Bus and Beach via Talcahuano (Caleta Tumbes)
This weekend we took another trip to the beach. The coast is roughly 10-15 miles from our apartment and I hope that we can take advantage of this and visit as often as possible, even if it is winter time and the temperatures are a bit cool. Fishing villages are also a nice contrast to the busyness of Concepcion and a reminder that we are at the edge of a continent. Northwest of Concepcion there are essentially two large rocky peninsulas that are separated by a sandy (and industrial) bay called San Vincente. A larger bay to the north of town is considered the best port in all of Chile and is home to both a large fleet of commercial fishing boats but also a large Naval base. I assume that there is some active local tectonics that are driving these rocky blocks up faster than the large flat area immediately inland.
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For today's adventure, we were able to take a bus directly from downtown (blocks from our house) to the Talcahuano station. This is located right by the marina where there were all kinds of fun things to see including Bomberos (firemen) showing off their equipment, a jetty with good views of the commercial fleet and a heap of Sea Lions lounging on floating docks. There were numerous folks selling fresh fish and others offering to take our family for a tour of the harbor in their skiff. Though our hearts were set on getting to Caleta Tumbes (at the tip of the northern peninsula), we took our time walking around the marina while trying to figure out how to get to Caleta Tumbes.
With the help of a friendly guy at the bus stop, we figured out that we needed to take bus 05, a local line that just runs a Talcahuano-Tumbes circuit. The road out of Talcahuano zig-zags through a really steep neighborhood reminiscent of San Francisco and then follows along a ridgeline route. On one side of the road is a small community juxtaposed against the fence lines, barracks and golf courses of the naval base. The architecture on the base had a elegant, German Black Forest kind of feel. At the tip of the peninsula, the road drops down the side of an steep canyon into the village of Caleta Tumbes. This impressive niche is clearly a local tourist destination as there are tons of seafood restaurants and nicer houses in the canyons radiating out from the beach. There are a suite of new tower-like houses built on concrete stilts that are post-tsunami rehabilitation projects. This place was apparently hit hard in 2010 after the earthquake. There is even a restaurant named '8.8' the magnitude of that event. I was able to find some photos of the damage and the town has bounced back after the event. Here are some older photos from Google Images:
We walked along the beach, past a suite of rocks where a family were harvesting clams and starfish and north out of town to a quiet stretch of beach where the cliffs come down right to the water, precluding folks from living there. We played in tidepools and marveled at the large wave-cut platforms. I have read that following the earthquake there was significant rock uplift out here and that these platforms might be related to the recent event...not totally sure of this.
After the sun set and things got cool and stomachs grumbled, we headed back to town and decided to eat at the most southerly restaurant in town (Aire Marinos). They had delicious seafood stews and were patient with our broken Spanish. After paying, we left in a hurry as we say a bus about to leave town. As a consequence I left my backpack under the table and boarded a bus without really any capability to drop me off or turn around. I rode all the way back to Talcahuano, sent the family back to Concepcion and found another 05 bus and was able to retrieve by bag from the family that ran the restaurant. Good folks! I rode home on a few different buses, making transfers uneventfully. The best part was getting to sit in the front row of the bus which felt like an amusement park ride, barreling down the dark road. Though really fun, I think it mush be the most dangerous place to sit on the bus. Strange how those two things tend to go hand-in-hand so frequently.
View Larger Map
For today's adventure, we were able to take a bus directly from downtown (blocks from our house) to the Talcahuano station. This is located right by the marina where there were all kinds of fun things to see including Bomberos (firemen) showing off their equipment, a jetty with good views of the commercial fleet and a heap of Sea Lions lounging on floating docks. There were numerous folks selling fresh fish and others offering to take our family for a tour of the harbor in their skiff. Though our hearts were set on getting to Caleta Tumbes (at the tip of the northern peninsula), we took our time walking around the marina while trying to figure out how to get to Caleta Tumbes.
With the help of a friendly guy at the bus stop, we figured out that we needed to take bus 05, a local line that just runs a Talcahuano-Tumbes circuit. The road out of Talcahuano zig-zags through a really steep neighborhood reminiscent of San Francisco and then follows along a ridgeline route. On one side of the road is a small community juxtaposed against the fence lines, barracks and golf courses of the naval base. The architecture on the base had a elegant, German Black Forest kind of feel. At the tip of the peninsula, the road drops down the side of an steep canyon into the village of Caleta Tumbes. This impressive niche is clearly a local tourist destination as there are tons of seafood restaurants and nicer houses in the canyons radiating out from the beach. There are a suite of new tower-like houses built on concrete stilts that are post-tsunami rehabilitation projects. This place was apparently hit hard in 2010 after the earthquake. There is even a restaurant named '8.8' the magnitude of that event. I was able to find some photos of the damage and the town has bounced back after the event. Here are some older photos from Google Images:
After the sun set and things got cool and stomachs grumbled, we headed back to town and decided to eat at the most southerly restaurant in town (Aire Marinos). They had delicious seafood stews and were patient with our broken Spanish. After paying, we left in a hurry as we say a bus about to leave town. As a consequence I left my backpack under the table and boarded a bus without really any capability to drop me off or turn around. I rode all the way back to Talcahuano, sent the family back to Concepcion and found another 05 bus and was able to retrieve by bag from the family that ran the restaurant. Good folks! I rode home on a few different buses, making transfers uneventfully. The best part was getting to sit in the front row of the bus which felt like an amusement park ride, barreling down the dark road. Though really fun, I think it mush be the most dangerous place to sit on the bus. Strange how those two things tend to go hand-in-hand so frequently.