Have you ever read the poetry of Pablo Neruda, one of the most famous and best loved poets of all time? He is best known for his sublime imagery of the ocean, surf and salt and roses and love. As it turns out, he lived right around here on the beaches near Pichilemu, Chile. “Among so many blues, sunken blues- heavenly blues- our eyes are a little confused.” “Beauty- flower by flower, star by star, wave by wave.” It is no wonder that the man who wrote these lines was from such a place. The air is cobalt blue, the white capped waves churn heavily onto the sand and the blueprints of the town may as well have been a child’s coloring book. There are murals on the sides of every building, swirls of color and fantastic characters. For the next week we will be living in this beach side town which is a photographer’s dream, a poet’s dream, and a (kayak) surfer’s dream.
Our drive here was relatively uneventful, punctuated only by a stop for ice cream and fresh empanadas at a road side stall, and that first heavenly moment when you realize that the horizon you glimpse over the hills is not the sky, but the endless blue stretch of ocean.
When we arrived at the cabins, the owner had set out tall pitchers of fresh kiwi juice, pineapple juice, and strawberry juice. The cook handed us each a glass and told us to go to town. We each drank about 1/3 our weight in fresh fruit juice.
The students are happy to be in their own cabins, sleeping in beds with walls to keep out the earwigs that were just a little too friendly down at the Maipo. Classes are held in the park across the street, on the beach, in internet cafes or in the cluttered little living rooms of the cabins.
Please be on the lookout for photo and video updates on our blogs, because my words can only go so far in describing this colorful, vivacious wonderland.
–Melina
