I could remain here blissfully for eternity; the slow rock of the old bus soothes my heart as my thoughts wash away with the tide. I have no idea where I am and where this bus is taking me, I just know that as long as the coast is in my sight, I’ll find where I am supposed to be.
The woman next to me murmurs in Spanish, “que suerte,” (what luck) and turns to me for conversation. Asking me my plans, I shrug telling her that I wanted to check out the town of Zapallar, Chile. “But where are you going to stay?” she inquires, “There are no hotels; Tourist don’t come here.” I frown, thinking that this might be a long night.
She snaps open her cell phone and calls a list of friends, telling them she has four American girls, with no place to stay. And that is how it goes in Chile. With a big smile, and seeing our effort in speaking Spanish, the people become amiable and helpful.
After some time hitchhiking, we found rest in the only hotel in the region, where we carried the night out like queens.
With little to no information on the Internet about the central coastal towns of Chile, we had no choice other than to show up and explore. So that is how our week long trip carried through, taking the advice of locals and chancing our luck in each town. We found beauty in the people and landscape.
The serene beaches were untouched and pure; few developments littered the landscape, leaving a bare coast. Cliffs jutted steeply out of the water and all I could keep repeating to myself was, “que suerte.”
We passed our time walking and hitchhiking up and down the coast, and with no agenda each day unfolded as an adventure. There were definitely the ups and downs of frustration and stress, which naturally come with traveling, but those moments were so sparse, and when they did happen, they just made it so much better when everything worked itself out.
One evening after we had arrived into a new town, we stumbled upon a quirky little restaurant, where we promptly sat down. Being the only ones there, we were a little worried at first, but after the first dish of ceviche came out, we were in heaven. After living on a cheap budget for four months, which mainly consisted of empanadas, we could not contain ourselves. We were so happy, that the chef came out and joined us for the evening. We put the reigns in his hands and told him to make whatever he pleased and so he did. The night ended with the best seafood of my life in the company of four girls I met in Argentina, whose friendships I will have forever.