Easter in Talca

We spent Easter in Talca, a town known as a jumping-off point for many of the wineries south of Santiago. Because it was Easter, none of the wineries were open. Instead, Jason, Debbie and I relaxed in our lovely hostel (the nicest we've been to in Chile so far), wandered through the near-deserted streets of Talca, and took a train to Constitución.

The coastal town of Constitución is only about 1.5 hours away from Talca by bus, but we decided to take the more scenic 5-hour train ride. We arrived at the train station to see a very modern, clean, well kept 15-car train. Unfortunately, that train was going to Santiago. We walked past it to our old, rickety, three car train. The seats were ripped and burned in places, the aisles were packed with people, and the amenities were non existent, but the scenery really was beautiful.

Once we arrived in Constitución, we immediately took a local bus to Putu, then walked for 45 minutes to the sand dunes. The dunes get only the briefest of mentions in the guide books, but they are well-worth the long walk. We didn't realize that the dunes were on the coast, and were surprised to discover the ocean after several minutes walk through the sand. It is not only the largest beach we had ever seen, but also the most private. As you can see in the photos, we were often the only people visible on the shoreline.

Constitución itself also boasts a beautiful coastline. Its strong currents and towering rock formations make much of the beach unsuitable for swimming, but perfect for photography.

Jennifer