I feel like I say this quite often, but Chile is awesome. This experience has been one of the best of my life and I'm not even halfway through with it! I can't even imagine how I'm going to feel at the end of my short 10 weeks here.
This past weekend was absolutely fabulous- the program I'm with (ISA) offered two different excursions on Saturday and Sunday. I came back both nights completely exhausted but I can't imagine what I would've done if I had missed them!
Saturday we all loaded up and went to La Isla Negra. Speechless. The pictures don't do it justice. La Isla Negra is north of Vina del Mar and (suprise, suprise) the third location Pablo Neruda had a house. I think if I had met Pablo I wouldn't have liked him because I'm soooooo jealous of his sweet digs. MTV Cribs would've been all over him. This was my favorite house that we toured because of 1) the view from his bedroom window. Dang, Pabz. And 2) it had a ton of those ladies that are on the front of ships (Pirates of the Caribbean style) everywhere which spooked me out but in a good way. 3) HE HAD A SEASHELL COLLECTION!! I never realized how much I liked seashells until I was standing in his seashell collection room and was green with envy. We took a bunch of pictures at sunset and I was very overcome with emotion thinking about how lucky I am that I get to have this experience. Thanks, Pabz.
I know, stop right?
Friendz on the rockz (I'm owling- it's a trend I want to make a comeback)
Whoop, Gig 'Em, Howdy in the sand
I know
Oh did I forget to mention I met Pabz? He's stiffer than I imagined (hehe I'm so punny)
At sunset- COULD IT GET MORE BEAUTIFUL?!
My friend Michaela and I
Sunday Funday we all loaded up again and headed to the beaches to the north (or la playas del norte for all you native spanish speakers). We went to 3 or 4 different beaches. Every time we'd stop I'd say to myself, ok there's no way the next beach can top this one. Surprise! Each one trumped the one before it. The weather was perfect for a day of beach going and for the most part we were the only people on the beaches because its winter here. Brrrr
Vina del Mar in the distance and across the picture is Valparaiso
Wut
I had to stand on the edge of this rock in order to capture the beauty that is this picture. Def won't be doing that again
Then we all got back in the van and kept driving until we got to the first real beach where we...wait for it...RODE HORSES. ON THE BEACH. I kept waiting for music to start playing and someone to yell "cut" because I legit thought I was on a Sandals commercial. We hopped right on some ponies and set off into the sunset (except it wasn't sunset- it was the middle of the day). I kept laughing to myself because I know my grandparents would've been mortified to see me ride a horse in chacos and jeans with holes! My how things have changed since the last time I rode!
Just ridin' a horsey on the beach
My Indian name is "trots in Chile"
Me and the main horseman, himself. All of his friends were teasing him and saying "put your arm around her!" Jokes on them: I understood what they were saying
After my romantic rendezvous with the horse wrangler (kidding, kind of) we headed to the second beach. This was like every hippies dream location. The program director was telling us that this beach is a hotspot for rule breakers because there is a lack of police and it's pretty much a free for all. She also told us to watch out for drunks (it wasn't even noon yet) and not smoke anything. Ha! Also, I met a man named Ricardo and he played a song for me on what I have concluded was a large conch shell. He then proceeded to ask me if I wanted to play a song for him. No thanks, Ricardo. Maybe next time.
A view from hippie-beach
Holding a nautilus shell (my sororities' symbol omg luv them)
We then went to this super sweet beach called Zapallar where all the rich and famous people live. It is a tiny beach surrounded by mansions all over a huge jungle-y hill. So awesome. Now my dream job would be to live in Zapallar and be an au-pair for spoiled kids and then fall in love with their rich father who lost his wife but is still super young and hot. (A girl can dream, right??) Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures because I was looking for love (in all the wrong places, I'll mind you).
After Zapallar we loaded up for the last time and went to Concon which isn't so much a beach as it is a huge area filled with sand dunes. While everyone frolicked and played around in the sand, my friend and I walked to the grocery store called Jumbo and bought ice cream. It was, without a doubt, one of my best days in Chile yet.
Y'all enjoy the pics and if you know anyone who has a rich, young, Forbes Top 100 man looking for a gringa girlfriend send him my way. Until then, I'll continue the hunt.
Chao!
Aves
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