The Moai and landscapes of Easter Island.

I don’t know when I first became aware of Easter Island, or Rapa Nui. I can’t help but think I saw my first moai on a National Geographic magazine cover. One of my aunts gave us an annual subscription every year for Christmas, and before I even considered that traveling to see these sights on my own was a possibility, I traveled in the pages of the magazine.

The time I spent on Easter Island was magical. I didn’t expect to be as excited before my trip, or as full of wonder during, from my first encounter with the moai to the morning of my last morning spent in a cafe overlooking the ocean.

—February 16-20, 2023.