Chillen in Chile [TAKE 1: Pichilemu]

When your friends say "hey, want to go to a surf town in Chile?" the obvious answer is yes (even if you barely surf, love the big city you're living in, and are already paying rent). So 2 weeks ago I set off on another long bus ride (24 hours!) to Pichilemu, all the way on the opposite coast of South America. The scenic ride through the Andes was incredible, and a bit frightening at times of steep hairpin turns.
Just about to start crossing the Andes:
Crossing into Chile:

We stayed in a historic hostel that is built like a boat and right on the sand. It was so nice to fall asleep to the sound of waves crashing instead of the cars and sirens of the city streets.




I went surfing in the freezing cold water wearing a thick wetsuit and booties, and also went horseback riding along the water. The world famous surf spot Punta de Lobos was a few kilometers away (yeah metric system) and became a daily trip to get some exercise and admire the gorgeous surfers, er I mean scenery.


Punta de Lobos:


I also spent Halloween 2009 in Pichilemu, which is not the ideal celebratory location for the average American... my friends and I wanted to get dressed up but realized we would literally be the only people in the entire town in Halloween costumes... the other problem was that we did not have costumes and there was nowhere to buy anything. So we resorted to wearing our normal clothes, just spiced up a bit. Luckily Halloween fell on a Saturday night this year, so we ended up being able to party anyways! Here is the final result of our costumes, which we titled "neon jungle"

It is hard to really put Pichilemu into words- it has very laid back vibe, gorgeous beaches, and friendly people who are either local Chileanos or pro surfers... seriously what could be better?! Jack Johnson even filmed a music video in Pichilemu, you can watch it HERE. I absolutely fell in love with this town and hope to go back at some point in my life.

Another post on the rest of my trip to Chile is coming soon... but here are a few more photos of Pichilemu to hold you over in the mean time!