Weathering the Storm

Sure enough, the morning has brought with it a wild storm. Rain pounded my window all morning as I tried to will it away with more sleep. It would not relent, so eventually I left the comfort of my bed to weather out the storm in the lounge here at Pichilemu Surf Hostal.














The view out the windows is awe inspiring. The tremendous waves crash this way and that, like white horses galloping along the water, eventually either colliding with each other at full speed or rolling head over tail until they disappear under the water. It is a great battle between the constant push of the current and the randomly swirling winds. The windspray off the top of the curling lips seems to be the wind pulling away the fingers of the wave, at times all together disintegrating the wave before it can realize its grand crash. At other times the wind plays the waves against each other, redirecting them towards each other into a brilliant explosion of white frothing sea.














Every now and then I see a nice break with a fantastic barrel, and think I could weather it out on a board. But then the very next wave is a single overhead that closes out right where I would have to sit to catch the previous wave. I can see how this would be a nice place to surf in good weather.














It would be a good deal more interesting if I were not the only one staying here, but there are enough books to keep me busy for ages. Not to mention good music and a fully stocked bar. I will make the most of it and head back to Santiago tonight.

More Pics from Valparaiso

The hostel I stayed at, Caracol Hostel, was on top of one of the hills. You can see it in the photo above, th yellow and red building. Many of the buildings in the city are quite old, but well maintained. It gives the city a very authentic feel.

I ran into a group of street performers. Some of the women in the crowd began dancing to the music. There were tons of street vendors ranging from clothes, to food, to artists, to used book dealers, to car parts dealers. I think you could easily live in this town without ever setting foot in a legitimate store.














And as promised, more pics of graffiti.

Valparaiso, Town of Graffiti

Santiago is a wonderful city, but there is so much more to see in Chile that I couldn´t waste another day in the same place. I caught a bus to Valparaiso at the perfect time to see the sunset over the wine valleys. Everything was magnificent about the ride, except the guy snoring next to me.















Valparaiso is a town built of color and teeming with life. The houses, although many are made of corrugated metal and hastily nailed wooden boards, are painted in an array of pastels. From almost any point in the city, you can take in the beauty because everything is built on hills. And not gently rolling hills, but hills that they build elevators to get to the top of. The relief of the town makes is so beautiful, but quite a workout to tour. I think I am in better shape now than after my week hike on the Appalachian Trail.















In addition to the pastel houses, there is tons of graffiti. Gorgeous artwork adorns the walls and allies of the city. It is a trademark of the city, although I think it is still technically illegal. The one below almost had me walk headlong into a wall. I have dozens of photos, but can only put a few up here right now (internet here is a Slowskies commercial). More to come!

p.s. Myles, you´ld absolutly love it here man!

Blue Bird Powder Day!

After the disappointing white out conditions yesterday, the snow gods left us with more than a foot of fresh Powder. For a day, Valle Nevado was heaven. The sun and blue sky were out in full force, leaving me with a nice racoon tan from my sunglasses at the end of the day. Being a Tuesday, there was absolutely no one on the slopes, so making run after run after run in fresh Pow became a fact of life.
















The Andes are absolutely gorgeous! The visibility was great as I´m sure you can see. It was better than usual according to the locals I met. Pollution from the city can get quite bad, although it makes for a great sunset.















I snowboarded from 11am to 5pm straight, eating lunch on the lift chair while begging it to go faster. Valle Nevado is no Vail, but it has some nice terrain in its own right. A few cliff drops, cornices, and natural spines begin to make up for the lack of trees. When it comes to size, Valle Nevado is much smaller than most good US resorts. However, if you include the back country terrain, which is very easy to get to, Nevado is actually bigger than most resorts.















Two of the locals I met know the back country well, and they worked out a deal with our bus driver for next time we come to Valle Nevado to pick us up at the bottom of the back country run. I could see the run they were talking about and it was absolutely unbelievable. Hopefully the future will have me putting down a line in that snow.















No trip to the Andes would be complete without some crazy driving experience. Our bus tried to pass a bunch of cars that were stuck in the ice, and managed to get us stuck on the ice as well blocking traffic in all direct directions. Amid many honking horns, we put our chains on and were on our way again.