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Viña del Mar – The Chilly Chilean Beach

How do you know you are on a Chilean beach? It’s easy: most people keep their clothes on. While Brazilians wear bikinis and parade half-naked, Chileans are much more modest. They eat on the beach, read the newspaper, chat and occasionally dip their feet in the cold Pacific Ocean but that’s it. They are basically my mom on the beach.

I don’t blame them. The beach in Viña del Mar isn’t that great. The sand is a bit dirty and coarse and giant pieces of seaweed and jellyfish are scattered here and there, along with some industrial garbage—tires, bolts, etc. There are giant vessels in the horizon and I doubt the water is very clean considering how close the industrial harbour is. The Pacific Ocean is cold and deep here and the waves are huge.

The waters aren’t friendly.

“It’s okay Mark,” I stated the first day. “If we walk along the shore right here, on the dry sand, the water won’t come.”

“How wet are you?” I asked a minute later after a giant wave soaked us both.

“A little bit.”

“Yeah, your pants are wet. Oh well, you can wear my sarong. My fault.”

’Silly mommy, silly beach!”

Waves are big. I hadn’t seen that one coming.

Since few people play on the beach (there was even a sign stating that playing football was prohibited, which is probably why Brazilians and Argentinians don’t holiday in Viña del Mar), entertainment is on the pavement along the coast. Bouncy castles, playgrounds, craft markets and vendors keep everyone happy. The rest of the city is a cleaner and sterile version of Valparaíso with American fast-food chains, a packed mall and several pedestrian streets.

Last year, I had high expectations for Viña del Mar, I was picturing a Pacific paradise. This year, I knew the beach wasn’t great and it was a bit chilly too, but we still managed to enjoy it. Go figure.

Giant seaweed on the beach in Viña del Mar
Giant seaweed on the beach in Viña del Mar
Beach in Viña del Mar
Beach in Viña del Mar
Beach in Viña del Mar
Beach in Viña del Mar
Beach in Viña del Mar
Beach in Viña del Mar
Beach in Viña del Mar
Beach in Viña del Mar
Beach in Viña del Mar
Beach in Viña del Mar
Beach in Viña del Mar
Beach in Viña del Mar
Beach in Viña del Mar
Beach in Viña del Mar
Beach in Viña del Mar
Beach in Viña del Mar
Beach in Viña del Mar
Beach in Viña del Mar
Beach in Viña del Mar
Beach in Viña del Mar
Beach in Viña del Mar
Beach in Viña del Mar
Do NOT play football
Do NOT play football
The town of Viña del Mar
The town of Viña del Mar
Bakery in Viña del Mar
Bakery in Viña del Mar
Bakery in Viña del Mar
Bakery in Viña del Mar
Funny (?) phone booth
Funny (?) phone booth
When everything else is closed, you eat... fries with sausage, something everyone here apparently loves
When everything else is closed, you eat… fries with sausage, something everyone here apparently loves
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Zhu

French woman in English Canada.

Exploring the world with my camera since 1999, translating sentences for a living, writing stories that may or may not get attention.

Firm believer that nobody is normal... and it’s better this way.

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