This post was written over a multitude of days after leaving Pichilemu and heading south, apologies as it’s a little scattered reading.
We are finally off the radar a little bit. Which means we can’t get wifi. We are currently on the coast a few hours south of Pichilemu in the best home stay one could wish for. We couldn’t find it which added to its allure. Well, no it made it frustrating and we nearly called the search off and resolved to sleeping in the van in a couple of low moments. Stepping out of our comfort zone we decided to rely upon a referral to a homestay from our friend Adam in Pichilemu. He said he knew of a place that was awesome, right in front of a nice left hand point break, with home cooked meals, not a word of English but he loves it there and we should definitely not book anywhere else as he would hook us up with this place, as they do not advertise. He then realised he no longer had their number, but his friend who stayed there often would have it. His friend lost his phone and no longer had the number. So no contact. We were given a mud map of directions from Adam’s memory, with a little drawing, and off we went. The supposed four hour drive turned into a six hour dirt road mission for us, and we eventually found the right town. But had no idea where the road was to the property. Chileans seem to like a good old game of hide and seek here, I mean why bother with signs? Waste of time really. So about six laps of the only road in town later, we still had no idea where the place was, but we found a long driveway which we thought could be the place, and asked two old men there if they knew the owners. They didn’t but they sent us to some guy up the road who spoke a little English and he said he didn’t know these people either but that he was going surfing and we could follow him as maybe someone there would know them. We followed him along the highway and then turned off onto a track which looked only appropriate for farm equipment. After about a kilometre, and some squashed vertebrae later we found the wave and a tiny little hand painted sign saying “hospidaje” and asked a lady in broken Spanish if she knew someone called Carlena or Rupe. She said she was Carlena. We were so happy. She looked to be a little bewildered and was waiting for the punchline. She doesn’t speak English, nada. Matt explained that our friends from Pichilemu had recommended the place and I asked if she had a room. The bewilderment turned into exceptional hospitality which hasn’t ceased. She only had left a double room with a shared bathroom which was fine but the best part was that the price included three home cooked meals per day! Matt said we would stay tres noches but in my head I was thinking let’s stay here the rest of the trip! Our first meal was amazing. Some sort of potato/leek/spinach soup followed by a lamb shoulder and salad, then papaya for desert. Delicious. Breakfast scrambled eggs and strawberries. Lunch today was a traditional Chilean soup/stew (curanto) with salad. All home grown ingredients.
Off the topic but I just had a 10 minute conversation with Carlena and now my brain hurts. We just went through the basics and what an effort it was for the cogs in my brain to turn. I’m sure she could see them clunking over as I searched for Spanish words making the silences long and awkward. But still. She has 10 siblings, has lived in the area for 23 years, has one daughter Daniella, and many nieces and nephews. She has lived in the house we are staying for four years, and was here when the tsunami happened. All their crops, veggies, gardens and chooks were wiped out and they had to start again. I realise I am very much still a beginner at this conversation business, which is not at all a testament to the teachings of our beautiful Spanish teacher Nubia back at home, but I think in the evenings when I was watching junk television, online shopping and avoiding practicing Spanish, I really should have been doing my homework. Am definitely feeling like a naive foreigner.
I sat on the stony steps of the homestay this afternoon listening to the chirps of the tiny little chicks as they followed their mother hen around the flower garden below looking for things to eat and the pretty sounds of the finches and birds fluttering about above. The waves were crashing loudly and Rupe was down in the paddock talking to his friend in Spanish about the crops, and I had a brief but clear moment where I realised I don’t want to leave this place. I was 100 percent content in that moment. I think I have finally started to relax.
