Beach Walking

We spent three days walking down the playa and bluffs south of Pichilemu. On our first day, we walked out past Puenta los Lobos, where a surf competition was being held. We caused a scene of our own, with our packs brimming with gear. People were taking pictures of us as we walked through the small crowd on the rocks. The day ended at a laguna, which led us up to a highway. It had been recommended to us to hitch hike to Becalemu in order to avoid a tricky section of coast, but chile is full of small cars jammed full of family, so the few cars that passed us were unable to transport us. After climbing an endless hill we spent the night in a horse pasture with a band of beautiful semi wild horses, who were understandably freaked at our presence. Next morning after a few more km on the road we got a ride to Becalemu and began the next phase of this hike to Iloco. It was a beautiful combination of rocky outcrops, beaches and mostly low tide, which brought out the chichiyoyo harvesters, picking seaweed which ultimately makes it{s way to the salad bowl. After spending an amazing afternoon and evening camping on a remote beach, we walked the rest of the way to Iloca. At Iloca we spent the night in a lovely beachside cabana in a tiny non-touristy village before catching the morning bus to the interior at Curico, caught the one hour train to Talca, grocery shopped for hiking, caught the bus to Vilches Alto and began our hiking trip in the Andes.