Leslie Forman
November 1, 2011 — By Leslie Forman

Cementerio Rapa Nui: A Lovely Place to Rest in Peace

Today is All Soul’s Day, and I feel that it’s the ideal time to share photos from the most breathtakingly beautiful cemetery I’ve ever seen. During our trip to Easter Island, we stayed at a modest guesthouse close to this cemetery. I feel a bit weird posting photos of a cemetery, but this place is […]

Today is All Soul’s Day, and I feel that it’s the ideal time to share photos from the most breathtakingly beautiful cemetery I’ve ever seen. During our trip to Easter Island, we stayed at a modest guesthouse close to this cemetery.

The morning clouds made the place feel even more dramatic and intense.

One of the most beautiful places I've ever seen! I loved this headstone, carved in harmony with the natural shape of the wood.

Many of the gravesites had solar-powered lights. Every time we passed by at night, I wished I had the appropriate tools and photography skills to capture the beauty of this lantern-lit cemetery within earshot of the sea.

A few weeks before our trip to Easter Island, I'd seen these solar-powered garden lights for sale at HomeCenter (like Chile's Home Depot, a home-improvement megastore.) A cemetery by the sea seems like the ideal place to use these lights.

May all the souls in this special place rest in peace!

I feel a bit weird posting photos of a cemetery, but this place is so gorgeous I really wanted to share it with all of you. What do you think of cemeteries as tourist attractions? Do you have any special traditions for All Soul’s Day?