Today is our fourth day in the small surf town of Pichilemu, on Chile’s coast. We drove here from the Maipo valley earlier this week after an unforgettable night camping up in the mountains. We had driven up to the site where (if it were to be built) the proposed dam on the Maipo would begin. This 70km bypass would destroy countless amounts of wildlife and beautiful scenery in what is (in my most humble opinion) one of the most beautiful places on this planet. The mountains surround the valley like massive walls, and their snow capped peaks help to illustrate their shear size, some even have glaciers on them. The entire area seemed like something out of lord of the rings; huge boulders lying strewn about a valley, mountains, constant landslides, and perilous roads seemed commonplace. It’s unfathomable to me that someone could even consider destroying such beauty for the sake of something so material as money. But, unfortunately, such is the case here. In september the dam will be finalized, and once again we will destroy one of the worlds wonders in our quest to expand and flourish. Their is some hope for the valley and river however, the locals here are rallying to raise awareness and stop the relentless march of progress. A small group lead by Soco (the owner of the house we stayed in whilst by the river) is organizing events such as the one we participated in to bring people up to this incredible place and show them the injustice of the damming project. I can only hope the people realize what a wonder they are losing in time to stop the project from going through.
After much time spent viewing the scenery and interacting with others from ‘No Alto Maipo” we left for the 4 hour drive to the coast. The drive took us back through the mountains, and out into the agricultural valley below. We passed by Santiago and what seemed like endless miles of vineyards and farmland until we finally began to rise once again into the the hills which flank the ocean. The feeling was electric when we finally glimpsed the vast body of water- massive waves, relentless surf, and long dark beaches. We had finally arrived at our play boating destination; Pichilemu. This small town would be our base for the next 5 days as we tested our skills on the ocean waves. We managed to get out on the surf the first day, however we took it easy and went directly out as opposed to going to the large point break which forms farther down the beach. The waves surprised me in their size and magnitude, they made arial tricks not only possible, but almost hard NOT to throw! Our second day was even better, we headed out to the point break and caught some of the big waves there. Here they dwarfed us in our little play boats and frequently caught us and tossed us around, it seemed that the wave was demanding a toll for every trick. Most of the time we caught them but on occasion one of us would get close, miss, and go head over the heels into a tumble lasting a couple seconds, making for some hilarious wipeouts and beat downs. Fortunately we had 2 GoPros with us, meaning we got plenty of footage of tricks, and the subsequent beat downs. On one such occasion I threw a Pan-Am, (a trick I have been working on all year) and caught it on camera (finally!).
The surf might be the thing that brought us to Pichilemu, but it was the lifestyle that has enticed me to want to come back. The towns culture is unlike anything I have ever seen. A kind of cross between California surf culture, and small town Chilean customs. There is a big main strip consisting of everything from surf shops, to empanada stands. Horse’s and carriages parade around the town, enticing tourists and locals alike, and coffee shops dot the sidewalks offering a temporary reprieve from the hustle and bustle of the surfing lifestyle.
And that brings us to where we are now, sitting in a cafe writing these blogs and updating our Facebook, preparing for another day of paradise and surfing, we leave for the Rio Claro tomorrow, and though I will miss this place, I cannot help but be excited for the next leg of our trip; the infamous Pucon.
