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Published: September 10th 2008
Now for the story of Horcon, Chile. We arrived there late in the evening on Labor Day after a whirlwind change from the international bus in Viña del Mar to a local bus that we caught a few blocks away. We were greeted at the main bus terminal by a pleasant young woman, a tour guide who spoke English. At first she told us that it was much too dangerous for us to take a local bus to Horcon. She said that we needed to go to Valparaiso and get a big bus. However after some discussion with the bus driver and another man, she changed her mind. The other man had a hand cart and said that for 2,000 Chilean pesos (less than $5) he would take us and our bags to catch the local bus that goes to Horcon. We were literally chasing him through the streets of Viña del Mar as he encouraged us to hurry. He tossed our bags into the back of a small bus that was moving by the time Steve and I jumped aboard. As we traveled through the city the bus began to fill up. By the time we’d passed the first two
villages outside of the city it was packed. In awhile it began to grow dark and the number of passengers was rapidly thinning. As we entered yet another village, I asked in my gringo Spanish if we were in Horcon. “No, no es (fill in the blank with any foreign sounding name.” At the next village, I repeated my question. The answer was the same except for the name of the village. Soon we were the last two passengers on the bus and the driver slowly turned into a small parking lot on a hillside, smiled quizzically and motioned us off the bus as he answered in the affirmative to my now well memorized question.
As has always been the case when Steve and I wander through foreign lands, we are provided for well. It seems that God is always prepared to send earthly angels to guide us. For that we are continually grateful and joyful.
With the help of some locals, we were pointed in the direction of Juan Estaban’s cabañas. As if by magic, he appeared on his balcony, smiling and welcoming us in English. I was a bit uncomfortable telling him that we had only
changed a small amount of money into Chilean pesos and that we couldn’t pay in advance for the night. “No problem, no problem,” he said smiling and showing us to our little apartment. “I take you to the bank tomorrow. No problem.”
We fell in love with this little fishing village and the people in it. We stayed for six days, just relaxing, walking, enjoying the surf, the sun, and the very friendly local people. It was great to have some quiet time for prayer and meditation.
During the high season of November through February, the place is packed with tourists, but while we were there is was pleasantly tranquil. We spoke with one fisherman from Santiago who described the tourist season by miming cameras clicking a camcorders whirring. “Take your picture?” he mimicked. “Yes, I say, one dollar to take my picture.” Then he smiled at me and asked me if I would take his picture. “For one dollar,” I asked. His grin widened as he shook his head and posed for the camera.
The local fishermen operate out of small boats that they bring in and out of this little sheltered cove, some rowing some
using small motors. It was great to watch the team of work horses that dragged the boats in and out of the water. We’ve attached a video clip. I hope it works well. This is our first attempt at creating one for the blog.
We also hope you enjoy the photos of friendly faces and beautiful scenery.
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Carol Brunlinger
non-member comment
Lovely!
Looks like a glimpse into time long gone. Can't think of better people to be there. Thanks for letting us journey with you. Carol B.