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| Isla de Cachagua |
February 10th - Having experienced how the area around Valparaiso is very built up with tower blocks, we jumped in the car and headed north this time, in search of serenity. We had heard of Isla de Cachagua, a tiny island a few dozen metres off the mainland and protected since 1989. It is a resting, nesting, and general hangout area for a variety of species of birds, including Humboldt penguins. We weren't at all sure we would see penguins but we figured it would be a nice beach and maybe we would get lucky. The drive was unremarkable as the road wound inland through poor housing, roadside stalls, and sprawling industrial areas. However, as we returned to the coast there was a notable change, with forested hillsides dominating the landscape and sparsely populated lowlands nestled beneath. We had also heard that this region was the preserve of the rice and famous, the fanciest of the beachside getaways that define so much of this area west of Santiago.
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| Spectacular villas enjoying their slice of paradise on the Pacific |
We got a bit lucky as we showed up at the small parking lot next to the beach with no real plans, but we had apparently beaten the late afternoon rush. This was a beautiful beach. The Pacific coast at its best. Apart from a couple of upmarket wooden huts selling surf lessons and coffee, and a handy boardwalk heading down to the Isla lookout, it was wild. Sand, grassy dunes, crashing waves throughout the length of the gently curving horseshoe-shaped bay.
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Wild seas
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| Small boy, big world |
As we approached the Isla, picking our way between rocky outcrops and the washed up remains of nettle jellyfish, we could certainly see plenty of birds on the island. Most eye catching among these were the pelicans. Their ability to carry off a preposterously large beak with grace and elegance is something that only masters of the ocean could do. As we got closer to the island we could also see the distinctive shape of penguins. If only we had binoculars! Regardless, the beauty of seeing all these species doing their thing on a nice piece of protected rock was a refreshing tonic for the day to day reminders of how hard we have made life on earth for so many creatures.
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Isla de Cachagua
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Lots of birds
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| A dead crab |
We enjoyed the rest of the afternoon splashing in the waves, mesmerising and enchanting as they always are. The low, moody cloud just served to add to the atmosphere of unbridled nature breathing its eons old rhythms, paying no heed to the relentless march of progress.
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Cold water, fun surf
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Water meets land
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| Buried! |
Our final day in Concon we climbed up the massive sand dune that now finds itself wedged between the supermarket, the condo towers, and the ocean. If you can ignore all the garbage that sunset watchers and sandboarders are apparently incapable of taking home, its not hard to appreciate this natural wonder emerging from the wild and rocky seas far below.
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A lot of sand
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| Looking towards Valparaiso in the far distance |
We spent the afternoon on the small, crowded beach just below our apartment. If you look out to sea, there is nothing except a couple of elegantly placed rocks and then... Australia, 11,000km away (Sydney is on the same latitude as Santiago).
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| We don't get many waves in Ottawa |
To say that the Pacific ocean is extraordinary is slightly ridiculous. Look at the globe! The Pacific is mind-boggling in its shere size and when you think about its depth and the volume of water... inconceivable. Us European and Eastern Americas dwellers don't often get to the Pacific, but when we do it is impossible not to feel something of its scale, beauty, and primitive power.
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