My bare feet enjoyed the hot black sand on the shore of the Pacific Ocean. I strolled along the beautiful shore for about an hour. There is something humbling about the beach in Niebla, Chile. There is nothing to worry about, plus there are no seagulls squawking at you. The sun shining and everything in life is perfect.
The water was cold and salty, but I had to go in for a swim. I could taste the salt on my lips and feel it on my skin as soon as I dove in the water. The fact that the water could have given me hypothermia never crossed my mind, until now. Although the water was beyond chilly, the weather was perfect for our adventure to the beach.
We (the Central gringos) decided that after lunch would be the best time to head to the beach. We hopped on the bus that goes to the city of Niebla. When we asked the driver to take us to the beach he pointed out the window and said Allí, which is Spanish for there. So we got off the bus and headed in the direction where he pointed.
It was not much of a beach; we were not allowed to swim in the water. We were a bit bummed, but then we realized that if we climbed over a mountain of rocks we could get to another beach, which allowed swimming and has a much nicer view. We decided to do a bit of rock climbing to get to the other beach. The rock climb was just as amazing as the beach was. Surprisingly, it was not too difficult to get there, but if the tide had been different we would not have been able to climb over the rocks. It was a great feeling of achievement once I made it to the beach. The view was breathtaking and the sand was nice and soothing on my sore feet.

If you look closely you can see Ben climbing down the rocks. It was an awesome experience.
I have never felt more at ease. Everything in Chile is so calm and relaxed. The shoreline was covered with stones and shells from the ocean. Time did not exist at that moment. As the waves crashed onto the shore, we enjoyed the children rolling in the sand and squealing with excitement as the waves crashed against their ankles.

A little girl and her father throwing stones into the ocean, while two stray dogs chase after the stones. Stray dogs are everywhere.

The day was perfect to be at the beach. At times I had to remind myself that I was standing in front of the Pacific Ocean and not just Lake Michigan. The shells and rocks alone were beautiful. I forgot about all my troubles, especially my aching ankles after our long hike through the rocks to get to the beach. I cannot even put into words how the cool breeze felt, the sounds of children laughing and playing, or how amazing the sun felt beating down.
We were having such a wonderful time we ended up staying there until the sun set. We ate at a local restaurant, El Coral, which is always a fun experience when we order. We always end up with something extra due to our accidental ordering of fries without knowing it.
We barely made it to the last bus for the evening. Once we sat down in our seats, we fell asleep. I woke up due to the wind from the open windows on the bus and kept a lookout for when we had to get off. It was an exhausting day, but it was worth it.

Kids rolling in the sand..do not ask why. I guess, why do kids do anything?
Chao,
Sarah