Hey all,
I just got back from the most amazing trip to the coast. Every once is a while I just need to get out of the city and breath fresh air. And the scent of salt as I walk the beach is truly the way to my secret heart.
Sometimes you find a great little place on the ocean that you'd go back to again and again. When we were in Brazil, we discovered Ilhabela Island, a great place to dive and a cute little community that I could have spent days wandering around in.
This time we discovered something very different, yet just as wonderful. In the Los Vilos region of Chili on the coast, there is this tiny little town called Pichidangui. (see photo above of bay) It is so small you may blink and miss it, but that's part of it's charm.
More a summer location (I'm assuming this because there was NOBODY there) it was still one of the nicest and friendliest towns we've visited. They had a lovely boardwalk, some terrific restaurants and one of the best dive centers we've seen. Ever. In the whole world. And that amazed us. This great little setup in this small town.
Jonathon taught a couple of dive classes which is why we went there, but I'd go again just to wander the coastline and listen to the sound of the ocean crashing against the rocks.
We found a house with a view of the bay and several of the Cirque people stayed with us. We had a fireplace, a BBQ, three full bathrooms (thank you, God) and everything except towels. (And what was up with that?)
We got there Sunday night, dove on Monday and Tuesday, then came back to Santiago on Wednesday. We had a wonderful time with friends and I loved going off and wandering the town and rocky shoreline.
There were pelicans everywhere, doing the Jurassic Park flyby all day long, as well as sneaking up on unsuspecting fisherman and stealing their catch. In the bay we watched Humboldt penguins swim and splash. There were also the biggest bloody seagulls I've ever seen.
But it was the scenery that really rocked my boat. The rocky coastline really reminded me of the Oregon coast, which I adore. I'd still love to have a place there. I took hundreds of pictures--both coastline and sunset. And the views were so gorgeous, it was difficult to take a poor one. Check these out.
The view from our porch. We could see the penguins from here as well as watch the boats go out.
Sunset the first night. Not a bad view from our front lawn!
An old shack on the rocky beach south of town. You can see the mudflat beach in the background.
A part of the boardwalk and the main beach. Not sandy, more muddy, but not a shell or clam to be seen. Kinda disappointing, really. I love to beach comb.
One of the prettier areas of the coastline. And the water was such a beautiful blue.
What I called Sunset Point (see my profile pic on FB) was a beach that was nothing but rocks and boulders. It had beautiful tide pools, critters and pounding surf. I had a blast climbing the rocks and doing some "beach" combing.
A day view of Sunset Point. The tide is out here, but the surf was insane! We sat for a long time just watching and listening.
On the other side of the promontory is this lovely walking path along the cliff side. Flowers, plants, benches and wonderful views offer a quiet spot to reflect or recharge.
Another view from the walking path. While the weather wasn't too good in the mornings, by mid afternoon, it was clear and beautiful.
A quick look at the living room of the house we rented. Comfortable, pretty clean and it had views, a BBQ and a fireplace. Perfect!
This was the sunset on the last day. The same cove in the pictures above, but with all the colors of a gorgeous Pacific sunset.
Anyway, it was quiet and beautiful and since we had the last night there alone together--romantic. A little wine, a crackling fire, and the sound of the sea, made it an evening to remember. And since I adore the ocean and everything about it, the whole weekend will be one I never forget. As Jacques Cousteau said, "The Sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever."
And I, for one, am very happy to be it's prisoner.
Take care until next time.
Hugs,
CJ England
Follow Your Dreams
http://cjengland.com/luckbealady/luckbealady.htm
5 comments:
Beautiful. You couldn't take a bad picture if you tried. I could stay there forever.
Jacques Cousteau had it right. Every time I see a ship departing Hampton Roads I wonder where it is going and wish I were on board.
Thanks, Ray. It's easy to do when you have access to such beautiful sights. I'm so very lucky.
Looks like a great trip! Thanks so much for sharing the pics with us!
You're very welcome, Connie. I love that part of the traveling.
I love seeing your pictures because it's my way of taking a vacation without going!! lol Thanks for sharing them CJ!
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