Here and There…tales from the road.

In December of 2025 Addie and I had very few expectations as we boarded our flight from North Carolina to Santiago, Chile. She knew there would be wine and I knew there would be waves and that was enough for us to book our flight and plan our first trip. It did not disappoint!

Upon arrival we immediately seek’d out our first completo, a meal of a hot dog. With about one whole avocado and half a bottle of mayonnaise smothered on top. It was exactly what we needed.

After picking up our rental car we started heading southwest to the coastal town of Pichilemu. Home to one of the best point breaks in the world.

Being blessed with the fact that my right foot goes in front while surfing, I was excited about the possibility of catching some of the longest waves of my life so far.

During our drive we came across the first of many empanada stands that were all ready for immediate consumption. We ordered two empanadas and found out they love a boiled egg, some olives, some slow stewed meat and other mise en place as the innards of this warm pocket of goodness. They are almost always managed by a husband and wife duo and at least one chiquitito to provide entertainment. Whether that be feeding them their bottle or making sure they don’t wonder too far into the street in between the passing of the fairly scarce traffic.

As we approached Pichilemu proper, we were welcomed with countless tall pines and the pacific on the horizon. We drove straight to the headland that overlooks the wave known as Punta de Lobos. The wave was definitely showing its form with a bit of late evening surface texture. We walked around the point a bit, leaning over on occasion to get a better look at the millions of thorns adorning the hillside of cactus.

A few surfers dotted the lineup, paddling around and catching the occasional wave or two while the sun sunk behind the two iconic twin rock pillars they call Los Morros.

As we were watching the sun set with the rest of the evening crowd a sweet and warm aroma wafted past our noses. We quickly located the source of this sensation, a churro truck, but not your typical chorro’s. These were manjar filled churros both made to order with warm meltind caramel dulce de leche. The perfect sweet treat to welcome our arrival.

The next day surfing and doing our best reptile in the sun impression was our top priority.

Check back again soon….