El Puerto de Lebu

Last Saturday, the 22nd, Eduardo and Paola took me to a port town called Lebu. During the tw0-hour drive, they pointed out the eucalyptus and pine forests. Unlike other places in Chile, after harvesting the trees, they replant them in these forests. I wish I had asked to stop so I could have taken pictures.

Lebu is so beautiful. The smell of the river made me think of going to the Tennessee river in the summer. It's not exactly a good smell, but it brought back memories and a twinge of homesickness. That didn't last for long, though, once we went to the sea side of Lebu. The river and the ocean mix together at the Boca de Lebu (mouth of Lebu). We drove to a beach that had caverns called Las Cavernas de Benavides. It was fascinating to go inside the cavern and look at the ocean through the opening. The most impressive had more ocean on the other side, and as we turned a corner, I heard flute music that seemed like it was playing the soundtrack of the cavern. Once we got to the other side of the curve, I saw that there was a floutist. Very good idea. Really sets the mood.

On that side, Paola and I climbed over some rocks that had been smoothed by years of ocean waves runnign over them. We went to a place that is a real oddity: ther was a hole in one of the rock formations, and it has an opening somewhere in which waves splash in and make a really loud noise. That was pretty cool.

The ocean and all the rock formations on the shores made me think of the hardened lava on the beaches of Kona. I chastise myself for always comparing something I've seen somewhere else to what I see here. This is not Spain, Mexico, Hawaii, or the continental U.S. It's Chile. Still, aren't historians supposed to draw comparisons? I really do like it here. I cannot emphasize enough how nice the people are. That's one difference with Spain. I don't have to worry about annoyed looks or impatient old men here! I feel like I'm cheating on Spain a little, but it has only been two weeks. I stil have plenty of time to adjust.