"Acknowledged by the Guinness World Records as the world's largest swimming pool, the lagoon in San Alfonso del Mar resort, Algarrobo, Chile measures 1,013 metres (3,323 ft) in length, covers an area of eight hectares (20 acres), contains 250,000 cubic meters of water and is navigable in small boats"
Before we actually get to Algarrobo, a little about the journey.
Toll roads are unheard of in Saskatchewan but are very common here. There are two or three tolls between here and Santiago, and secondary roads also carry a charge. The tolls vary between $400 pesos ($0.80) and $1,500 pesos ($3.00). I had forgotten to take a shot of the toll booths on the way home and so tried to shoot one as it went by on the other side of the road.
Monday, December 8, was a national holiday as Chileans celebrated the "Day of the Virgin". Locally that meant that the highway from Valparaiso to Santiago was shut down to accommodate a pilgrimage of sorts. We were told that thousands of people walk, push, pull or drag themselves to a church in Lo Vasquez (near Casablanca).
On the way out of Valparaiso the following day, we passed by the site and saw the carnage first hand. For miles around the site there were tons of garbage strewn about. Thankfully, there were crews on site for the clean up.
As one friend put it . . . "Worship the Virgin, trample the earth".
Enough of that . . . Let's have a look at Algarrobo! It seemed that the economy was almost solely dependent on tourism but the town seemed to be faring quite well. As we weren't particularly interested in the monster pool (which is private), we went to the beach. We don't know much about the town or it's history, so much of this blog will be "eye candy". In the background of this photo, there is a series of condos / hotels. In front of those buildings is the pool.
There are miles of beach on this part of the coastline, but also, enough rock to make it visually interesting. The video should give you an idea of what the area is like.
Forgive me for including so many pictures of the ocean and the beach, but it is just so beautiful.
I hope that comes across in the photos.
The large rock in the distance is also the site of the marina.
We are fortunate enough to take these paseos (drives) during the week when the crowds are almost non-existant. Weekends are apparently very busy. School finishes next week, and tourist season starts in earnest next month. (Standing room only on the beaches!) There are some "Boy toys" in the foreground of this next shot that indicate busier times ahead.
Shells were easy to find on this stretch of beach. Ines often looks for small pieces of Quartz.
Ines had an "English" light come on which provided a laugh. We mentioned to her that small stones were called "pebbles". She then realized why Fred and Wilma's daughter was called "Pebbles"! The Flinstones are everywhere!
"Look what I found!"
No matter where we looked, there were different colours of water in view.
The colour change in the water is also evident in this picture.
Lunch by the ocean is always a treat. Camaron (shrimp) empanadas for Ines and Charlene.
I had a Churasco con tomate (something like an Arby's hamburger with tomatoe). Muy bien!
As we walked along the beach, we got closer to the monster rock and the marina which provided some interesting photo subjects.
I have voted this one "Personal Favorite"!
It turns out that Isla Negra is just a short drive further down the coast, and we had often talked about returning some day. Today was the day! Our first trip here was magical. It was all new and the 0cean was rough. While this day's trip was good, it didn't match our first experience. We are coming to realize that the ocean changes not only daily, but also with the seasons. Upon returning to Isla Negra, we noticed that even though it was a very windy day, the ocean waves were not nearly as dramatic as they were when we were first there about two months ago. We noticed calmer waves and different colours in the water.
What looks like a creature from the Black Lagoon is actually a seaweed plant that had been tossed on shore by an angry ocean.
And that's our buddy Pablo Naruda between us!
I think that if I were to disappear and return the next day, Charlene would still be sitting on this rock, quite content to be watching and listening to the ocean roll in.
Ines didn't want me to to include her wet shoes and pant cuffs. Ooops!
That's better!
One more leg to the south brought us to the small town (pueblo) of Cartegena. Thirty years ago, this may have been a resort destination. It is built right on the coast, complete with a boardwalk along the ocean and miles of beach. The question in our minds was "How and when did this go soooo wrong?". The town, and particularly the ocean front, was nothing short of a slum. There was a beautiful home perched on a 30 foot cliff overlooking the ocean that had been abandoned, vandalized and left to decay. What a shame. I often hesitate to photograph the misfortunes of others and therefore didn't shoot this particular home (or anything else in town). Because of volcanic activity to the south (I think) the sand has taken on a little darker shade. It somehow added to the gloom of Cartegana.
Random notes:
Christmas is mere days away and we hope to have a small look into Christmas in Chile up on the blog in the next few days.
If we walk from our apartment toward the ocean for about 10 minutes, this is the view. I was trying to capture the sailboats in the distance but the sun was not my friend at this time of day (4:00).
This is about 15 kilometers north, near Concon.
And while walking the streets of Valparaiso we came upon a familiar site. It's close to the same year as our Chevy but has had a few modifications along the way ( hood ornament, signal lights, wheels, and front bumper to name a few).
The front grill is looking a little tired, but this member of the General's (General Motors) army was still active! Somehow . . . I can't help but think that it would look better in green.
And it must be summer in the south! The cruise ships are beginning to arrive in Valparaiso. Last Monday the Star Princess was in port. She carries 2,600 passengers and was bound for the south of Chile, then on to Buenos Aires.
Hasta luego,
Amor,
Norm and Charlene
1 comment:
Enjoyed reading this as always!
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