Other things near Pichilemu

Aside from learning to surf, there were plenty of other things to keep us busy in Pichilemu and the surrounding area.

Upon arriving we used the bikes from the hostel to visit the town and surrounding area.  It was mainly a beach town, but a lot was empty since it was off-season.  Things in town seemed to slow down during the afternoon so we adopted a siesta  schedule, meaning we ended up taking a nap or resting nearly every afternoon.

 We decided that there could be an entire National Geographic episode about "The dogs of the streets of Pichilemu."  When we first arrived, and were greeted by gangs of wandering dogs, we were a bit wary and timid, but we soon realized that they were a special part of the town.  The street dogs were pretty amazing; They were everywhere.  Lots of them. and they were beautiful.  They appeared groomed, shiny, and well fed.  The dogs wandered wherever they wanted, including inside many of the stores and their manners were fairly tame.  When you had food they might approach, but they didn't beg.  If they proved bothersome you could shoo them away and they would actually yield to your command.  They almost seemed better trained than many domesticated pet dogs.  This is a picture of Shea with her favorite street dog.   

We also went to Santa Cruz, Chile to go to a wine tour.  The winery that we toured was called Viu Manent.  It is a family owned winery that was established in 1935.   We toured the winery's 627 acres in a horse drawn carriage and were able to taste one wine during the tour as well as five others after the tour.  It was a wonderful first wine tour visit.

 The wines that we tasted were a white, a Syrrah, a Carmenere, a Cabernet, and a Malbec.  It was a first tasting for both of us, so I can not share any written notes about the exact tastes of the wines because I lack the vocabulary.
 The weather during the trip to Pichilemu was not what we originally expected.  It was a cool and cold when the wind picked up.   We had lots of coffee, tea, and mate to keep us warm.

 Staying at the hostel worked very well.  We met lots of people and the owner was able to help us set up and coordinate everything that we wanted to do.  The hostel had a wood burning hot tub, which led to a fun and relaxing evening.

 This is the owner of Sunset Hostel, Eduardo.  He is a Chilean from Santiago.  He relocated to Pichilemu because its an awesome and relaxing place to be.

 

In Pichilemu we found even more seafood than in Santiago..... 

 I don't have many pictures, but one of the most fun parts of the trip for me was horseback riding.  While I had previously done tours when I was younger, this tour was unique in that they trusted you a little more with the horses.  We took a tour throughout the town and some country areas and at the end we went to a beach.  Although the horses knew some of the route, we were not traveling "head to tail" the whole time.  We were allowed to go as fast or slow as we wanted and were responsible for moving out of the way for cars or any other obstacles.  When we were on the beach, we had free reign to trot, cantor or galloped as we pleased.  I galloped on a horse for the first time and ran through a couple of puddles.  My horse was named Cholita, or "blackie," obviously she had a beautiful dark coat.

 This was from our last and semi-rushed meal before leaving Pichilemu.