Los Molles and the Northern-ish coast

Hop in your time machine folks because we are going back to August when we took advantage of a long weekend (remember the one Chile gave me for my birthday?) and headed to a tiny beach town about three hours North of Santiago with our friends Estephan and Annie.  I met Annie in my Spanish class back in October of last year, we were instant friends.

Anyway, these guys have a car, so we loaded up early (by Chilean standards... 8 am) and hit the road to avoid the mass exodus from Santiago that happens every long weekend.  We spent a very relaxing weekend in a cabin with a fantastic view exerting only the energy it took to walk along the beach (although admittedly, we walked more than a decent amount before it was said and done) and make ourselves food... and drink wine... I mean, what good Chilean long weekend doesn't include wine.

Mainly, this is to share the beautiful pictures that we came away with.  Since the all-purpose, indestructable unless you lose it in the Andes camera had not yet been replaced, and we were traveling by car, we had our nice camera.  One day was spent a little further North at the small town of Pichidangui, and our last day was spent passing through the fancier towns of Zapallar and Cachagua (where there was a great coastal trail along the rocks that gave us views of a penguin island) on our way home.  Also, August was cold.

la playa is la awesome

Since moving to Chile, I have been terribly excited about the prospect of having the beach so close.  At times when I have expressed my excitement, people have tried to crush my dreams by saying things like, "ooooh but the water is REALLY cold", or "It is nice, but not great", to which I have replied... "You obviously don't get it."

We grew up in the desert--- 13 hours en auto to the closest beach, which was the Gulf of Mexico in Corpus  Christi or Galveston, or somewhere equally as filled with jellyfish carcasses and oil rigs in view.  It does not matter to me that the water is cold or that better beaches exist in the world because it is only 1.5 hours in a bus from my current location.  

Last Tuesday we took a day trip to the beautiful city by the ocean Vina del Mar.  We caught a double-decker bus with panoramic windows at Central Station and within an hour and half, we were at the beach.  Now, it is obvious that Vina has a lot to offer--- it is a city, not a beach town.  It has a giant casino, a metro system of its own and many beautiful buildings--- We will explore those things another time.  This trip we walked along the beach, toes in the sand, and played with an American football (which attracted a few gawking passersby).  It was a wonderful way to spend a free weekday, and it was wonderful to escape the smog.  It was perfect weather (until it was cold), and I obviously being super white realized once we returned that I was in fact, RED (even with sunscreen).  

We rode in the second story of the bus... right at the front.  The scenery en route was beautiful.

I was amazed by the number of people that were playing the water fully clothed.  Jeans + Sweaters + Ocean  seems to equal happiness.

 This is me playing with the panoramic setting on the camera.... Well done me!

Michael is contemplating staying forever...no matter how cold.

I am leaping for joy... as if to say.  Vina is number one!!

Needless to say, for me... la playa was "la awesome."***

***I hate dealing with gender in Spanish.  For me, it is one of the most difficult things to remember (No se por que), but I have begun saying that things are boys or girls to myself when someone corrects me.  Ex: "Quiero una cafe"... "Tu quieres UN cafe"--- me... "ohhhh coffee is a boy. GOTCHA!"  Anyway I just decided that "awesome" is a girl... obviously.  :)