Rapa Nui stole my heart. I always deeply fall in love with the people who identify themselves with their culture, and this was one of those experiences. The people at Explora Rapa Nui demonstrated Rapa Nui umu, a traditional earth oven. This photo was right after we uncovered the dirt, showing banana leaves that’s been covering the food. The smell of the first steam from the ground is something that I can’t forget for a long time. It was a quite spiritual experience, like mana went through my heart. It made a beautiful dent in my heart. Remember, “We can never have too much banana leaves.”
