We stopped here in January 2010 approximately two weeks before the earthquake in Chile that caused the Tsunami that almost wiped this fishing village off the map. You might have to click the pictures below to get the full benefits of the scope of the damage caused by the Tsunami.  Brad has made every attempt to show the before and after.

2010 View

2011 View

Me 2010                                                       Where the statue of Alexander Selkirk once stood

What remains of the once beautiful bottle house:

The following pictures are all before and after that will give you a good idea of the damage cause by the Tsunami.

Left is after and the pictures on the right are the before:

The devastation was incredible as you can see.  The homes that are built are on stilts and very fragile.  It appears the homes that are being reconstructed will be the same.  Brad’s grandson sent him a quote that goes something like:  “If there is one thing we learn from history, it is that we do not learn from history.”  This fishing village will restore itself.  However, many of their treasures e.g., the famous bottle house, the museum, and statues may never be the same.  How fortunate for us that we had the opportunity to see this island before the damage occurred.