Chile does NOT disappoint!

With a coastline that is almost 2,700 miles long, you've got to expect that there are some quiet, serene and secluded beaches in which to explore.  If you're a surfer, you might find yourself wondering if there are secret point breaks, either unknown or rarely surfed, along this dramatic coastline.  From our experience, in the central region of this country, Chile does not disappoint...

Picture Big Sur stretched out for hundreds of miles in both directions without the tourism and paved roads.

Long, secluded sandy beaches,

dramatic headlands, morros sticking out the water,

lone, long point breaks,

rugged coastline in every direction.  It's got it all.

The best part is, no people either.  We've found ourselves on beaches with absolutely nobody around us in any direction.

Are there secret spots?  Sure!  But I'm good at keeping a secret....  These picts are from our weekend jaunts into the unknown.

Hmmmm!

YESSSS!

Penguins and Porpoises

Yesterday morning I was out surfing Punta de Lobos.  That's nothing new.  I've been surfing that spot almost everyday for the last month.  The great part about yesterday and the reason I'm writing about it today is two fold.  First, I had an incredible surf session.  I paddled out with two friends and we were the only ones out on a world class break for almost one and a half hours.  It was incredible conditions too.  The water was glassy, the sun was breaking through the morning clouds and the waves were 2 -3 feet over my head and consistent.  It was kind of like a dream come true.

Then the whole morning took a turn toward the sensational.  I saw my first South American porpoises.  They were cute, very small dolphins.  They looked more like channel dolphins but even smaller.

A wave or two later the penguins showed up.  You know the water's cold when you're surfing with penguins!

I haven't mentioned much on the wildlife here in Chile.  It's pretty great.  We've seen many animals.  Lately I've been taken by the large flocks of birds flying south for the summer.  Sometimes I feel like I'm on a Discovery Channel show.  I'm also impressed by the colorful insects and beetles that fly around everywhere.

I've also had a run in with a beautiful snake and an extremely small scorpion.  The snake was cool, the only problem was that it lived in a roof that we were trying to take off.  We were as gentle as we could be, as snake sightings seem to be fairly uncommon in this part of Chile these days.  Unfortunately, one of my Chilean colleagues got a little overzealous and the snake didn't fair too well.

As in most places, the ocean life has dwindled around civilization.  Punta de Lobos means point of sea lions (Sea Lion Point).  I've only seen a handful of them since I've been here.  Apparently they disappeared when the fishermen overfished the area.  This seems to be a common problem everywhere in Chile.  They have rules against this but it's hard to police such a long stretch of coast.

Anyway, the beauty and grandeur of this place never ceases to amaze.

The techie traveller

Kate and I have gone on numerous trips in the last ten years.  This is the first trip that we decided to bring along our computer.  The are numerous advantages and disadvantages to being a techie traveller.  

The advantages are obvious, we can tap into wireless networks and use our computer for all sorts of things.  We skype with our family, letting them see Jaden grow up.  In fact, they probably see him more now than they would if we were in Santa Barbara.  We email and call friends (gmail phone is awesome, 1 cent a minute to call the US from Chile).  We check Facebook and we stay up to date on world and US news.  Kate stays on top of her picture album projects and I update this blog when I can.  We also use the internet to study Spanish and learn about the Chilean culture.  Overall it's a wonderful thing right?

As great as it is, there are some pitfalls traveling with technology.  On previous trips, Kate and I spent a lot of time talking, reading, playing games and exploring.  We still spend a lot of time exploring but we find we spend a lot less time reading and playing games.  Why?  We have the ability to connect with friends and family, watch TV, movies, etcetera at our finger tips, all the time.  We found that after the first week or so of traveling that we really wanted to watch our favorite and only tv show (not to be revealed due to embarrassment).  We accessed www.hulu.com and realized that due to copyright issues we couldn't watch that show or any show on hulu out of the country.  Did that stop us? I don't think so.  I went to the Chile forum, which is a forum for foreigners in Chile.  I queried how to watch US shows in the Chile.  I quickly found that I could download a program that would route my Chilean IP address to a US IP address before accessing any US Internet sites.  10 minutes later we were watching our favorite show.  Two nights later, after a long day of traveling, we thought we'd watch a movie.  Easy!  

Recently, two days ago, I realized that I was watching more TV here than we ever watched in the US.  That coupled with the easy access to the internet and all the wonderful connections we make in email, skype, facebook, etc... we weren't talking as much, playing games, or reading like we use to or would like to.  That said, we've decided to make more of a concerted effort to stay away from the pitfalls of the computer.  We'll still skype, email, blog and facebook.  But we won't be watching TV or downloading movies from the internet near as often.  It will be a tasty treat to relax to on occasion, once a week, but not a staple of our daily diet.  

Hopefully with that in mind, the computer will only enrich our adventures, not take away from them.  We're here to do something different and immerse ourselves in a different culture, not that of the good ol' USA.

As promised here's a little treat from Jaden to you...