A Near Catastrophe on the Island of Chiloe

Magellanic penguins (Photo credit: lexusinabasket)

Dripping wet I hesitatingly walked through the big wooden doors of what looked to be someone's vacation home. Once inside, I was greeted warmly by the owner of Hostal Lluhay, the place that would be my home for the next week. Like every seasoned traveller out there, how I ended up here was story of travel plans gone amuck.  It was my near catastrophe on the island of Chiloe


I had heard and read many glowing reviews about the Archipelago islands of Chiloe and they made it to the list of some "must see destinations".  It also benefited me to read the experiences of people like Stephanie aka "The Travel Chica" who wrote this blog  "Slowing Down in Chiloe"  If you wish to see pics of Chiloe, reading her blog would your best resources because I didn't have the skill and resources to take pics that would have done Chiloe any justice.

Curanto (Photo credit: Lisa de Vreede)

Chiloe has a very different history than the rest of Chile. It is the only place that didn't go through colonization. You can see, feel, taste the difference just looking at the architecture and tasting the food like Curanto, a mix of mussels, clams, and different meats. It used to be cooked by hot stones underground but nowadays restaurants recreate the meal using pots in the kitchen

Getting Nude on a Beach that Isn't a Nude Beach

"DOWN" screamed the surf instructor at the top of his lungs. I quickly obeyed without hesitation  and dove under the water and thus swimming under the wave. On the beach he had prepped me properly and told me that no matter what happens I was gonna be OK. He's got everything under control and everything would be fine as long as I heeded to a few simple instructions. One of them being that if he every gave the word "DOWN" it meant i had to dive and swim underneath the water immediately. Sounds simple but in reality when you are out there you only have a split second to respond before the wave overtakes you.

 I had always joked about going combo on a beach but as it turns out, that is exactly what I would have to do. Change my clothing discreetly but I was in broad daylight nevertheless. This was because the Chilean sea has been and always will be very cold. You can chuck all your images of tanned bodies in bathing suits catching the surf. Here in Pichilemu if you wish to surf you'll be spending at least 15-20 mins trying to get into a wetsuit on a public beach area. Yup, I was getting nude on a beach that isn't a nude beach.

Mucho Ado About Nothing in Pichilemu's Big Wave Competition 2013

Much Ado about nothing. That would be the best way to describe the Big Wave surf competitions. Or better said, the competitions that never were. After leaving Viña del Mar, I found myself at the other end of Chile in a surf town called "Pichilemu". Punto de Lobos is a famous spot where people come all over the world to brave the massive waves.  Waves known to be as high as 7 meters.  Waves this size were desirable for competitions on an international level.

The organizers of the event were working with the very best technology and experts to predict when the next massive swell. Based upon the forecast, the event was given the go ahead to happen.  It was scheduled for 9-5 June 4th.  I got to the beach around 11:30 where a crowd from all over the world had gathered. Still no sign of waves. The announce started to get on the megaphone telling people sorry for the inconvenience but they are still waiting for decent sized waves to show up.  So the crowd kept waiting and wandering around.

A Story for Tomorrow

a story for tomorrow. from gnarly bay productions, Inc. on Vimeo.



Cross-cultural relationships can be without doubt one of the most challenging type of relationships there is. Different languages, different cultures, different worlds.....at times one must wonder why anyone would take on someone who has a completely different language and culture and forsake the ease of going with someone more familiar in your own culture.

The joy of a cross-cultural relationship is that there are actually major benefits and gems to be discovered that you won't have with someone in your own culture. Problems are abound to arise whether you're in a relationship with someone from your own culture or a foreign culture. But where the draw of a cross-cultural relationship is that you won't have the same type of problems that you would have with a member of your own culture. You will have problems but it will be different type of problems.