Until the last minute, we were all over the map, so to speak, about where to spend the final two weeks of our South American adventure. In the end, we landed on Pichilemu, Chile, which we chose for two reasons: it had a Spanish school and it was on the coast. Most Spanish schools in Chile are in Santiago or Valparaiso, neither of which were on our top-ten list for a repeat visit.
Despite our limited research and somewhat poor planning, Pichilemu (and the surf beach area to its north called Punto de Lobos) brought one happy surprise after another! The first came on our way into town. Believing (for reasons that are unclear in retrospect) that we had arrived at our rented cabin, we parked in a dirt driveway and walked onto the porch of a house. There, we heard piano music that stopped us in our tracks. A man came out and we asked him for directions to the reception area. He laughed, told us this was his house, introduced himself (Felipe), and pointed us in the right direction. We told him how much we were enjoying his piano playing, and he invited us to visit later that evening.
Visit we did, and after that, he invited us to rent a room in his stunning house for two nights. A very happy accident!
Felipe is a really interesting man. He works as a hydraulic engineer in Santiago, Chile for a Canadian company. He is also a talented musician and an avid surfer. He designed and oversaw the construction of his house in Punto de Lobo, where he spends his free days practicing music for hours on end and surfing when the waves are just right.
Shortly after meeting Felipe, we wandered to the Pichilemu Language School, and met the delightful Maria Paz, the school director, who became our Spanish tutor for a week-plus.
Through Maria Paz and her Spanish school, we arranged to have lunch at a home that runs as a hostel and takes in students from the school. Despite our rock bottom expectations, we fell in love and decided to move in for a week.
The couple on the left in the picture above met at Patty’s home/hostel in 2013 and married this year. Following a safari in South Africa, they were topping off their honeymoon with a return visit to Patty’s place.
Patricia Cristina, known as Patty, was previously married to a man named Patricio. Patricia and Patricio had two daughters, Patricia Sue and Patricia Paz, and one son named, you guessed it, Patricio. Patty is now remarried to Claudio. I noted I probably should have been the one to marry Claudio given the name, but she thought I would not like him much because he smokes! So we won’t be making that switch.
Patty has two house rules: no phones at the table and no garlic. She explained that although she is not alergic to garlic, she has a garlic phobia that has been handed down through the generations in her family. When Peter concluded she was therefore a vampire, Patty certainly didn’t deny it!
Both of Patty’s rules are strictly enforced. During our first lunch, one of her residents scurried away like a petulant teenager after pulling out her phone. And Peter accidentally unpacked a garlic bulb from a bag of our leftover groceries. The bulb immediately landed in the garbage.
When I asked about a key to our room, Patty said, “There are no locks in this house.” The only key I saw was for the communal bike lock. Indeed, due to wear, tear, and humidity, our bedroom door hardly closed, much less locked.
The comfortable community living, wall art and atmostphere at Patty’s house reminded me of my college co-op (but with a much broader age range and no chore chart). Patty cheerfully served three meals a day to anyone living in the house and to the many fans who stopped by seemingly at random for meals. Often if I asked how many people were expected for lunch or dinner, Patty would say she expected just a few, maybe six. The count was inevitably at least double that.
The house is filled inside and out with wall paintings created by artistic house guests over the years. The bunk room over the upstairs common area is often teeming with overnight visitors. Meals are joyful occasions where everyone lingers long after plates are cleared. Curiously, in contrast to the no phones rule, the television is usually on but not watched during meals.
Among the guests and relatives were several adorable children, and plenty of purportedly outdoor dogs and cats.
As should be apparent by now, Pichilemu has a magical vibe (“un buen onda”). Its people are warm and welcoming, its black sandy beaches stretch for miles, and it is famous worldwide for its exceptional surfing. Although we did not partake in surfing, we enjoyed watching the surfers, and we even had the chance to see an international women’s surf competition.
The below two pictures give you an idea of how long the beach stretches, as I pointed the camera in each direction from the same spot.
Though the water was icy cold and not suitable for swimming (at least, not for more than a couple minutes) without a wetsuit, we had a fabulous time walking and jogging on the beach, and taking in the views.
I found another excellent gym, where I took crossfit and “integral” classes.
To top it off, Pichulemu has a vibrant cultural center, which is a couple short blocks from Patty’s house.
We attended a few events there including two Chilean films, Mala Junta and La Vida Simplemente. When we showed up for the latter, we found that the film’s director and stars were present. The paparazzi pounced!
In search of a bit of privacy, we moved into a room in Punto de Lobos for our last three nights of this South American adventure. We enjoyed a final dinner at a lovely restaurant overlooking the water.
For our final day (today), we took a run on the beach and I had a (very, very, very) quick swim in the icy water. Then we stopped for a final lunch at Patty’s house. And on the way out of town, we ran into our Spanish teacher on the street (a good omen if I’ve ever seen one!). I hopped out for a hug and a selfie.
We came to Pichilemu cautiously, with a rental car as our escape hatch, intending to explore other parts of Chile if 6the town did not meet our expectations. No escape was needed, and after two weeks we still don’t want to leave!
But today we fly back to the United States. And that, my friends, marks the end of this trail!
For those who are interested, you can click on this map of where we’ve been during these four-plus, from Panama City in the north to Patagonia in the south. Thanks for joining us on this journey of a lifetime!
