OK so we’ve only been “living” here for three weeks. Three weeks in no way makes me a “living at the beach” expert. But here’s what I’ve gleaned so far: (just a disclaimer. Jeff is against this post. He thinks this sounds like complaining. I hope he’s wrong).
1. Chile takes tsunami’s very seriously.
We woke up yesterday to the horrifying photos and videos from Japan. Our hearts broke for the people affected there. We spent the day following the news out of Japan and also the tsunami as it traveled across the Pacific towards Chile. At 7:00 pm we were told to leave our apartment. At 1:00am we watched on the news from a coffee shop as the waves barely hit the beach. Luckily, Chile had no damage from the tsunami. But, we still weren’t allowed back until 11:00am this morning. 16 hours of evacuation for waves that didn’t even go past the sand of the beach.
At 4:00am when I was trying to sleep in our rental car, I was pissed. But, after all the devastation in Japan, and the earthquake and tsunami in Chile last year, I’d much rather be evacuated for a non-event tsunami than experience a fraction of what is happening in Japan.
2. Staring at the sea never gets old.
I wasn’t sure if I would get used to the view and stop noticing it, sort of like when you hang a picture on your wall and after awhile you don’t even notice it anymore. That hasn’t happened yet. Although there are times when I get super focused on something on my computer and forget to look up at the view.
3. I can still wake up grumpy at the beach.
This one is kind of sad and amazing isn’t it? But, I guess a sea view can’t cure all your problems or moods. I think I’m more relaxed here, but can still get over hungry, have PMS and get frustrated.
4. You don’t need a gym when you live by the ocean.
I have always been a gym rat. I made a big deal when we came here that I had to live close to a gym, and we do, but I still haven’t gone there. I’ve been taking long walks on the beach instead. I’m not sure if I’m getting as good of a workout, but for the first time in my life I don’t care.
5. Cinnamon deters ants, Raid gets rid of them.
When ants invaded our bathroom we didn’t want to spray insect repellent. We feared it would get into the rest of our tiny apartment. So we went natural and sprinkled cinnamon on the floor. That got them to sort of detour around it, then we tried soft soap, That slowed them down and also killed a few. After several days with a bathroom floor covered in cinnamon, soft soap and ants, we went with Raid. It worked wonders, didn’t even smell.
6. The sound of crashing waves can make me less angry.
You know those relaxation CD’s that have sounds of crashing waves? I think I’m going to get one. When I am grumpy (see #3) I find if I can concentrate on the sound of the waves I’m instantly relaxed. We’ve had a couple of nights with drunken, screaming neighbors. I laid in bed trying to remember the words for “Shut Up!!” in Spanish. Then I tried to concentrate on the sound of the waves between the drunken cackles. And it worked, I actually was able to fall asleep without trying to call the Chilean police to complain.
7. Sunsets are amazing
The sun sets here at 8:15. Every night at 7:55 we drop everything we’re doing, walk down to the water and watch the sunset. Several days we’ve been lazy and thought, “should we bother?” but we always go down and are always glad we did. I’m hoping to continue this even after we leave the beach. We don’t need to see the sun drop into the ocean to appreciate it. The sun does go down every single day. Even on cloudy days, the change from light to dark is pretty cool. I hope to be able to take 15 minutes out of every day to appreciate it.
8. When you live near sand, you take it home with you.
Not sure why this is a surprise, but there is sand everywhere in our tiny apartment. No matter how hard I try to clean off before coming in, sand comes with me. No matter how much I sweep up every day, it is everywhere. I honestly don’t know how any is left on the beach if everyone is tracking this much in with them.
9. Cloudy days are still beautiful – and make me miss Seattle
Most mornings we wake up to clouds. The silvery water and fog covered mountains in the distance remind me of Seattle and the San Juan islands. And it makes me miss it. And I think that is a good thing.
10. Sea mist is great unless you’re trying to dry clothes
I love that sea mist that blows off the ocean and cools everything down. But, it makes it really hard to dry anything. I have a laundry obsession. When we got here, I couldn’t relax until I had a way to dry clothes. Jeff had to go out buy rope and fashion a clothes line for me, just to get me to calm down. The clothes line is very functional, but the sea air is not cooperating.
11. I could get used to this.
We’re leaving tomorrow to go to Mendoza, Argentina. I am pretty sure Mendoza will be amazing, but at the same time, I’m going to miss the ocean.
big thumbs up to number 7 Sheryl.
I just hope I do continue to enjoy them and don’t forget starting tomorrow. Would it be weird to set a sunset reminder alarm on my computer?
Now you know why we love Naples, walking on the beach and watching sunsets–no two are the same. It’s all restorative. And I always ask someone in the sunset watching crowd if they mind if I changed the channel. 🙂
George
Ha! I wish I knew how to say that in Spanish. I might have to try that tonight. There is something so magical about watching the sun drop into the ocean every night. I can see why you love it there. Living near the ocean is amazing!
Didn’t sound like complaining at all to me. It all sounded wonderfully real. I can really relate to the sea mist and clothes, used to spend a lot of time on a boat. The only thing worse is having to wash those clothes in salt water. Sounds like matcha is in your future!!
I shudder to imagine trying to dry clothes washed in sea water. We are now in Mendoza and first thing I’m doing is rewashing everything that has a fine coat of sea water mist on them. Second thing is going to get some yerba mate. I have unpacked my gourd and bombilla straw and am ready!
So glad to read of another laundry obsessed person! It became my mission to be the best line dryer in all of Italy when I lived there.
I just woke up and before even having my coffee ran outside to check my drying rack. Re-arranged some socks, moved the rack to a sunnier spot and am now waiting. If someone really wants to know what I did for 6 months in Argentina the answer will be – did some amazing clothes drying work! 🙂
I love this. We used to live right by the ocean in Santa Barbara. The sound of the ocean can do wonder to one’s mood <– that's so true. You inevitably bring sand with you doesn't matter how much you wash at the beach <– also true.
We’ve only been gone a day, but I already miss the sound of the crashing waves. it’s just amazing how relaxing the sight and sound of the ocean and be.