were congined to the settlement of Hanga Roa. In 1966, the Rapa Nui began receiving Chilean citizenship and started embracing their ancient culture, reconstructing the island.

Small rock island across where the birdman cult competes
Small rock island across where the birdman cult competes
Image attribution to artemi ourbina @ Flickr

Ancient ceremonial ground in Orongo
Ancient ceremonial ground in Orongo

Moai statues in Rano Raraku
Moai statues in Rano Raraku

Cute looking Moai in Aku Koteriku
Cute looking Moai in Aku Koteriku

Getting there :
The only airport on the Easter Island is the Mataveri International Airport (IPC) served only by the LAN airlines from the capital of Chile in Santiago.

Leshan Giant Buddha in China, Sichuan

 China - Sichuan  Comments Off
Feb 182013
 

Introduction :
The Leshan Giant Buddha is located near Leshan City in the province of Sichuan in China and is the largest stone Buddha ever created in the world as well as the biggest and tallest existing statue from the ancient times. It has been listed a a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996 and is one of the main landmarks in the Chinese province of Sichuan. The Buddha statue sits at 71 metres tall and 28 metres wide and depicts a seated Maitreya Buddha.

Leshan Buddha and the river
Leshan Buddha and the river
Image attribution to Ariel Steiner @ Wiki

The cliff stairway to the top of the statue
The cliff stairway to the top of the statue
Image attribution to happyheo @ Flickr

Close up view on the head of the Giant Buddha
Close up view on the head of the Giant Buddha

History :
The construction of the Leshan Buddha started in 713 AD during the Tang Dynasty by a Chinese monk hoping that the Buddha statue would calm the turbulent waters plauging shipping vessels around the river. However the construction was delayed due to lack of funding until a Chinese official sponsored the project to resume construction and was completed by 803 AD. The construction of the Giant Buddha was said to have resulted so much stone falling from the cliff face into the river that it eventually calm the turbulent waters around the river. A wooden structure was originally built to shelter the Giant Buddha but was destroyed by the Mongolians during the Yuan dynasty wars.

Guardian craving at the side of the Buddha
Guardian craving at the side of the Buddha

Closer full view
Closer full view

Smaller buddha statues around the Giant Buddha
Smaller buddha statues around the Giant Buddha

Getting there :
The nearest international airport is the Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport (CTU) and is around 130 km from the Leshan Giant Buddha.

Cristo Redentor in Brazil, Rio de Janeiro

 Brazil - Rio de Janeiro  1 Response »
Feb 062013
 

Introduction :
The Cristo Redentor is located in on the peak of the Corcovado mountain in the capital city of Brazil, Rio de Janeiro. It is a statue that symbolizes the Christianity in Brazil and an iconic landmark for the city as well as the country. The Cristo Redentor is 635 tonnes in weight and the statue measures 30 metres in height and 19 metres in width and is built from reinforced stone concrete and soapstone.

The Cristo Redentor with open arms watching over the city of Rio de Janeiro
The Cristo Redentor with open arms watching over the city of Rio de Janeiro
Image attribution to Artyominc @ Wiki

Full view of the statue
Full view of the statue

History :
The Cristo Redentor with open arms is a symbol of peace and construction took 9 years before completion in 1931. The Cristo Redentor was one of the winners in the internet poll of the New Seven Wonders of the World which was announced in July 2007.

Close up view on the face of Cristo Redentor
Close up view on the face of Cristo Redentor

Cristo Redentor at night
Cristo Redentor at night

Getting there :
The nearest airport to Cristo Redentor is the Rio de Janeiro International airport followed by a short 30 mins taxi to the location