Before leaving Chile we wanted a couple of days to rest before our 18 hour plane ride to Australia. So we caught an all-night bus from Ancud, Chiloe to Santiago and looked for places to chill for our last few days in South America (Feb 9 - 11).
We thought about just hanging out in Santiago, but as soon as we got there the yellow, smog-filled sky urged us to keep moving. We wanted to head into the mountains for one more dip in a natural Andean hotspring, but the Chilean Bus Gods were against us and we couldn't find a bus to make it there and back in time. So we decided to head back to Pichilemu, the little seaside town where we began our South American adventure.
Little Pichi had grown substantially in the month since we'd last been there. When we left, it was a bustling tourist town for beach-going Chileans. Now, it was a thumping, bursting party town. Night clubs and restaurants didn't open until midnight and closed at 5 am, if they closed at all.
But we had come to relax and so we spent a day at the beach. Woody finally got that surf lesson he wanted and Giovannina got to spend a day on the beach. While Woody was out playing in the surf - and even standing up a few times - Giovannina befriended a large family from Santiago who invited us out for dancing at midnight.
How could we pass up such a great cultural experience? So we obliged and met up with them at Casa de las Empanadas and headed to The Spot (it wasn't called "The Spot", but it could've been). At 12:30, the place was still pretty empty - a few groups of girls danced while a smattering of boys hung around in the shadows, drinking enough to get the courage to make it out on the dance floor. But by 1:30 am, the place was jumping, and LOUD! Giovannina and I both regretted not bringing ear plugs.
We left around 2 am - feeling a bit awkward as we passed the long line of people just arriving. Before leaving, the family invited us to lunch at their place. They owned a vacation home outside of town and so picked us up and drove us to the outskirts of Pichilemu. Pulling into their neighborhood of summer cottages, empty lots and new summer homes, I couldn't help but think that this is how Narragansett looked 50 years ago (Woody writing).
The lunch was big and delicious and they plied both of us with wine and good conversation, of which we only understand about fifty percent, but they seemed to be very proud that they could host a couple of wandering souls.
A brief anecdote by Woody - During lunch I tried to joke with our hosts and failed miserably. They commented that I was very skinny and I said it was because Giovannina wasn't feeding me. This was a mistake. It would've been better had I said that she put rat poison in my morning coffee or she enjoyed kicking stray kittens. Everyone stopped eating and turned their gaze upon Giovannina, saying with their eyes "No wonder you don't have children. The kids would starve to death."
Our last day in South America we caught a bus back to Santiago and met up with Camilo, the great and generous boyfriend of Giovannina's cousin Anna, who let us leave our huge bag of dive gear in his apartment. We spent the afternoon with him, even Skyping with Anna and hanging out by his rooftop pool.
Then finally, it was off to the airport for our long (long, long, long) trip to Australia, where we are now. But more on that later.
No comments:
Post a Comment