Today is 30th December. We had some delicious eggs for breakfast again. I must say the food has been fantastic. In order to not offend the chef (Carlena), but truthfully because the food is amazing, I have decided that for the time we are here I will give eating gluten another go. This was an excellent decision. Last night she made sopaipillas, which were the tastiest morsels of sweet fried bread one could imagine. Then for dinner we had more lovely soup followed by empanadas de pino which are filled with mince, olives, onion and egg. Matt and I nearly died and went to heaven. This morning after breakfast Matt went surfing and I stayed in the garden smelling all the different flowers including the biggest yellow roses I have ever seen. Carlena encouraged me to go with her and we went out to one of the veggie gardens and I helped her pick abas which appear to be a giant grean bean, similar to edamame beans but bigger and turn brown when cooked. Back in the house Carlena made breakfast for another couple here while I popped all the beans out then took the little hard thing off the top – technical term – but everything I eat at home is found in the supermarket ready to cook so this whole process is foreign to me, including knowing the names of things! But the rawness and simplicity of garden to kitchen is remarkably humble and wholesome. Carlena has a big kitchen with an eight seater table in the middle and one of those huge wood fired stoves in the corner that keeps the house warm and the kettle hot all day. You can probably tell I’m taken with this place.
Matt is also taken, but for other reasons. He was very happy to do laps of the sand-bottomed point break on the little single fin he brought until the second day when there was an unexpected spike in the swell and he got to surf good overhead waves which he said in truth he could have used a step-up board. I was content watching Matt catch wave after wave, sipping peppermint tea on the upstairs deck and looking north towards a seemingly endless, deserted, blank sand beach with the sea mist blurring the cliffs in the distance.
We begrudgingly said goodbye to Rupe and Carlena and headed south to Concepcion for New Years Eve. What a waste of time that was. Cast your minds back to when time began and when every establishment selling products of any kind didn’t open on Sundays, let alone New Years Eve or New Years Day. Can you do that? Probably only a few of our dear followers can. Concepcion is another story it seems. On New Years Eve we were in a hotel in the middle of the city and had to walk for a very cold and long time before we found the only restaurant of the entire city open. An overpriced, MSG-filled, salty dive of a Chinese restaurant. And that’s what we ate for dinner. At 11pm because that’s how long it took us to find something open, not even room service in our hotel was available! We returned to the hotel pretty jaded yet full, and listened to the fireworks go off without being able to see them. On New Years Day we drove around the city looking for somewhere to eat breakfast, we ended up going to the casino under the premise that they never shut. Incorrect. The gaming floor was open but no snacks, no restaurants, no comida! So at 4pm, when we were both faint and furious and in our delirium considering returning to the Chinese place, we stumbled upon the holy land which was a Telepizza that was open and had the sleaziest pizza we have ever had, but it was better than the meal from the night before. The second of January saw all shops return to business as usual, we had some delicious meals and spent a fortune getting supplies for our impending camping in Patagonia. Suffice to say we regretted not staying another few nights at Rupe and Carlena’s but were off on the road again to Villarrica. Sorry Concepcion for the bad rap, we were just there at the wrong time.
Villarrica is beautiful with an imposingly giant volcano overlooking the large cobalt lake with lots of holiday makers enjoying the glorious weather. We swam in the lake and it was refreshingly perfect. We stayed in a place I would like to title on a Trip Advisor review “Fort Knox” as we had to ring the buzzer on the street every time we wanted to get back into the hotel to access our room, but the rest of the complaining will be left for the trip advisor review ha.
That’s all for now, this was a big post and I have just realised there isn’t a mention of our Christmas Day in here which was fabulous, or much about Villarrica either. Maybe another time. Now it’s time for pictures.
rupe and carlena’s house on the point
beth and carlena
late night surf check
view from the upstairs balcony
looking back from the beach at the house. can you spot Seńor Vánchez?
where carlena spends most of her days creating edible slices of heaven
matt working on his backhand…
… and his handwriting when the weather turned gloomy
hillside colours
last evening at rupe and carlena’s
cold?
heading south from Cobquecura, this is the Ruta del Mar! surprised it isn’t paved but makes it a little more of an adventure and you see things better when travelling 30kms per hour.
hello blue skies and snow-capped volcanoes!
this is a little out of place in this post as we only saw this pair today, but thought I would add it for two people back home who appreciate a good goat photo
ciao!
l o n e w a n d e r e r s 