Once and Future Myths: The Power of Ancient Stories in Our Lives by Phil Cousineau

Author:Phil Cousineau [Cousineau, Phil]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Mango Media
Published: 2003-05-31T22:00:00+00:00

FOUR

The Myth of Travel

From Easter Island to the Moon

“What planet would you advise me to

visit now?” he asked.

“The planet Earth,” replied the geographer.

“It has a good reputation.”

—ANTOINE DE SAINT-EXUPERY, The Little Prince

For five hours and fifteen hundred miles there is nothing but black sky and dark sea. I peer out the window of the airplane to search for the island; it's as difficult to spot as a speck of pepper on black crepe paper. Finally, two rows of runway lights, shining like diamonds in the night, appear alongside the hulking shape of a volcano. They end when the island does, at the cliff's edge a few hundred yards away. The drop-off darkness sends a shiver of anxiety through me, a feeling of apprehension mixed with anticipation, at the utter remoteness of where we're landing.

When I step off the plane and onto the tarmac runway of Mataveri Airport on Rapa Nui, better known as Easter Island, I am instantly enchanted. The night air is sweetly fragrant as passengers are greeted with garlands of white hibiscus. Two young kids riding bareback on the same spavined horse along the perimeter fence shout gleefully to returning friends. The owners of several local hotels rush the door of the old wooden airport, calmly asking us if we'd like a room for the night. Chris Zelov and Henrique Kopke, the other members of the small film team I'm traveling with, shuffle inside to collect our luggage and equipment, but I pull back for a moment, seized by a strange sight in the small garden just outside the customs office.

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