Pichilemu

It was hard to leave the city since I was also leaving many friends behind. In a very short time, I met so many wonderful people, mostly at the language school, from all over the world. But the road was calling. The first stop Pichilemu, the surfing capital of Chile. It was 8 of us: me, Jordan and Jenna (US), Becca (UK), Joanna (France), Marcello from Brasil, and two Chileans whom I did not know before. The town definitely had a laidback atmosphere, as one would expect from a beach town where surfing dudes hangout. What a change from the ritzy Vina del Mar! As soon as we arrived, we headed to the beach. The water was even colder than in Vina, and I literally froze my private parts off. Luckily, our Chilean friends had brought hot water and made Mate. If you have never tried this liquid buzzer, image the most bitter drink you have ever had - how about Campari on the rocks for starters? Not only it is bitter like hell, it also has a peculiar earthy after taste. I venture to guess that status of this drink in some South American countries resembles that of beer in the Czech Republic. It is a sacred drink not to be joked about. In Argentina, you can see people carrying their thermos with them on the street, sipping from their mate cup. Not sure if it has drug like qualities (some people claimed it does), but it definitely gave me an energy boost. As we were leaving the beach, I started running, quite without a purpose, and when I stopped, there was no one around. Not bothered by the fact that it was getting dark, I did bunch of pushups and sit ups (again, not sure why). I think I might start drinking this before going to the gym!

Next day, after watching the dudes get on the waves in the backdrop of deep cliffs, I knew I was going to have to try as well. It looked so elegant. But I had no clue just how difficult it would be! We got ourselves a board and a surfing lesson and dived in. "Arriba, a la tabla" The instructor yelled when the wave was coming. Get on the board you retard, he was probably thinking when I missed yet another beautifully shaped curl. When the wave came, the instructor just dived in to escape the most powerful top current, and we were left to the beating of this beast. After two hours, I was completely exhausted and also frustrated since I was barely able to stand up on the board and if lucky glide just for a split of a second. Most time I spent fighting the waves and the current as I was heading back in the ocean. If you have ever done this, you know what I am talking about!

Next day - chilling out, reading, recovering from a long party at night. The last day it was just the two of us - Rebecca, a British girl, and I, and we were determined to try the board again. We tried on our own, without the lesson, but I still had the image of the instructor in my head. Arriba- a la tabla! I gave it a sincere try, even though I was suspecting it was going to be just another day of futile effort fighting the waves. Never mind the beaten body, the end of the day was stunning. A sunset on the cliff, eating crepes filled with pineapple and chocolate, and watching the surfers dancing with the waves. I hope to try again in Peru.

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