While in Pichilemu, our Spanish instructor presented us with an assignment to ask around town and find directions to another nearby fishing town, Bucalemu. Simple enough, Keaton and I headed out into the town to talk to some locals and see if we couldn’t find our way down the coast. We started by buying an atlas of Chile at a gas station and locating the town on the map. Once we knew where Bucalemu was, we began asking people for the local directions out of Pichilemu and towards Bucalemu. One man drew me a map in my notebook that actually turned out more helpful than I expected when we almost missed a crucial turn. His map clearly dictated a right-turn where if we had gone straight we most certainly would’ve been lost. Although we got sidetracked by the beautiful scenery on our drive, we made it to Bucalemu. Bucalemu is a small town on the coast in Chile rich with heritage and culture. The people there live off the ocean and are mostly fishermen. The town is incredibly beautiful and photogenic from towering cliffs to insignificant tidal pools that trap the seaweed floating in from the ocean. The rock structures were unlike any I had ever seen before; formed of some kind of layered stone with many cracks and caves scattered throughout the landscape. We climbed to the top of a cliff that was on the southern point of the beach there, and from which we had the most breathtaking view of the entire town. The weather, however, could have been much better, as a cold front rolled in during our drive to Bucalemu. We could see the low lying clouds breezing in just above the horizon and by the time we arrived in Bucalemu we were surrounded in a shroud of cold, humid air. That was not enough to kill our good times though. We still managed to take tons of pictures and video, and explore the culture of a Chilean fishing village. Once we had had our fill of filming, we stopped at a small café for a quick bite to eat and then we jumped back on the road back towards Pichilemu. Unfortunately, there were no big swells off the beach, so surfing wasn’t quite worth it, however, we took some time to relax and regain our energy from all our previous days of big wave riding. Tomorrow we head out towards “el siete tazas” or the seven teacups where we will hopefully have enough water to sun some clean waterfalls. Until then, we’re going to try to surf at least for a little while today, and we’re going to rent some horses to walk around the beach on. Either way, today will be one of our more relaxed surfing days.
About: Paul
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Spanish Assignment: Get Us to Bucalemu
Friday, January 20th, 2012
A little about me Paul Raymond
Thursday, January 12th, 2012My name is Paul Raymond and currently, I am sitting in a restaurant on the banks
of the Rio Maipo in San Alfonso, Chile. How I got here is a very long,
complicated story filled with violence, depression, exodus, and triumph.
Kayaking is my outlet for everything I have ever been through and this trip is literally
going to save my life. That is the hope at least.
portaging "Sunshine"
I have come here looking
to come to terms with myself and my past through kayaking. This is my 40 days
in the desert, it is my chance to figure out who I am and what I will do in the
world, and why. I hope to realize the faults I’ve made throughout my life and
what I can do to fix myself. Other than that, I am just going to kayak as hard
as I can and become as good as I possibly can, with the hopes that kayaking
will free me from the chains that have been holding me back all my life.
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