Soccer, the real Futbol

It has been a long day here in Antofagasta so this will be a quick one. Had a really good day at work and left early to go watch Chile dominate Italy in soccer. Starting to meet more and more people through good friends at work and really enjoy the opportunity to hear different accents. A lot of the people from el Norte del Chile hablan mas lento que las personas del Sur. However, it still sounds like gibberish sometimes. Fortunately for everyone a soccer game can be enjoyed with very few verbal exchanges beyond camaraderie in the form of "GOOOOAAAAALLL!"

After the game a few other employees and I went to play some closed court futbol. It was a small cancha con solo cinco personas cada equipo. Even still, it was a very fast paced team and you can see everyone in the above photo smiling after they kicked my ass. While I got an E for effort, I was told that my endurance is second to technical skills and given a soccer ball for practice at home.

This weekend there is a large storm blowing in from the West and everyone is going out of town to catch the big swells. Unfortunately, my surfing skills are still sub par so I will be enjoying the excitement from the coast. Even still, the regular waves range from 3' to about 6'. I'm unsure of how safe it is but I have noted some great waves with no one taking advantage so I am assuming what is beneath the surface is sub-optimal. For those interested in surfing here, it is recommended that you bring your own wet suit as they are not only required (thanks to the Humboldt current) but expensive.

Please excuse my night shots as I am trying to play around with my camera to get better aperture. The city is truly beautiful during the day with the Mountains to the East and the ocean to the West; but the best part is how surreal everything feels at night when the mountains disappear into the into the shadows and only the waves can be heard among a sea of blackness.