Chile

DVD. Globe Trekker Video. Chile is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the west and separated from the rest of South America by the Andes Mountains. Nearly three thousand miles in length and rarely more than a hundred miles wide, Chile stretches from the tropics almost to Antarctica. Traveler Ian Wright begins his journey in the scorching aridity of the Atacama Desert. He then moves south to the capital, Santiago, before taking a train to visit the indigenous Mapuche Indians. He travels across the astounding glacier-streamed mountains of Torres del Paine National Park. Via Robinson Crusoe Island, he then flies to Easter Island to end his journey on one of the most remote inhabited places on earth. 47 minutes Along the Way - $_$_START_LIST ? See ancient mummies with their glossy black hair still neatly braided. ? Watch dawn break over the highest geyser field in the world. ? Learn how to herd llamas. ? Observe the stars through the largest telescope in the southern hemisphere. ? See the colossal Moai on Easter Island, among the most fascinating archaeological mysteries of all time. $_$_END_LIST

DVD. Discover The World. 30 Minutes. This program looks at the people, history, culture and geography of: Chile.

DVD. Global Treasures. 10 Minutes. Around 3,500 kilometres west of the mainland of Chile is the Pacific island of Rapa Nui, otherwise known as Easter Island. Three million years ago volcanic activity created this small island of lava that covers an area of a hundred and sixty square kilometres. Rapa Nui is one of the most remote places on Earth and its closest neighbour is Pitcairn Island more than two thousand kilometres west. Since its discovery by Dutch sailors on Easter Sunday, 1722, there has been a great deal of interest in the island. In spite of its growing tourist trade the island has retained an air of tranquillity and is ideal for nature lovers and those interested in its history. Theories abound as to who were the first settlers to arrive on this tiny island but scientists believe that its first inhabitants originated from Eastern Polynesia. But the island's main focal point are its gigantic and mysterious stone monuments that date back to late pre-historic times. These mighty statues have always stimulated a certain amount of fantasy as the island was thought to be part of a lost continent. Nearly all the mighty figures, known as Moai, originated from the slopes of the Rano Raraku Volcano. Its Tuff stone was an ideal sculpting material and its soft texture made it possible for the islanders to create tall, massive statues out of the rock within only a few weeks. There are still almost four hundred individually crafted Moai figures on the island. During the 19th century slave traders arrived and took with them thousands of the island's inhabitants. Those that were left of the island's religious leaders took their knowledge of the island and its culture to their graves. Thus the exact meaning of the intriguing, giant Megalithic sculptures will remain an unsolved mystery for the rest of time.

DVD. Terra Mystica. 26 Minutes. Facing in the direction of the rising sun, 300 sculptures known as `Moais', or `long ears', were discovered on Easter Island in 1722, a remote volcanic island in the Pacific Ocean. It is most likely that the people who erected the statues arrived by sea from Peru and belonged to a tribe that was condemned to extinction due to their polygamous practices. Carved from volcanic tufa, the mysterious statues, which range in height from 10 to 40 feet and some of which weigh more than 50 tons, were dedicated to `Virachoche', a god that possessed the face of a jaguar and cried tears of gold. Dating back 5 or 6 centuries, it is thought that these mysterious statues were built by the Polynesian ancestors of the island's current inhabitants.

DVD. Nature Parks Those who live on Easter Island call it, Rapa Nui. Surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, the island is located on the eastern point of the Polynesian Triangle of which Hawaii and New Zealand make up the other two. Today, Rapa Nui has a population of 3,000 that consists of 34 clan families. For 250 years, a multitude of ethnologists and archaeologists from all over the world have come to discover the secrets of this mysterious island. It contains around 600 bizarre stone monuments known as `Moais', that measure between 4 and 10 metres high. The island's large, angry-looking statues have sharp, elongated heads, long, narrow ears, deep-set eyes and thin lips. A large number of the first inhabitants' cruel rituals took place on the island's steep coast. It was there that many were sacrificed in the name of the gods. Ahu Tongariki was the island's largest location for cult ceremonies and its Moais point straight toward the island's volcano. The stone structures that are situated at Orongo, a former place of ritual, are cave-like buildings in which the dead were entombed within small stone chambers known as `Ahus'. During the 1950s, the Norwegian researcher Thor Heyerdahl spent an entire year on Rapa Nui. When first discovered, not one of the figures stood on its original foundation but with the aid of the islanders, Heyerdahl managed to re-erect a single Moai. Beginning in 1935 and for the next 30 years, the German pastor, Sebastian Englert, searched the island for its secrets. Today, his discoveries are on display in a museum and one of the finds, a skull, has been expertly reconstructed and now reveals the appearance of one of the island's original inhabitants. Over the years, none of the island's simple appeal and fascinating mystique has faded. Easter Island is one of the largest cultural and natural treasures in the world and a much-prized heritage of civilization.

PBS Home Video. Once again, Michael Palin takes his viewers on a hilarious yet insightful trip. This segment from his series on a grand tour of the Pacific Rim provides wonderful glimpses of the complexities of Chilean society and politics against the back drop of that nation's spectacular scenery. The trans-Andean railroad/bus trip to Bolivia is funny but clearly demonstrates the stark contrast between Chile and its poorer neighbor Bolivia. Overall, this is a great episode of an outstanding program.

DVD. Exploring Horizons San Pedro de Atacama is located at the foothills of Chile's Andean Cordillera, in the heart of the driest desert in the world. At 2,450 meters above sea level, it's hard to catch your breath in part due to the astounding natural beauty of the place, which is a stunning backdrop for 11,000 years of human history. Rolling mountains, spewing geysers, and live volcanoes combine with salt flats and windswept canyons to create an otherworldly atmosphere. From the ancient site of its first inhabitants to the present day caretakers who are passionate about its preservation, the community here celebrates its past, leaving all who pass through with the awareness that this is a truly sacred place. Catch a steamy sunrise at the Geysers del Tatio Float weightless in the ice hot waters of Cejar salt lagoon Take flight over the Atacama Desert and skim the rim of an active volcano Sandboard the steep dunes of Death Valley Join the wild ride down a mountain from a 5600 meter peak Watch the sun set over the lunar landscape of the Valley of the Moon From the aerial view to the human perspective, Exploring Horizons travels off the beaten path to the remote corners of the world and finds those places where civilization moved in without taking over. Three stunning seasons cover a cross section of culture, adventure and amazing places that make up our global village. Shot in North America, Central America, South America, Europe and North Africa.

DVD. Digging for the Truth. 90 Minutes. Season 1 concludes as extreme explorer and survival expert Josh Bernstein sets out to understand the mysterious stone structures of Easter Island and uncovers the trail of the mysterious Anasazi people of Mesa Verde. Giants of Easter Island Josh delves into the world of ancient Pacific Islanders to unlock the truth behind the enigmatic stone structures of Easter Island. Mystery of the Anasazi Explore the ruins of Mesa Verde and remote canyons of Utah as Josh traces the history of the mysterious Anasazi people.