Merry Christmas! - Pichilemu

Published: 26.12.2017

21/12 - 25/12

From Montevideo, we took a short direct flight to Santiago de Chile, where we spent a night in a hotel right next to the bus terminal. From Santiago, we took a bus three hours southwest to the coast to Pichilemu to spend the Christmas holidays there.

We had already booked our accommodation in Pichilemu - a stylish bungalow right on the beach - in Austria and it cost us quite a bit. The dome is actually designed for 6 people, but the two of us made ourselves comfortable there.

However, since the dome is located a bit outside of the city, we had to get around with colectivos - taxis that you hail on the roadside and pay between 0.50 and 1.50 euros per ride. However, it took us a while to understand the system, so initially we walked quite a bit in search of an ATM and a supermarket until we finally hailed a colectivo and let ourselves be driven around.

On the day of our arrival, we made a big grocery shopping in the only supermarket in town, as we wanted to cook for ourselves during our stay. However, shopping turned out to be more difficult than we had expected and took what felt like 2 hours. The shopping list we had prepared beforehand was quickly thrown overboard due to the limited selection of products. Due to a lack of alternatives, we once again settled for pasta. Originally, we had planned to have a good piece of meat for our Christmas dinner. When we stood in front of the meat counter, we didn't really know what to order anymore. The meat was presented in huge lumps in an unappetizing way in the display case, and the appearance of the butcher didn't exactly invite us to have a consultation - which we wouldn't have been able to do anyway in Spanish. So here too, we reached a compromise and ordered two chicken drumsticks by pointing with our fingers. The price of not even one euro per drumstick made us a bit suspicious, so as a precaution, we decided to buy enough ingredients for a dessert. In the end, we had the classic Christmas chicken drumstick followed by pancakes. Not exactly the dinner we had imagined, but still better than going hungry on Christmas Eve!

We spent the day before Christmas exploring the area. Luki actually wanted to go surfing - Pichilemu is the most famous surf spot in Chile - and I wanted to lie on the beach and continue reading my book. Unfortunately, both plans didn't work out...

After visiting the surf beach, Luki realized that the conditions were not very inviting. The few surfers who dared to venture into the ice-cold Pacific Ocean were struggling more against the extremely strong current than riding waves. We also saw a few guys being pulled into the wave by a jet ski because it was not possible to do it on their own. As for me, the weather was very deceptive. Although the sun was shining and the weather app showed hot 28 degrees, the strong and cold wind from the Pacific made it feel like 18 degrees - a bit too cold for me to lie on the beach in a bikini...

Therefore, we settled for a long beach walk to Punta de Lobos, where we watched the few surfers go through the torture and enjoyed coffee and Nutella pancakes on the side.

Later, we took a little tour of the town and bought a few things for the next day. Pichilemu is bigger than I had imagined based on the map and offers a few very nice spots.

We spent the 24th of December very relaxed, learning Spanish and watching movies in our dome. During the day, we also called our family, of course. In the evening, we cooked our modest Christmas dinner and let Christmas Eve come to an end with an excellent bottle of Tannat, which we brought all the way from Uruguay for this occasion, and the sunset right outside our door.

Conclusion:

Pichilemu is a small town that can definitely be visited even if you are not a surfer. There are many restaurants and shops in town that invite you to linger or stroll around. There is also a municipal beach where the wind is not so strong and where you can possibly go into the water if you are not sensitive to cold. In our opinion, surfing in Pichilemu only makes sense for advanced surfers, as the current is very strong and the waves can be several meters high. Beginners will surely find better spots for learning - especially since there were no lifeguards stationed at the beach.

Celebrating Christmas in a summery atmosphere is quite unusual, but it was definitely interesting. We are not particularly big fans of Christmas, and we were looking forward to escaping all the Christmas hustle and bustle. However, during a video call with my family, I felt homesick or a longing for the familiar for the first time during the trip. It often happens that you miss something when it is not within reach... nonetheless, it was a really nice experience to spend the Christmas holidays far away from the usual routine and the same environment.