Surfing the Pacific

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When I look back to my time in Pichilemu I will remember it for two reasons. Not only was it here where I surfed for the first time, but it was also my first time in the Pacific Ocean.

Pichilemu is a beach town about three hours south of Santiago. The town here is packed with surfers as well as vacationers looking to get away from the city. An eight minute drive takes you to Punta de Lobos, an internationally known surfing beach famous for its giant waves. In the winter here, waves can reach between 8 to 10 meters high. Thats nuts!

I luckily arrived here in good timing. This week there was a surf contest sponsered by Rip Curl as well as a small movie festival showing surf movies. I met Daniel and Cyna here in town. The two of them, both Swiss, are travelling together for the year and rented a Cabana here in Pichilemu overlooking the beach. We met a group of locals, had a great asado and enjoyed the Pichilemu nightlife. All and all a great time, minus the food poisoning I woke up to.

So my surfing lesson. I can say for sure that I now have a new respect for surfers. The water here is freezing cold so surfers wear wetsuits in the summer to keep their bodies warm. My first day surfing was a blast. Although it was mostly in spanish, I was able to get the drift as to what my teacher wanted me to do. After a bunch of crashes I was able to take a couple of small waves back into the beach. I probably won´t keep up with it when I get back to the beach this summer but it really was a great time.

I have been here in Pichilemu for five days. I´ve enjoyed it, but I will not be staying longer. Tomorrow I leave for Santiago. I am happy to be moving on but am not too sure about going back to a major city. We´ll see what happens, and I will keep everyone updated.

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Comments

[MommaMia]

ooolalalalal
OMG you're flying on the waves! Awesome FOOD POISONING? and this is how I find out? Jeesh!