The Dark Crystal

Chile is all coast.. all ocean... beautiful beaches... european architecture.... wow!

The Afternoon Waves

I took the bus overnight from Mendoza to Chile and ended up befriending a family going on a 2 week vacation to Chile who couldn´t believe I was travelling on my own and made me come with them to a hostel-like establishment.  The weather here reminds me so much of Vancouver... the smell of the Pacific... the YOGA CLASS I took (though, no one had even heard of Lululemon before... I did learn from my Yoga instructer that Dasani water has been banned in Europe for 5 years now because it cause Coca Cola.  Hahah.. go Coca Cola Products in Canada!).  In the middle of my yoga class I caught myself thinking two things:

Castilla Waldorf

1. How very much out of shape I am... and I blame it on all the potatoes and meat and baked goods these south americans eat... most certianly not on my laziness!! (haha)

2. About the 80´s movie, 'The Dark Crsytal'.  At the beginning of the yoga class, everyone was sitting in the classic meditating position with their eyes closed... and they all started chanting this strange song... and 'Om'ing.  It took every ounce of energy and strength I had in me to not burst out laughing (vague recollection of struggling to touch my toes in my first yoga class in Vancouver with Laurin)... these people sounded exactly like the the Skekses or Gelflings, or whatever those characters were chanting away in their robes.

The Coast

Every morning here I´ve walked to McCafe to grab a coffee, then found a nice rock on the shore to sit down on and enjoy the cool breeze and the powerful waves crashing onto the rocks right in front of me.  I´ve realized that I am in love with the sea.  Watching the sailboats drift off into the horizon makes me crave so badly for the sailing trip Zoë and I dreamed about while lying in our hammocks back in Sucre. 

It´s weird, even though the ocean here is the exact same one that bodies Vancouver, it sure doesn´t feel like it.  The coastline is beautiful... the white sand soft and inviting, and the waves so much more intense!  The colors make a huge difference too... greener and bluer... like the carribean sea!  The water is warmer too, and you actually want to swim in it!  Oh!  And there are tons of PELICANS!  I don´t remember ever seeing pelicans in real life before! This morning I watched one swoop straight down into the water, beak first, catch it´s breakfast and swing it´s head all the way back to swallow the fish down.  The gulls lazily (yet very wisely, I must say) follow right behind the pelicans and dig in as well.

Waves Crashing Beneath Me

The ocean here has such intensity.. the waves are so powerful it is almost overwhelming.  I find myself holding my breath each time a new wave rolls into shore, until it crashes against the boulders in front of me.

I´ve spent a good portion of the days here lazing around on the beach, watching 'los chicos' surf and skimboard.  Very entertaining!

More Of The Waves

Just minutes from my hostal...

Viña Del Mar

BAM!!!

The Shore