I am currently in the beachside town of Pichilemu... which actually seems a lot like Santa Cruz. It is an adorable little town with lots of wood houses. This morning I walked to La Puntilla and admired the ocean- it is so beautiful here and I didn´t realize how much I had missed the ocean.
Yesterday was a very interesting day. I woke up at 5:30am to catch an early bus here from Santiago. I arrived in half the time I had expected, and nothing was really open yet when I got here (Chileans are not necessarily early risers). So I walked all around town with my backpack on, then headed to the beach to check out the breaks. It didn´t look that great, honestly. I noticed a gringo getting out of the water so I decided to get the scoop from him. He said it wasn´t that great, the tide was too high. He also recommended a hostel and a place to rent boards. I walked to the hostel , which I had already been to, and it was still closed. I tried calling the phone number on the sign. No answer. Okay, time for coffee. I had to ask 3 different people how to find a cappuchino (in Chile, if it´s not cappuchino, then it´s instant coffee- or as Marie and Francisco call it- NOEScafé). I settled in to a sidewalk table where I could see the sea, and read for an hour or so. Finally, after the 3rd phone call to the hostel, somebody answered. Turns out it was Carlos, one of the owners, and the gringo I spoke to had already stopped by to see if I had checked in. I had about a million and 1 questions for Carlos, from "is there hot water" (¿hay agua caliente?) to "when is the best time to surf" (¿a qué hora es la mejor de surfear?) He was very patient with me and answered all of my questions.
As soon as I put my stuff down I met the only other 2 people that are staying here (this weekend is Easter, so currently it´s the calm before the storm). Aynora is Spanish and just arrived, and her boyfriend Oli is German and a very experienced surfer. Oli and I went to Punta Lobos at about 5pm, which is 6km south of Pichilemu. The waves were 10ft, which was crazy. For some reason, however, I was not scared. There is no explanation for it. We had to get in paddling between some rocks, and there was a lot of duckdiving involved. The water was also pretty cold, and I had brain freeze for the first 10 minutes. Unfortunately, the current was so strong, I was immediately dragged away from the point and to the beach. I know this sounds horribly dangerous, but the good thing is that the current took me to the sandy beach, not toward the rocks. Before I was completely whisked away to the sand, I attempted to catch a couple waves. My board was too small, however- it's a tricky thing, knowing what size board one needs for specific conditions. That being said, I didn't ride one wave, because I got out and saw that if I tried again, the same thing would happen, and I wasn't sure if I was even ready for 10 ft. waves. So mom, you would be really proud because I didn't do anything I wasn't completely sure I could handle, and didn't feel the need to do anything rash.
So today I am going to stick to the point that is walking distance from the hostel, rent a bigger board, and stick to the smaller waves on the inside. Oli and Aynora invited me for another session in Punta Lobos, but she is just learning (on the whitewater by the beach of course), and he's quite above my level, so I felt I would wait until I could surf with someone closer to my ability level. I believe Carlos, the owner, and I will go this afternoon when the tide drops again.
Last weekend I went to Baños Morales in Cajón del Maipo with a group of 6 other people- Anja and Darren from the UK (who also joined us in the Elqui Valley), Kevin and Britt from Huntington Beach, and Margaret and her brother Sasha from Canada. We left early Saturday morning and set up camp in a lovely campground right by a river. We had wanted to camp inside the national park, but the authorities refused us. After having lunch and setting up our tents, we took a short (and cold and windy) walk to find some fossils just outside of town. It was pretty cool, you could see imprints of shells in broken rocks, indicating that the whole area was once under water. We also went to visit some thermal baths...they were NOT hot- huge disappointment. Margaret and I still attempted to go in, but it was painful. I was very sad, as you all know how much I love soaking in hot water.
That night we had a delicious spaghetti dinner and warm fire, as well as some quality Chilean boxed wine. Darren and I were the last awake, and in our semi-drunken state decided it would be a good idea to sleep outside. It was a beautiful night, the sky was clear and the moon was almost full. I was totally into it. It was definitely cold, and I didn't have the best sleep ever, but thanks to my down jacket I did just fine. Darren apparently gave up after an hour or so, and went to cuddle up with Anja in their tent. Psshhh! ;)
The next day was a full hiking day. We entered the park around 9:45 and hiked all the way to the glacier, which took about 4 hours, including a lunch break. The hike was incredibly beautiful. Basically we were in a hanging valley surrounded by mountains, a river, and a lake, as well as gorgeous green grasses. At one point I tried to feed some grazing horses my apple core, but I don't think they trusted me...nor had they ever had an apple before, obviously, or they would have come right over. One of them really wanted it, and came really close to eating it out of my hand, but couldn't bring himself to trust me I guess.
When we reached the glacier I was excited to drink some really cold water directly from the source- I think that was the cleanest, most refreshing water I have ever tasted! Alas, we couldn't dwell at the glacier or the lake, because we had to catch the 1 bus a week that goes into Santiago. It was a cramped bus ride, and I was so excited to get off when we arrived, that I left my water bottle on the bus :( Super bummed because I had been doing so well with holding onto it. Sorry Becca.
So before last weekend, I really just chilled at Marie and Francisco's apartment. BTW, for those of you who don't know- Marie and Francisco are a couple that Becca met while living in Santiago a few years ago. They are AMAZING people. I have been staying with them for almost 2 weeks and they have been so kind, hospitable, and patient with me (since I couldn't afford to stay in a hostel). Francisco- a chilean who has been educating me on his ridiculously slang-filled language- is an incredibly talented musician, in a band called Los Sicarios del Ritmo (essentially it means the hitmen of rhythm). His main instrument is the bass guitar, but he can pretty much play any instrument. The other night he played one of my favorite songs, "Everlong" by the Foo Fighters on his guitar, and I nearly cried it was so beautiful. I'm serious- don't laugh, it was beautiful. Marie is from Milwaukee but has been living in Santiago for about 3 years. She is outgoing, witty, hilarious, and speaks perfect chilean spanish. I have had some really special moments with this couple, and they inspire me so much because they love each other so much and act like newlyweds, although they have been married for over 2 years.
Santiago is a really great city, as far as cities go. I have been doing well at traversing the city, using the extensive bus and metro system. I have to say, I LOVE taking the metro, maybe because it's something I've never experienced extensively, but it's so freakin convenient! The only complicated element is during rush hour, when you're basically packed in there like the front row at a Tool concert. Other than that, it's very self-explanatory, and there are maps everywhere, which I also love. I have only gone out dancing a couple times, mainly because it's stupidly expensive. Basically, in Chile everything is the same price in the states, except produce and set lunches. Needless to say, I have been cooking at home a LOT. Speaking of which, I am going to go make lunch now, my stomach is grumbling.
Thank you all for tuning in, if you go to my Facebook page and click on photos of Marie, you'll see pics from the camping trip last weekend. Ciao, pescado, a poto pelado!!!
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