As we mentioned in our last post, we flew to Chile in the midst of a strong tropical depression hitting the Miami area. We prefer to cruise, but this time flying was the most economical method to get down to South America. We experienced a long delay and it made me really wish I had packed spare clothes in my carry on!!
After 43 hours, three plane segments, three Uber rides, two bus trips, and one unanticipated overnight hotel stay… we finally arrived in Concón, Chile. Phew! It was a long journey but still not as terrible as that bus ride to Bulgaria two summers ago.
We worked on our holiday cards while sitting in the American Express Centurion lounge in Charlotte. And then while sitting on the bus in Chile, I received a notification that they had been printed, addressed, and dropped in the mail – and we still hadn’t made it to Concón!
How did we find this place?
The Chilean coast is dotted with small beach towns. We found this one by looking in the outskirts of the larger coastal town of Valparaiso. This part of the coast is only two hours from Santiago so it’s a fairly easy trek to get to the sea from Chile’s capital. Concón itself has a few different beaches and neighborhoods. We are at the far northern tip at Playa Boca, named because the mouth of the Aconcagua River meets the strong waves from the ocean. Given the large waves, Boca is very popular for surfers and also has a bohemian vibe. The most notable feature of Concón is the sand dunes park. They don’t quite reach the sea and are sandwiched between tall modern residential highrises. It’s a cool sight!
So our last Uber of this long trip dropped us off in front of our rental apartment close to midnight. The salty air greeted us as soon as we stepped out of the car and it hung heavy in the darkened sky.
We dropped our stuff at our apartment and practically ran out the door to find some food. Just about every restaurant was closed except for one.
La Pica de Loro
Our server let us know that it was the oldest dining establishment in Playa Boca. Our waiter was kind, knowledgeable, and welcoming. He studied English by playing video games and watching movies on television. His vocabulary was impressive!
Better yet, the food was excellent. It was our first foray into Chilean dining. As we munched on pastel de jaiba (cheesy crab stew), rustic potatoes, and fresh ceviche, we Googled tipping guidelines, and the names of unfamiliar dishes listed on the menu. The Chilean sauvignon blanc was an ideal pairing as well, with notes of green apple and acidic stone fruits.
Highlights From Our First Week
I think it is impossible to have a bad meal in Chile. Every item that has been served is fresh and full of flavor. There was a little bit of a learning curve but we can order with knowledge now. For example, Chileans eat a large meal in the early afternoon so many restaurants are not open in the evening – Friday and Saturday the exception.
The Food
Corey astutely quoted online advice to me which was to skip the beef in Chile and focus on the seafood. We are on the coast after all! There are many restaurants offering fresh merluza (hake), salmon, and reineta (a whitefish in the pomfrey family) as a baked dish and also in ceviche. We’ve tried a little bit of everything.
We especially enjoyed congrio. This is either conger eel, or that is a false cognate and it is actually a fish with small fins that looks like an eel. We have heard and read both. Regardless, the result is a moist and flavorful whitefish with enormous flakes: think halibut filets.
Empanadas
Like many other South American countries, Chile widely serves empanadas from just about every door or open window. The street outside our lodging has at least twelve establishments offering empanadas. Chilean style: these are large – like two hands are needed to hold on to these babies! My favorite so far is jaiba queso (crab and cheese).
Pebre
We learned about pebre our first night in town. A national condiment of Chile and one of our new favorite foods. Think of a cross between a Mexican salsa fresca and a chimichurri. Typically, aji peppers mixed with some combination of onion and tomato, with vinegar to provide acidity, and an abundance of fresh herbs. But there is a wide variety: chunky or blended, peppers fresh or smoked, sometimes without tomatoes entirely. It is served with meals and can be spread on fresh bread or dried plantain chips.
Seafood Stews
Much of the seafood ends up cooked into stews of some kind or another. Paila marina, cazuela de mariscos, and caldillo de congrio are often seen on the same menu, and will provide main-course-sized bowls of hot seafood. There is also chupe, which features seafood in a broth thickened with breadcrumbs and cream.
If you’re going to eat as much as we do, it is important to burn some of those calories off. Each day we explored around town on foot and loved the views.
The Views
We really enjoyed strolling the boardwalk. It’s mostly paved and hugs all the edges of the coast. It gave us a great opportunity to see sea lions, pelicans, and gulls.
One day we took a local bus to the nearby town of Reñaca and walked the boardwalk in that area.
We eventually reached a point where the road was closed. Instead of turning around we decided to climb up. 385 steps to be exact. Once we made it to the top, we rewarded ourselves with tasty pizza and beef tartare.
The coast is not far from the Andes so mountains turn into a hilly landscape and then these cliffs drop into the sea. But the urban development has created these wondrously terraced mega buildings. It’s so steep that instead of elevators, many buildings use funiculars to transport their residents up the slope!
We learned of the downside of building into sand dunes: the road closure is due to a large washout that has also threatened the stability of two residential highrises. We could not get close enough to photograph this ourselves but this news article shows the dramatic scene.
One of the reasons we chose a small beach town was to enjoy the fresh air and just relax – so that’s exactly what we’ve been doing! We love watching the surfers from our private patio. The rooftop pool is also a great vantage point. Giant pelicans, hawks, and gulls glide past is at eye level.
The air is crisp and the sea frigid. In fact, the current around here comes from Antarctica so you can guess the temperature. Brisk! The UV is high though. With cool cloudy days, we’ve still gotten our noses burned. It’s a good reminder for us to use sunscreen here even when the temperature is not hot. That goes for excursions in Antarctica too (when we get there)!
We have just over one more week in Concón, and we will continue exploring the nearby towns and beaches, and trying to enjoy all of the seafood the Chilean coast has to offer. Our plan for next week is to try machas a la parmesana, essentially razor clams cooked casino style! Ciao! (Yes they say that here, too)